Mother Says Six Flags Worker Didn't Want Her To Breast-feed Baby In Pool

[matcom]

:popcorn:

<snip>

A Great Lakes Naval Base mother is crying foul after an employee at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor allegedly asked her not to breast-feed her 4-month-old daughter in a wading area at the water park.

Rebecca Gray said she has filed a complaint with park officials and is considering legal action to reinforce a state law allowing mothers to breast-feed their infants anywhere in public without interference.

According to Gray, she was standing in a wading area on June 18 watching her 2-year-old son while breast-feeding her daughter, who was beneath a blanket. "I was actually a lot more covered than most people," she said.

In a letter to the Gurnee park, Gray said a lifeguard told her she needed to leave the pool because it was a health code violation.

According to Lake County Health Department spokeswoman Marcia Stanek, breast-feeding is not covered by health codes for public pools.

Six Flags spokeswoman Michelle Hoffman said Thursday the park is reviewing Gray's complaint. "If it did happen, we'll make sure it doesn't happen again," she said.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-breast15.html

[northzax]

1. seems reasonable

get out of the pool if food and drink isn't allowed in the pool. What, five steps was too much work for you? come on.

what's next, suing because they wouldn't let her breastfeed on the carousel or tilt-a-wheel?

[redqueen]

15. She was watching the toddler, who wanted to be in the pool.

No Food Or Drink rules are meant to prevent spills and such... do you think her boob can spill?

[havocmom]

18. No, breasts don't spill. But babies do...

I can see their point. Expensive to drain and refill a wadding pool that has baby puke in it.

[redqueen]

19. So is it no babies who've just eaten in the pool, or just breastfed babies

:shrug:

[havocmom]

34. Also the point of supervising the other child, with her hands full of baby

That would be an issue if I were running the pool. To feed one requires hands and attention. She could have had the other child sit it out with her and the baby for a few minutes. Keeps everyone safe.

And having one child wait a few minutes offers a chance to teach the older tot that sometimes one has to delay gratification just a bit while a priority has to be dealt with. Not a bad thing and one that toddlers are very capable of learning. Not enough of them are learning it by the time they hit school. Ask a bunch of teachers ;)

[redqueen]

41. So now we're searching for reasons

why she should've left the pool.

Okay.

Got it.

[havocmom]

69. No, I had all that in my little pee brain

just trying to show that it is not necessiarily the 'pick on the mom' gig some want it to be.

Anyone running a pool and requiring that adult supervision of kids in the wadding pool has a liability interest in assuring that the kids are supervised. They also have to try and maintain healthy conditions in the water.

So we are looking for reasons to not follow certain policies and good judgement?

Got it

[redqueen]

78. Huh?

The original reason was "health code violations" which was a LIE.

Now you and others are throwing out other reasons you've thought of for why she shouldn't have done what she was legally allowed to do, and what suited her and her children's needs.

I don't have to look for a reason, because I'm not in that situation. She was, and she made her decision.

[gollygee]

112. Babies puke constantly

and pee constantly for that matter.

Plus lactating women sometimes leak for no apparent reason and at any given time.

So your rule would mean that no babies, no children who aren't potty trained, heck even potty-trained kids pee in pools, no adults who are incontinent, and no lactating women could ever be in a swimming pool.

Chlorine is in pools for a reason.

[Sanity Claws]

127. All these are excellent reasons for such persons not to be in

communal pools. I would hope that all of them would not go to the pool.
I know I would avoid all pools with such persons in them.

[gollygee]

128. OK you go find a public pool that doesn't allow:

Senior citizens (possible incontinence)
Women of childbearing age (possible breastmilk)
Babies (possible pee and spitup)
children (don't get out of pools to pee)

So then you will have only adult men at your pool. You will then be reasonably safe from exposure to harmless chlorinated bodily fluids.

[youthere]

138. don't forget...

menstruating women...leakage you know. I know they want you to believe you can repair a hole in a boat with a tampon but...come on!

