A woman at a Louisiana shopping mall was asked to refrain from breastfeeding her child at Great Escape Water Massages. There are still many people who do not seem to understand that breastfeeding is completely natural, wholesome, and healthy. While only a scant 20 percent of Louisiana mothers breastfeed their children, nationally the figure is on the rise, with a target of 75% planned by the government's Healthy People program.Louisiana does have a law in place that states that anyone who interferes with a breastfeeding mother is in violation of the discrimination law, although the mall in question has no specific policy on the matter. Louisiana has a large segment of its population at or below the poverty line, so this is clearly a class issue, with many poor mothers undoubtedly working at jobs that discourage breastfeeding or pumping breaks, not to mention the fact that many of these moms cannot even afford the pumps. But there is hope.
The battle of public perception about breastfeeding is one that mothers are winning as more education about the benefits of breastfeeding are touted, said Evelyn Landry, a registered nurse and lactation consultant for Lafayette General Medical Center's Breastfeeding Resource Center. Studies show that breastfeeding benefits not only baby, but mother. The American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation for babies to be breastfed through the first 12 months has also helped with education, local breastfeeding supporters said. "I think the more that the education is coming about and realizing the important health benefits that these mothers are less inclined to hide," Landry said. "They will find discrete ways to nurse in public. They have the attitude, 'It's a normal, natural thing and my baby needs to eat, so we'll sit here and breastfeed.' "
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