Nurse-in at Hirshhorn on 2/12 from 10-12

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to reiterate this again, if there is NOT a negative response to a written complaint, you are doing more harm than good. I can pretty much guarantee if someone ACTUALLY contacts The Smithsonian, they will happily comply and send a retrain memo out to comply with the law. You are jumping the gun by planning a nurse-in, please handle this in a professional manner.

Read the whole thread. There won't be a "retrain memo" because the museum's policy is to not allow bf-ing.

Actually, there was one poster who suggested it was an official policy, but she wasn't yet prepared to back it up. Seems like with the federal laws allowing breastfeeding in federal buildings there couldn't be a policy stopping women from breastfeeding in the Smithsonian. I did some searching on the Smithsonian site and couldn't find anything in "the rules" about not breastfeeding in public. Of course, it could be an internal policy, but we don't really know that. There are MANY exhibits supporting and promoting breastfeeding throughout the museums though. I will be very upset if I find that it is an official policy but will also be surprised. I'm "hoping" it was just a guard who was misinformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to reiterate this again, if there is NOT a negative response to a written complaint, you are doing more harm than good. I can pretty much guarantee if someone ACTUALLY contacts The Smithsonian, they will happily comply and send a retrain memo out to comply with the law. You are jumping the gun by planning a nurse-in, please handle this in a professional manner.

Read the whole thread. There won't be a "retrain memo" because the museum's policy is to not allow bf-ing.

Anonymous "says" that, but provides no support of their statement, not even assigning their name to their comment. So at this point, there is still no response from them.

[Anonymous]

No response is pretty much the same thing as a negative response. The only thing that would suggest it is a retraining issue and one that will be dealt with is if there was an explicitly positive response. At the very least, silence says they don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if he was actually concerned about food or drink being near the artwork. After all, BF-ing can be messy, and it is their job to protect the paintings from being ruined.

Just another perspective- I THINK I know the area where the woman was sitting, and I think there is still artwork.

That said, the guard could have directed her to the cafe or a bench not located near artwork. But come on, we're talking about rent-a-cops here - let the museum management respond first.

If you were so messy while breastfeeding that milk was flying around and ruining artwork, I can, with confidence, say that you were definitely doing something wrong.

Hey now, overactive letdown is *not* doing anything wrong! If my baby popped off mid-letdown, I CERTAINLY would have damaged artwork (I'd spray about 8-9 feet), I had OAL for the 3 years I nursed her and the only way to avoid the mess was to be super on top of dropping my shirt the microsecond she unlatched, and that just didn't always happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No response is pretty much the same thing as a negative response. The only thing that would suggest it is a retraining issue and one that will be dealt with is if there was an explicitly positive response. At the very least, silence says they don't care.

No it doesn't! It's been less than a week since the incident! I've been involved with these incidents hundreds of times, and you guys are jumping the gun! Where is the mom that this happened to? Where's her statement that they had said they stand by the decision? At this point, there are lactivist organizations that are preparing press-releases in non-support to ensure that the public knows they are not connected to this because no one is showing any reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to reiterate this again, if there is NOT a negative response to a written complaint, you are doing more harm than good. I can pretty much guarantee if someone ACTUALLY contacts The Smithsonian, they will happily comply and send a retrain memo out to comply with the law. You are jumping the gun by planning a nurse-in, please handle this in a professional manner.

Hirshhorn operates under Smithsonian's auspices and rules. This is a Smithsonian issue. They should be contacted. Who has been your contact so far?

[Anonymous]

Breastfeeding definitely doesn't belong in an art museum.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Madonna+nursing+Jesus&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1253&bih=621

My personal favorite:
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/37758/Madonna_Nursing_the_Christ_Child

If only someone had given Mary a hooter hider!

[Anonymous]

So all those upset that this is moving too fast: the nurse-in isn't scheduled until the 12th. That is a week away, shouldn't the Hirshhorn or someone within the Smithsonian respond to the mother in some fashion by then? Even just an email saying, "We're working on it." If they have not responded at all by then...don't you think it is reasonable to make them stand up and listen? Would you expect another protected class to just sit around and wait patiently after their rights were violated? No one is suggesting anything other than showing up and nursing their baby at the museum. That isn't especially provocative or shocking...or at least it shouldn't be. It isn't even usually a super busy museum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So all those upset that this is moving too fast: the nurse-in isn't scheduled until the 12th. That is a week away, shouldn't the Hirshhorn or someone within the Smithsonian respond to the mother in some fashion by then? Even just an email saying, "We're working on it." If they have not responded at all by then...don't you think it is reasonable to make them stand up and listen? Would you expect another protected class to just sit around and wait patiently after their rights were violated? No one is suggesting anything other than showing up and nursing their baby at the museum. That isn't especially provocative or shocking...or at least it shouldn't be. It isn't even usually a super busy museum.

Yes, it is pre-emptive to publicly plan this before awaiting a response. They can't even focus on the actual problem now because they have to deal with a protest. And guess what the press is going to put out? That "these women" planned a public protest without giving the museum a chance to respond. And that's exactly what you guys are doing. You've made it very public there is a protest planned, this isn't a prepare behind the scenes so we'll be ready to go public, you've gone public. And where is the mother in this? I've not seen anywhere that she has responded to this. The FB pages aren't made by her, have no statements from her, nothing. You can't do this without her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if he was actually concerned about food or drink being near the artwork. After all, BF-ing can be messy, and it is their job to protect the paintings from being ruined.

Just another perspective- I THINK I know the area where the woman was sitting, and I think there is still artwork.

That said, the guard could have directed her to the cafe or a bench not located near artwork. But come on, we're talking about rent-a-cops here - let the museum management respond first.