[Sanity Claws]

140. Hold the koolaid

I said I hoped that people who had these kind of bodily function issues would remove themselves from the pool.
As for harmless bodily fluids, I beg to differ. I used to swim regularly but noticed that I started developing ear infections, nose infections, etc. I stopped swimming and the pesky infections stopped. Unfortunately, some people use communal pools when they shouldn't. My remedy is simply to avoid them and find other ways to exercise.

[Bouncy Ball]

117. Right because there isn't five tons of urine in Hurricane Harbor pools.

:rofl:

[northzax]

21. oh well then

if I take a sippy cup that can't spill, can I take a drink in? what if I promise to spit up afterwards like the baby is likely to?

I'll ask the same question, can you think of any single instance in which breastfeeding would not be an acceptable activity?

no food or drink in the pool. is that really so hard to understand?

[Pacifist Patriot]

23. Why assume spitup is likely?

My first two were fountains. Therefore I would not have fed them breastmilk or formula anywhere near a pool. My third never spit up a day in his life. By four months I think I would be able to figure that out.

[northzax]

26. but you sound reasonable

this is someone suing an amusement park for enforcing a posted rule. Do you really trust her to make a decision?

[Pacifist Patriot]

33. Yes because their posted rule is superceded by state law.

[jmm]

39. Actually looks like it wasn't a rule

They didn't tell her she violated a rule they told her she violated a health code and according to the county she did not. A spokesperson for the park did say "if it did happen, we'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

edited for clarity

[Pacifist Patriot]

48. Ah! Good catch.

[northzax]

62. then the health code is 'no food in the public pool'

and the lifeguard reasonably applied that to breastmilk.

[Pacifist Patriot]

63. Actually, we do not know what the health code stipulates.

I bet the queasy employee doesn't either.

[jmm]

72. Exactly

They just got freaked out because even though she had a blanket covering her heaven forbid a woman wants to breast feed in public and they misinterpreted a policy so they wouldn't have to see it.

[northzax]

89. er, I can't give you the health code

but I can give you the Illinois State Law governing the operation of public bathing facilities, spas, water parks and wading pools. Will that do?

http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/077/077008200D03600R.html

I refer you to 830.360 c) )Littering is prohibited. In addition, no food, drink, gum or tobacco is allowed in other than specially designated and controlled sections of the pool area. Glass containers are prohibited.

It seems completely reasonable for a park employee to interpret that law as including breastmilk, don't you?

[jmm]

95. That makes it even clearer to me that the law was intended

to prevent littering which is why it specifically mentions littering and glass bottles. This was not a Six Flags rule and if the employees were so well versed in state law as to know that law then they should've known the spirit of the law was not intended to prevent breastfeeding.

[northzax]

100. the glass bottles is obviously a safety issue

it is designed to protect water quality. read the whole code. a violation leads to a suspension of the license. that costs six flags hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[jmm]

102. I did read the whole code and it validated everything I felt

about this situation.

[xmas74]

108. Actually, the glass bottles

rule is not to protect water quality. It is a safety rule to prevent injuries. Glass bottles and concrete do not mix well together. Add to that bare feet and you can get the picture.

[redqueen]

96. From the OP:

"According to Lake County Health Department spokeswoman Marcia Stanek, breast-feeding is not covered by health codes for public pools."

[northzax]

98. I argue that it is not an unreasonable interpretation

of this rule. the lifeguard was probably told 'no food or drink in the pool, no exceptions.' and enforced the rule as he/she knew it.

[redqueen]

99. And they were wrong, and fortunately the park sees this.

It boggles the mind why people here don't.

[northzax]

110. I think she should get out of the pool.

get the toddler out of the water and go feed your baby. While Illinois State law provides for the right to breastfeed "anywhere the mother is otherwise entitled to be" she should have made a better choice in this instance. A crowded pool is not the best option, in my opinion.

And yes, illinois state law also provides her the right to sue Six Flags over this issue and claim damages. That would also be a poor choice.

[Pacifist Patriot]

124. If that is what you want to think happened, feel free.

The Six Flags spokesperson apparently disagrees.

[redqueen]

130. Fuckin unreal, ain't it?

[redqueen]

30. Ask the park.

The baby is not any more likely to spit up than any other baby whose just been fed... are there rules against babies who've just been fed being in the wading pool?

