Breast feeding seems to be finding its way into the news this week. First it was a call for donations from Texas Children’s Hospital for breast milk to help their preemie ward. But today we have a local campaign to demand that breastfeeding be seen as an acceptable norm gathering national momentum. And all started by a mom from Friendswood who says she was harassed in a Target store. (KTRK-13 News video below)
Needless to say this is not the first time a situation like this has occurred in Houston. And it probably will not be the last before attitudes change about a practice that is both more healthy for the baby and extremely commonplace around the world.
Both the TCM’s public call out for donations, and the sit-in though seem to underscore a common challenge in western societies today. With fewer women encouraged (or even taught how) to breastfeed in countries like ours, the health benefits and public acceptance of the practice become lost on us.
Fortunately, at least the Texas Coalition for Breastfeeding may be helping to change that through both advocacy and public education. And no doubt their cause will be advanced a bit by the growing national exposure today’s sit-in seems to be drawing.