Nursing mothers seek sanctuary

Young mother Rochelle Green feeds three-week-old Bradford while 17-month-old Lawton reads his book. Picture / Bay Of Plenty Times

While out and about, Rochelle Green would love to be able to breastfeed three-week-old Bradford while sipping a coffee, away from the awkward stares of strangers.

And that's exactly what Tauranga breastfeeding advocates are looking at doing - setting up a cafe especially for mothers with newborn babies. It will be a haven where they can unabashedly feed.

"It's not that it offends people. It's just older people or men who don't know where to look," says the 32-year-old Mt Maunganui mother-of-two.

"Surely people would rather a breastfeeding mother than a screaming baby?"

A survey by Toi Te Ora Public Health and Tauranga's La Leche League during World Breastfeeding Week last year showed that many mothers felt marginalised and unwanted in ordinary cafes, restaurants or other places when it came time to feed their hungry babies.

Mrs Green said that while she had never been discriminated against, dining out was often awkward.

"I avoid eye contact, actually. You are basically busy making sure you are not showing anything you shouldn't."

But she was determined to breastfeed Bradford for at least a year, as she had done with 17-month-old Lawton.

Toi Te Ora Public Health promoter Caroline Spencer-McNicol said nearly every one of 52 mothers surveyed felt unhappy about breastfeeding facilities in the Tauranga district.

"We've had women who have been asked to leave cafes in town because people don't want to see them breastfeeding. Something has to change."

She said some people saw breastfeeding as sexual.

Setting up a baby cafe would be discussed at a meeting next month of the Wellchild/Breastfeeding Coalition.

Robin Cronin, Tauranga representative of the NZ College of Midwifery, applauded the idea.

"There are an awful lot of mothers who feel uncomfortable feeding in public. The college would be extremely supportive of this."

FEEDING TIME

"Baby cafes" have been successfully set up overseas, says health promoter Caroline Spencer-McNicol.

They offer a place where mothers can eat lunch and breastfeed in a comfortable environment.

A cafe opened in Hastings last August.

- NZPA