Your first question is just silly. Of course I can.

Your second question is insulting.

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. I have a pool in my backyard.

It doesn't matter whether it's a baby, a toddler, a child or a grownup. Sometimes when accomplished swimmers swallow too much water, over-exert themselves or for some other reason...they vomit. Does that mean anyone with a digestive system should be banned from swimming at Six Flags?

[northzax]

40. ahh, insulting

so women who are breatfeeding cannot reasonably understand a sign? or she can and chose to violate it. which one is insulting? she either knew the rule and chose to violate it, or was unable to understand the signs. sorry if that's insulting.

[redqueen]

43. Do you really not think state law trumps pool rules? n/t

[Pacifist Patriot]

47. Guess what?

During the brief time I was breastfeeding...I knew the difference between state law and a theme park rule.

[yardwork]

64. What rule did she violate? I don't see that there was any rule.

If baby spitup will ruin the toddler's wading pool, then what about all that spittle and saliva from toddlers, not to mention.....

That's what chlorine is for.

[redqueen]

83. I think the rule is assumed... anything to stop the breastfeeding! n/t

[yardwork]

84. Goddess forbid that people would care for their infants!

I guess Six Flags would have been happier if she'd just let the kids wander around neglected.

[bushisanidiot]

75. Breastfeeding is a normal bodily function. it's not a packaged food and

drink that is prohibited by the rules.

it's funny that you're so worried about the SHOCKING possibility that the baby MIGHT spitup, yet you're willing to swim in a pool in which at least 50% of the kids there PEE in? that's funny.

[redqueen]

87. I don't think it's funny.

I think it's very, very sad.

[northzax]

90. loopholes, loopholes

it's not really food. I didn't mention her name, jsut her husbands name. it's like talking to Karl Rove.

[bushisanidiot]

104. Why are you bringing KKKarl rove and his man-boobs into this?

do you think he'd get thrown out of a pool for whipping his enormous boobies out in front of the children??

it's all just so SHOCKING!!!

[jmm]

101. Since a little spit up is such a big concern

maybe we need to ban roller coasters and all other rides that spin alot. I can't count how many times I've seen people vomit on those. Unlike a pool they don't have chlorine.

[redqueen]

131. You're using logic.

That seems absent from the "get the baby milk out of the pool but the urine's OK to swim around in" crowd.

[KitchenWitch]

151. Actually, lactating breasts do leak

Not to be a contrarian...but when I was nursing...the leakage about drove me batty. And since breast milk is technically a bodily fluid, I would imagine that there are health department regulations regarding that and pools.

[LaurenG]

136. I agree with you nt

[liberalnurse]

2. We all know that you can get cramps and drown

if you go swimming after you eat! OMG, the thoughts of eating and swimming at the same time! :scared:

[swag]

3. My, what a very moist news item.

[tigereye]

42. oooh

:spank: bad one.


I think the lifeguard over-reacted, but I don't think a lawsuit was necessary. JMO

[swag]

49. The word "moist" is like the word "Hitler" or "Nazi."

The first one to use the word loses.

And I wasn't even in an argument.

I do appreciate the spanking.

[tigereye]

73. glad to be of service

no, it was a good bad pun, IMO.


I still remember a local band here called Moist, back in the day. Multiple levels of meaning.

[RPM]

4. pass the popcorn

:popcorn:

[aden_nak]

5. Breast feed all you want. But get out of the pool, lady.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. Why if she covered up the baby and her breasts?

Seriously. I'm wondering what your concern is. Why should she leave the pool and her other child unattended?

[MissMillie]

17. Even if she DIDN'T cover up

What is so horrible about a human being eating?

I just don't get it. :shrug:

[northzax]

22. eating is banned in the pool

there's nothing horrible or wrong about it, it's simply the rule. the posted rule.

[MissMillie]

25. but like someone else said

breasts don't spill

[northzax]

29. that doesn't matter

eating is banned in the pool. by everyone. not just messy people.

[Pacifist Patriot]

31. Not to mention that "right to breastfeed publicly" legislation....

trumps posted theme park regulations. The letter of the regulation may ban "eating" but I bet the spirit of the regulation meant food, food. Not breastmilk.

