How many times have you tried to breastfeed in public and been gawked at or outright asked to leave? Baby has to eat.
So, why should mum feel like she’s doing something ‘dirty’ just by breastfeeding at an eatery, restaurant or a community outdoor space?
In January a mum was told to ‘cover up or leave’ when she tried to nurse her child in a Queensland café. This isn’t the first, but just one of a long string of similar incidents.
One Sydney café isn’t having any of that! What are they doing instead? The Willows Café & Wine, in the suburb of Willoughby, is welcoming nursing mums. Owner Natala Bain (a new mum) posted a sign in the café’s window that reads, “Breastfeeding mums. Pop in and have a FREE cup of tea if you need a pitt stop.”
Not only is Bain offering mums a cup of tea, and a judgment-free place to breastfeed, but it’s all without a purchase. The sign adds, “No need to eat, no need to ask, please relax. Willows.”
The pictures of the Willows’ sign have made their way across the Internet and across the world. Isn’t it time for this act of kindness to become the norm – and not just a one-time curiosity?
