Put down the pitchforks

A Calgary woman is facing a tidal wave of public scorn for breast-feeding in a community pool.

Gemma Kelsall was planning a protest after lifeguards asked her to get out of the pool while breastfeeding. Women in Canada have the right to breastfeed anywhere at any time.

City staff met with the mothers and explained city policy allows mothers to breastfeed in or out of city pools and the lifeguards had misunderstood.

The mothers cancelled their protest and all should be right with the world.

Except people have been flooding the comments section of the CBC news story and looking the mothers up on facebook, in what is basically cyber-bullying.

They’re grossed out by the idea of a mother breastfeeding in a pool. The comments, some of which are really harsh, fluctuate between concern for the baby’s health with all those chemicals (as if babies swim with their mouths closed) and not wanting to swim in breast-milk-y water (She was in a kiddie pool and it’s not exactly a geyser).

Some commenters are comparing feeding a baby in a pool to taking a dump or having sex in the pool or calling it outright child abuse. 

But while those comments are shocking in their ignorance, what I’m finding more disturbing is the criticism from other mothers.

“I’m all for breastfeeding. I breastfeed my 6 children until they were 12-years-old. But I was considerate of other people. I always found a quiet, discrete place and covered my chest while doing it.” - Okay I'm paraphrasing.

The super-moms have it out for these lazy pop-a-boob-out-and-be-done-with-it mothers.

And that’s the worst part, the complete lack of sisterhood.

I’m sure all moms would rather be seated peacefully basking in the glow of motherhood while nursing their kids.

Unfortunately having a baby does not exempt you from the real world, and when the little buggers want to eat every other hour and you’ve been doing this for 21-months, I can understand how a little nonchalance would set in.

I can understand that - and I haven’t had kids.

Comments

[Tina P]

Everywhere but on Parliament Hill...