[MissMillie]

37. I think breastmilk is food

but I think if the spirit of the rule is to prevent making messes in the pool, breastfeeding has to be exempt.

And I think it is quite reasonable to expect that a woman who is watching a toddler in said wading pool is not going to pack up and remove that toddler when she needs to feed the baby.

I guarantee to you that the response by the park employee had NOTHING to do with this being a "food" issue. People are hung up on breastfeeding, for some reason, and it's just plain silly.

[Pacifist Patriot]

45. Yes, breastmilk IS food.

I know that too. That's why I said, "food, food." I figured people would understand that to mean solid food like potato chips, burgers, etc.

I agree with you. This has nothing to do with food and everything to do with boobs.

[northzax]

65. so if the mother used a breast pump

and fed the baby with a bottle, that also would be fine? and if so, what about soy milk in a bottle?

[Pacifist Patriot]

71. Um, not sure what this response has to do with what I said.

Sorry, but what do breast pumps have to do with the likelihood that the employee was offended by the act of breastfeeding rather than the fact that a baby was being given food? I suspect he wouldn't have blinked if a bottle had been involved. Personally, I wouldn't take a baby bottle into a pool. But that's just me.

[northzax]

97. I'm sure he/she would've blinked

as that would have violated state law. You are assuming he/she wouldn't have, but try taking a bottle of anything into a pool sometime, they are very strict at six flags.

[redqueen]

60. Yes, they are.

Wish I could understand why. :(

[yorkiemommie1]

35. mine used to spurt like fountains!

little old flatchested me. my baby would be drinking out of one side and the other side would be soaking a towel.

[tigereye]

44. it ain't the same

[redqueen]

56. Could you cite the part about this rule?

It seems the mother was pestered using a lie about "health code violations", not a rule.

[northzax]

70. a health code is a rule

even if a restaurant doesn't post "no shirt no shoes no service" the health code forbids them to serve people in an indoor establishemt. So they can enforce the rule.

[Pacifist Patriot]

74. But I think the point ...

and this seems to be implied by the spokesperson in his comments...is that the health code was NOT violated.

[northzax]

91. I posted in #89

the relevant State law. can you see how the employee would interpret that law as including breastfeeding?

[redqueen]

85. There was no health code violation. n/t

[northzax]

92. see post #89

Illinois State Law provides for food and drink only in designated areas of the pool. the pool us non-eating unless otherwise stated.

[MiniMandaRuth]

122. I just read that as a a human being eaten

Too much sugar for me.

[aden_nak]

32. She shouldn't. She should remove her other child from the pool, also.

It's a matter, first of all, of public health. No one should be purposefully secreting bodily fluids in the vicinity of a public pool, no matter what the water level. It's also a matter of safety. To be holding the infant is one thing, but it's quite another to be breast feeding your child while walking in shallow water.

[northzax]

6. wow, six posts and none of the breast-feeding crazies

on either side! dare to think, can we be reasonable about this one?

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. But what constitutes reasonable?

For some it means getting out of the pool for others it means Six Flags needs to take a chill pill. *shrug* I have tried, really tried. But I just don't see the big deal about breastfeeding. What a neat thing we can do and so many people seem to be bothered by it.

[northzax]

16. you don't think it's reasonable

to get out of the pool before breatfeeding? Can she do it on the caurosel? bumper cars? at what point does breastfeeding constitute eating, and therefore banned from the pool? Can you think of any single instance in which you would have a problem with breastfeeding? if not, then you aren't reasonable.

that's all.

[Pacifist Patriot]

20. Sorry, but standing at the edge of a pool and riding bumper cars

are two entirely different situations. I thought the woman who got busted for breastfeeding with an unrestrained infant in a moving car through a toll plaza a few years ago was a raging moron. Sure there are instances in which I would have a problem with breastfeeding. Standing at the edge of a pool while watching another child just isn't one of them. I consider that reasonable. That's all.

[tigereye]

50. but many moms breastfeed with their child firmly on their body

or in a sling, etc., Zax. Seems to me that her child being safe is more the issue than the "no eating" rule.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. Health code violation?

