Mothers nurse with pride at Everett park

Published 11:20 pm Saturday, August 2, 2008

EVERETT — Get over it.

That’s the message dozens of mothers hoped to spread Saturday when they gathered at Forest Park to publicly breastfeed their young children.

And if passersby caught a glimpse of female anatomy that had their faces blushing crimson, well, that’s life.

Literally.

“When you’re feeding your baby, it’s your baby’s source of food,” said Lauren Hansen, 30, who cradled her 18-month-old son, Mathias, as she fed him Saturday. “It’s not like we’re running around topless.”

About 75 families gathered at the park during an event sponsored by La Leche League, the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington and other groups in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, which occurs during the first week of August each year.

Washington state has the highest rate of breastfeeding mothers in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control. About 88 percent of all mothers have nursed their children at some point, compared with about 50 percent in Louisiana and other Southern states. The national average is about 73 percent. About 56 percent of all Washington mothers continue to breastfeed their children through the first six months, and about 32 percent continue up to a year or more.

The benefits of breast milk are widely relayed by doctors and lactation experts: the practice promotes attachment between mother and baby, and breastfed babies generally have fewer illnesses, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Concerns that breastfeeding leads to tooth decay in babies have been debunked by multiple medical studies.

Still, nursing women encounter problems, said Kimberly Radtke, program coordinator for the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington. She said she’s heard from women who have been told they can’t nurse on a public bus, that they’re not ready to return to work if they’re still breastfeeding, and that they’re not welcome at public swimming pools.

“That’s absolutely ridiculous,” Radtke said. “Babies are hungry at different times, and you need to be able to feed a baby anytime and anywhere.”

The World Health Organization recommends that mothers feed their children breast milk exclusively for the first six months, and in addition to other food for two years or more. For women in consumer-driven Western society, that’s an uphill battle, Radtke said.

Baby formula companies inundate the pregnancy and new parenting industry with advertising, she said. If the mother works for an employer who does not provide a quiet, private place to pump breast milk, breastfeeding can become impossible for mothers who don’t stay home.

That’s wrong, Hansen said.

She hopes that by nursing Mathias in Forest Park, more people will become comfortable seeing mothers breastfeed.

Advocates of the practice should congratulate and celebrate nursing mothers, and come to their defense if someone challenges their right to nurse in public, Hansen said.

“I’m not out there to show my breast off to everybody who walks by,” she said. “I just want to nurse my child.”

Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.