If you were so messy while breastfeeding that milk was flying around and ruining artwork, I can, with confidence, say that you were definitely doing something wrong.

Um, or I was nursing an older baby. Who heard a kid's voice. Who decided to remove his head as soon as there was let down. I mean, I've had milk shoot across the room. Most of my shirts have been ruined. I didn't have latch problems and I nursed for 10 months (maybe it says something that at that point, DS was completely intolerant of staying still to BF, so we stopped).

Don't get me wrong, I've nursed plenty of times in public places. I'd wear a sarong around my neck because if I didn't, DS couldn't focus. So yes, it is possible that if I nursed without a cover, there could be some messiness. Or, DS would cough and spit out milk, or blow raspberries. Would I nurse within 5 feet of a pricey piece of art if it belonged to me? Hell no.

I'm not saying the guards were right or handled it correctly, or if protecting the art even crossed their mind. But I'm sorry, BFing can be messy.

[Anonymous]

Breasts feeding has zilch to do with not being ashamed of our bodies. I think far too many of you are exhibitionists and love the furor you create. There is another problem, it isn't just BFing in public but the slurping sounds of the babies is offputting and there is also a smell in closed-in places. It it rather like a former smoker who doesn't understand that smoking stinks and BFing mothers don't realize that this also stinks until after you stop Bfing. It does stink so maybe you should be more careful about hygiene and that of your chld. Of course, on another thread many MBs think it is perfectly all right to change their baby's poopy diaper in a restaurant in full view of other diners. I don't to smell their poop and I don;t want to smell your breast milk. Why can't you pump and give your child a bottle?

I'm pretty sure that if your child is slurping, you're doing it wrong, to the point that mama will be in pain after a while!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I completely support women's rights to breastfeed in public, but the whole point of a nurse-in is to be disruptive and get attention. Being disruptive and getting attention is not a good way to prove that breastfeeding in public is not disruptive. Hordes of women showing up just to whip their boobs out does the rest of us, who are just trying to feed our babies, a disservice.

Thank you. This is the entire point. Posters who say they have a right to breastfeed always act like they have a right to be as obnoxious as possible about it as well. Plenty of people breastfeed in public in a way that is not inconsiderate of those around them -- I did.

It really doesn't matter what intellectual argument you make about WHY people are uncomfortable and even grossed out at the sight of a woman openly breastfeeding in public; the fact is, most people find it really weird -- that's why we need laws making it legal.

Why does something private mean something "shameful"? I'm not ashamed of my breasts or of breastfeeding but I don't think I have to impose my views about it on total strangers either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Breasts feeding has zilch to do with not being ashamed of our bodies. I think far too many of you are exhibitionists and love the furor you create. There is another problem, it isn't just BFing in public but the slurping sounds of the babies is offputting and there is also a smell in closed-in places. It it rather like a former smoker who doesn't understand that smoking stinks and BFing mothers don't realize that this also stinks until after you stop Bfing. It does stink so maybe you should be more careful about hygiene and that of your chld. Of course, on another thread many MBs think it is perfectly all right to change their baby's poopy diaper in a restaurant in full view of other diners. I don't to smell their poop and I don;t want to smell your breast milk. Why can't you pump and give your child a bottle?

I'm pretty sure that if your child is slurping, you're doing it wrong, to the point that mama will be in pain after a while!

HAHAHAHAHAA!!!!! I haven't had milk in almost 3 years, never once have I smelled the woman nursing next to me. Nor had I ever before I ever breastfed. Feces smell because they have bacteria decomposing in them from the gut. Breastmilk does not. And we don't have to go over all the reasons why we can't just pump and give a bottle, you're here to troll, you know why. As for exhibitionism, you're still a hoot, I'm on an incredibly conservative religion that is known for being extremely modest, I'm definitely no exhibitionist, but I'm still going to feed my children without sitting in a feces stink bathroom. This has nothing to do with hygiene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So all those upset that this is moving too fast: the nurse-in isn't scheduled until the 12th. That is a week away, shouldn't the Hirshhorn or someone within the Smithsonian respond to the mother in some fashion by then? Even just an email saying, "We're working on it." If they have not responded at all by then...don't you think it is reasonable to make them stand up and listen? Would you expect another protected class to just sit around and wait patiently after their rights were violated? No one is suggesting anything other than showing up and nursing their baby at the museum. That isn't especially provocative or shocking...or at least it shouldn't be. It isn't even usually a super busy museum.

Yes, it is pre-emptive to publicly plan this before awaiting a response. They can't even focus on the actual problem now because they have to deal with a protest. And guess what the press is going to put out? That "these women" planned a public protest without giving the museum a chance to respond. And that's exactly what you guys are doing. You've made it very public there is a protest planned, this isn't a prepare behind the scenes so we'll be ready to go public, you've gone public. And where is the mother in this? I've not seen anywhere that she has responded to this. The FB pages aren't made by her, have no statements from her, nothing. You can't do this without her.

I am the poster who responded about policy contradicting law. As I said, I don't want to say more because it seems unfair if I don't know all of the facts. I encourage others to contact the museum.

And I 100% believe that this is pre-emptive until a response has been received.

[Anonymous]

I pumped while reading this thread. Very helpful for letdown and laughs. Thank you all. I love how there are lawyers who just whip out the Code when needed.

And the Mary feeding Jesus pics...great stuff.

I was slightly disturbed by the modern-day Madonna pic on the top row...Why is she always sexualizing her gays?

FWIW, I'm a well-groomed lobbyist-type whose nursed my way around DC including two museums with no problems. I'm very discrete but don't use hooter hiders...i would show more when baby is whipping that thing up to get a look around.