Give me a break! Sorry but I have to go with the mother on this one. She probably WAS more covered than other swimmers. Don't they know about the antibiotic and other healing properties of breastmilk?

I have never understood this. What a tempest in a teapot. A baby nurses for a few minutes. Get over it!

FYI: This from a mom who could never make nursing work. Wish I could have nursed my kids in a pool. The bottles are far less sanitary.

[jmm]

10. I bet that baby had the best meal ever served at Six Flags

I'd be more concerned with the health hazard caused by all the people who pissed in that pool than her breast milk.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. You got that right!

[sasquatch]

12. WE WANT PICS, WE WANT PICS, WE WANT PICS!!!

:bounce::evilgrin:

[Ilsa]

13. I'm glad she stuck to her guns.

There is no health danger here. And the baby wasn't swimming :lol: Seems to me the lifeguard would be pleased she was watching her two year old so well so he didn't have to.

I still don't get why people (even on a liberal site like DU) are so upset about moms who discreetly breastfeed. They're bucking the corporate crap for the benefit of their children.

[Pacifist Patriot]

27. But according to northzax it's eating so that settles that.

Can't eat in the pool....even if what is really meant is bringing in a bag of chips or sucking down a chili dog. Guess the public breastfeeding legislation that trumps their posted regulation is meaningless.

[northzax]

59. sorry, but it is 'feeding'

and that is an activity very clearly marked as forbidden in the pool. Is this really that big of a deal?

but ok, I take it all back. I think she should be awared 5 million dollars for her pain and suffering. I can't wait to have my dentist whip out a nipple during my next root canal cause the kid is hungry.

The law may well protect her 'right' to breastfeed anywhere she wants, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't exercise some judgement herself.

[Pacifist Patriot]

68. I never said she deserved a multi-million dollar award.

A simple, "we're sorry we lied to you about the health code" should suffice.

Yes, it is a matter of judgment. You and I apparently judge differently. That's what makes this world such an interesting place, no?

[Deja Q]

14. So they can catch breastfeeders in the pool. What about the peeing lot?

Who's going to catch them? Or look at the time? :wow:

[REP]

24. Urine is Icky, But Sterile

Breastmilk, on the other hand, is not sterile.

No food or drink allowed in the pool. Rules are rules.

[Pacifist Patriot]

28. Urine is sterile upon excretion, but....

once excreted becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. It's a strawman argument. Breastmilk actually has healing properties. Best thing to do for cracked and infected nipples is to rub breastmilk on them. Sorry, but I'd rather swim in a pool that had a drop of breastmilk than a pool in which a five year old took a good healthy whiz.

[REP]

53. Funny You Mention Strawmen

Because you just built one. Just about anything can be a breeding ground for bacteria, but the fact remains, urine is sterile when excreted and breastmilk is not. Frankly, I'd rather not be in a pool that contained either - and let's not even discuss 'swim' diapers laden with feces.

[Pacifist Patriot]

55. Ooo yes, let's not. I almost did but decided against it.

But that was exactly my point. You cannot contrast urine and breastmilk once it as entered the pool. Therefore the argument that urine is sterile and breastmilk is not is completely moot.

[Kraklen]

86. Breast milk and urine are the same when they enter the pool.

Chlorinated milk and chlorinated urine are both sterile.

I've got more of a peeve towards the chlorinated fecal matter, but hey, that won't make you sick either, and unless you're at ground zero you probably won't notice it anyway.

[Deja Q]

137. Well, I will never eat cheeze whiz in quite the same light ever again...

:puke:

[SarahB]

115. Breastmilk is sterile.

Not only is it sterile, it contain active, living cells that kill infectious microscopic organisms.

[redqueen]

132. Oh no, another voice of logic and reason!

Whatever will the "crazies" do?

[taught_me_patience]

38. Seems very reasonable...

HIV can be passed through breast milk. (probably not likely in a public pool, but still a health hazard).

[MissMillie]

46. Are we going to start screening all waders

for open wounds?

[Pacifist Patriot]

51. Geez, if I had a dime for every kid I saw in a public pool wearing ...

a band aid. And that IS a health code violation. At least where I live.

[taught_me_patience]

54. I think they should. n/t

[Pacifist Patriot]

57. This is why I have a pool in my backyard.

Public pools skeeve me out. I'll admit it. I'm a weirdo. Whatever. ;)

[xmas74]

52. But would the chlorine kill the HIV infection?

"Chlorine can also destroy HIV and is relatively inexpensive and available."

(first link I found on google)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1808093&dopt=Abstract

It would be no different than when they used to offer bleach to IV drug users to clean needles w/. And public pools tend to have high chlorine levels for sanitation purposes (urine, cuts and scrapes that begin to bleed, etc).

[yardwork]

77. That's what chlorine is for.....

[Mojambo]

58. It takes 5 minutes, just get out of the pool.

Is this really the battle that breastfeeding moms need to be fighting? Feeding in a pool?

I'm down with with the breastfeeding cause in just about every instance, but in a public pool?

Just take one for the team and move 10 feet. Maybe it's unfair, maybe it's not, but in the larger scheme is it really worth throwing a fit over?

[Pacifist Patriot]

61. Depends on the baby.

One of my kids chugged, the other two were rather leisurely. My middle child would routinely nurse for half an hour! I can imagine trying to keep a toddler still on a blanket for that period of time.

Okay, so I can predict the next logical comment. The woman had no business taking her children to a public place with a swimming pool at all. ;)

[Mojambo]

67. Hey dealing with infants can be a pain

When you decide to be a parent you sign off on it.

Sure she should be able to take her kids to the pool, but she also must accept responsibility that she won't be able to do everything that she could if she went without the infants.

[Pacifist Patriot]

76. I'm going to defer to "bushisanidiot" on this one.

Stated most eloquently below.

[Mojambo]

80. Okay, well I disagree

I'm not sure it's fair that I'm lumped in with fundie idiots for doing so, but I'm a big boy I can take it.

[bushisanidiot]

66. Hello? people PEE in the pool for gawd's sake. let the woman feed

her kid.

freakin' fundie idiots.

[wideopen]

81. Exactly the point I was going to make

Of all the stuff floating in the pool breast milk would be the very least of my concerns.

[yardwork]

82. I agree with you all the way

[redqueen]

88. I love you.

:loveya:

[bushisanidiot]

105. Awww.. gee whiz. ;)

heh..

i just like laughing at the zealots "clutch the pearls" over a breast and it's normal function.

[redqueen]

107. You said it clearly and succinctly...

Anyone wringing their hands over breastmilk entering a chlorinated pool has some serious issues!

[northzax]

93. ahh, the ol' other people are doing worse discussion

Karl? is that you?

[bushisanidiot]

103. No, buddy. I think KKKarl would be on the side of the anti-breastfeeders

which is really pretty funny.. considering his tatas are bigger than a lot of moms' are.

heh..

[Child_Of_Isis]

79. At every moment in a Mother's life...

everybody else knows exactly what she should be doing and how she should be doing it.

[Lilli]

94. Sorry...but if I had a two year old toddler in the pool

I wouldnt be breastfeeding a baby. I'd be watching the one who needed my attention. And if I needed to breastfeed, we'd all come out of the water.

Jeez.

[Scout]

106. thank you, finally.

while she's holding and breastfeeding the infant, what would she do if there was a problem with the toddler? drop the baby and run to its rescue? scream for someone else (the lifeguard) to come and save her kid?

I'm not a breast feeding nazi, but show some judgement for cripes sake. Like another poster said, is this really a battle that needs to be fought?

[bushisanidiot]

111. That's a good point, however none of us were there to see what

the circumstances were. the article states that the breastfeeding woman was standing in a wading area. if she was in the kiddie pool then it most likely wasn't even a foot deep, so it would have been easy to right the toddler had she/he fallen over in the water. most moms with kids this age know how to hold one kid while doing something with another (been there, done that).

on the other hand, if this was a pool with a "deep end" (most of those kinds of pools don't have a "wading" area) then yes, I agree that the woman showed extreme bad judgement and poor planning.

[Lilli]

126. Kids can drown in shallow water too

and we're talking about a 2 year old toddler..not a child with more stable footing...I dont know a single woman who would take that risk...its just unnecessary

[redqueen]

133. Which is why she was minding the toddler. n/t

[bushisanidiot]

143. Oh, absolutely. But, again, we don't know the situation. She may have

been standing right next to her toddler, which is most likely the case here. If you go to any public pool and check out the kiddie pool section, there's 2 year old's splashing around in the water with eachother.. not all of them have a parent holding their hands, infact, few of them do.

[Zuni]

109. I do not understand why she would breastfeed a baby in a pool

in the first place. Can't she do that somewhere else where people are not swimming?

[gollygee]

118. Yeah having a breastfeeding baby nearby could make swimming impossible

can't she think of the swimmers!!

[Zuni]

120. I don't care if she is feeding it cake while fully clothed

it doesn't belong in a pool

[gollygee]

121. Do babies belong in pools at all?

do breasts belong in pools at all?

Babies dribble out both ends for ages without any way of stopping it from getting in pools.

The breasts of lactating women leak all the time too.

Every single public pool you have ever been in has had pee in it, and a good number probably have had breastmilk either pre-baby or post-baby in the form of spitup.

That's what chlorine is for.

[Pacifist Patriot]

123. in a wading pool?

[gollygee]

125. I was being facetious

:hi:

[SarahB]

113. How about not allowing any woman of child-bearing age in the pool?

When I was breastfeeding, sometimes I'd spontaneously leak a little. You never know if a woman is a nursing mother or not (she could be at the pool without the baby). Better make sure nothing like that gets in the water. I mean, with all the chlorine to kill the germs that ensues from little kids who pee in the water, well, it might not be enough to counteract all that icky human milk stuff. Better just keep all women out between the ages of 15 and 55 just in case as not to offend anyone or cause any possible risks at all.

:eyes: :sarcasm:

[redqueen]

134. Yes! Ban all women of childbearing age from pools!

They could leak nasty, nasty, icky BREASTmilk!

:scared:

:sarcasm:

[SarahB]

148. Seems like the only logical conclusion here.

:eyes:

:sarcasm:

[fleabert]

114. I was a lifeguard for six flags...

and I stood up to a man who complained about a woman breastfeeding in our waterpark. I told him I would absolutely under no circumstances tell the mother to stop. He complained to my supervisor, and my sup backed me up.

this sounds like a freak thing, imo, where the lifeguard made some shit up from their own hangups... not a six flags thing.

and good god people, she wasn't swimming while breastfeeding! she was standing in a wading pool, probably a few inches deep. Of course she should be able to breastfeed there, and is legally allowed to wherever she has a right to be herself.

think about it, take the word 'breastfeed' out of this and substitute 'bottlefeeding' and see if anyone would be saying she shouldn't have been doing it.

[northzax]

116. I'll argue that. Illinois State Law

forbids eating in pools, unless otherwise noted. There is obviously an exemption for breatfeeding under a different law, but milk in a bottle clearly violates that rule.

what if it was yoo-hoo in the bottle?

[Zuni]

119. or what if it was just some yokel eating a twinkie?

I don't see why it is nessecary for a woman to feed baby breast milk or bottle milk in a pool :shrug:

can't she get out of the pool?

[bushisanidiot]

144. Breastfeeding isn't like feeding a kid a cheeseburger and fries for

crying out loud.

be logical!

movie theatres and restaurants FORBID people from bringing in their own food and drinks, yet these law breaking breastfeeders BREAK those rules every fucking day of the week.

oh, the horror!

women breastfeed in all kinds of public places where other people can't bring food or drink in. it's NOT the same thing..

this is plainly and simply a case of some lifeguard who is uncomfortable seeing a woman breastfeed her child in public. it's just sickening that so many people are so violently against the most natural action on this earth.

[fleabert]

150. th kid wasn't IN the pool, it was suspended above it, I believe...

and the mom wasn't eating.

[Divameow77]

129. I have no problem with breastfeeding in public

but why is it when people say moms should go to a restroom (or whatever) to feed their baby the first retort is "Would you want to eat in the restroom?" so when it suits the breastfeeding mothers they consider it "eating" but when it doesn't they don't.

Secondly some of you keep accusing the park of "lying" to the mom, it was the lifeguard that told her the reason and that person could be 18 years old for all we know and probably thought he/she was just doing their job, should they have left their post and asked their Manager first? People make mistakes and yes if the park was wrong they should apologize and inform their employees about the rules, but should the woman take legal action, I really hope not, there are better fights to fight.

[Debi]

135. For some foolish reason I want to jump in here

(I'll probably regret it later)

One: A woman should be able to breastfeed her child anywhere she sees fit to do so as long as it is safe and comfortable for her and the child.

Which brings me to

Two: Why do this? I remember (16 years ago) when it came time for my son to eat we both preferred a quite place where I could sit down and relax while he fed. It was better for both of us. Could I have done it standing up in broad daylight in the middle of a public wading pool? Probably. But, for both of us, a quiet comfortable place was always our preference.

I know it's convenient and sometimes mandatory for a woman to feed her child on demand, but why not find a quiet place where mom and baby can have a few peaceful minutes together?

[Lilli]

139. Yup

[Kellanved]

141. probably because of her other child

Leaving a two-year old alone in the pool doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

[Scout]

146. take the two year old out of the wading pool

and mom, infant and toddler go sit on a bench, or in the shade, or on a chair. Toddler takes a break and looks at a book, or rests, while mom feeds infant.

I don't think this is unreasonable expectation for anyone in this situation.

see last para of #145 also.

[youthere]

142. Personally,

I would have gotten out of the pool-in fact I did when my kids were little and I was nursing. It was the perfect time to give them a little snack while I fed the baby. When I had my youngest I used to take one of the preteens I knew to the pool with us so that when I needed to nurse she could watch the little ones in the pool-the rest of the time she was free to swim. But that was me.

As for the "health code violations" I would have to say that most public swimming pools give me the heebie jeebies, especially wading pools where the water takes on a greenish tinge. Personally I'd prefer to swim in a pool of pure breastmilk than in a pool of chlorinated urine...but again, that's just me.
I think it's a little odd to sit in a pool and nurse-me again-but hey, whatever floats your boat. I wonder if she had been bottle feeding if she would have gotten the same reaction. It's good to see that Six Flags did a mea culpa on this-and I think a lawsuit is a little extreme.

[jmowreader]

145. I've been to wading pools. This seems a bit silly.

Let me see if I've got this straight: Some woman was standing in a wading pool breastfeeding a child while her other kid waded. She was standing there next to the wading child in case something happened to him.

Ooooooo-kay! It seems to me that if the unthinkable did happen, you'd either drop the child you were breastfeeding in your panic to pull the wading child out of the water, or you'd grab onto the breastfeeding child so tightly (so that you didn't drop him, naturally) that his eyeballs would pop out.

I know this would hurt the child's self-esteem, and we can't possibly have that, but doesn't "Johnny, we need to take a break for a while and sit on that park bench because Mary needs to eat" work anymore?

[SarahB]

147. Here's the biggest thing- hydration!!!!

Young infants (especially in the Summer) need to be hydrated or they can DIE. Water isn't for young infants. It's actually too taxing on their kidneys to have much water. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastmilk as the optimal sole source of nutrition/food/fluids for the first six months and the primary source for the first year.

Screw anyone who thinks I'm going to let my baby get dehydrated because of some stupid rule. I could give a rat's assabout the rule. It's not dirty, it's not icky, and it's the safest, healthiest thing possible. People are screwed up!!!!

I'm curious. Is there anyone here who has breastfed (or their partner has) and actually had to simultaneously balance the needs of a toddler and nursing infant who can provide a logical argument as to why this is so awful here?

[Pacifist Patriot]

149. I have had to....

breastfeed while wiping a toddler's butt who just pooped in the potty. No pool involved, but plenty of "ick factor." It's amazing what nursing mothers can manage.

[BikeWriter]

152. Hurray for breastmilk!

:)

[Roland99]

153. Was this guy a former airport security worker?