Brookfield Zoo Anti- Breastfeeding

I have been a Brookfield Zoo Member on and off since my older son was born. This year I made a resolution to spend more quality time with my boys so every Sunday we go to the zoo. We visit the different regions,see the animals,stop at the Hamil Play Zoo or the petting zoo and then get a bite to eat. The zoo is a wonderful place to take long,interesting,animal filled walks with your family.

This past week I was light on my class schedule at my yoga studio so we decided to take our zoo day early. We rented a covered stroller and set out on our daily zoo adventure. The favorites at the zoo always seem to be the newborn babies who look so cute cuddling with their mommas,nursing or sleeping – everyone loves to see a baby.

It was 96 degrees,hot and muggy so we hit the water play area and after we made our way through The Living Coast we decided to stop at the Bistro at the Grotto for some lunch. We were the only customers having a late lunch so we sat where we wanted and looked at our menus. Right on cue my youngest decided it was time to eat so I set about breastfeeding him. This isn’t a flamboyant task. He’s at the point now where he gets to business,calms down from any screams that indicated his belly wasn’t full,and I discreetly slide the top of my shirt down. I don’t use a cover because he point blank hates blankets – when he sleeps,when he eats – whenever. Couple that with the fact that it was 96 degrees out and way too hot to subject a baby to no circulation of air – The Bistro at the Grotto is al fresco.

Our waitress came to take our order,and left as usual. A tram went by and my older son pretended to be a lion in a habitat looking out at the passengers,a favorite game of his. After the tram pulled away we were met by a surly faced female supervisor staring down at us,

“You can’t do that here. We have bathrooms that you need to use for that,or you need to put some type of cover on. People walking by are offended”.

I was shocked. I have read countless breastfeeding blogs,support sites,and newspaper articles about ignorant folks who don’t know breast is best. I have glanced at stories of harassment that women have faced at places such as Target,and Cost Plus World Market and shook my head in disbelief but never once in all the time I nursed both my boys have I ever been face to face with confrontation around breastfeeding my babies. 

We left the restaurant,hungry and angry. We stopped at the Membership Office to file a complaint. The young ladies were very sympathetic and called to have a supervisor come over to talk to us about our experience. In the meantime I filled out a comment card. As I looked up,the same supervisor was headed our way. I explained this predicament to the Membership Office staff and left them with my comment card and they gave me their assurance that someone would call me right away. That never happened.

I am extremely disappointed that the Brookfield Zoo of all places,an institution full of mammals nursing their young,a family tourist attraction that proudly sponsors a Mommy Shower,would support anti-breastfeeding sentiments. Not only is it ironic that they feel public nursing,something that other mammals engage in freely while being stared at during Zoo hours,would be offensive. In the state of Illinois it is also illegal for them to insist a woman can not breastfeed where she wants.

Another pro-breastfeeding friend pointed out to me that in 2004,

“Illinois now joins [43] other states in declaring that mothers have the right to nurse their babies,” said Sen. Harmon. “This new law will protect and promote the rights of breastfeeding mothers and their children by allowing them to nurse anywhere,public or private,that they are authorized to be.”
The law,which is effective immediately,includes a provision giving nursing mothers the right to bring legal action against the owner or operator of a public facility who denies a woman the right to breastfeed. For more information Google:(740 ILCS 137/) Right to Breastfeed Act. This act also states that a woman does not have to cover her breast or nipple while breastfeeding.

The legislation clearly states its purpose. “The General Assembly finds that breast milk offers better nutrition,immunity,and digestion,and may raise a baby's IQ,and that breastfeeding offers other benefits such as improved mother‑baby bonding,and its encouragement has been established as a major goal of this decade by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund. The General Assembly finds and declares that the Surgeon General of the United States recommends that babies be fed breastmilk,unless medically contraindicated,in order to attain an optimal healthy start. (Source:P.A. 93‑942,eff. 8‑16‑04.)”

Amazingly enough the Zoo has about a hundred signs warning not to feed the animals,that their diets are constructed to be the best for them,yet they fail to support a woman’s right to give her baby the best possible meal – breastmilk. Although I could sue this worker and the Brookfield Zoo for denying me the right to nurse my youngest – I am more focused on educating others about their rights. I am an experienced,breastfeeding veteran at this point in life and don’t let small minded people influence my decision. I had the strength to reply back,“I don’t have to go to a hot bathroom,I know my legal rights.” But what about all of the new moms out there,women who are afraid to try breastfeeding because they fear failing,they don’t want to sit in a bathroom to feed their babies,who are mislead to believe that breastfeeding is somehow taboo,or makes them “less fun”? If we don’t start educating people about the benefits of breastfeeding we are doing a huge disservice to our women and children.

Visit http://www.motheringfromtheheart.com for a complete list of benefits from breastfeeding:

Health Benefits to Babies Who Breastfeed

• Children receive the most complete and optimal mix of nutrients &antibodies

• Have fewer incidences of vomiting and diarrhea in the US (20-35 million episodes of diarrhea occur in children under the age of 5,resulting in over 200,000 hospitalizations and 400-500 deaths in the U.S.)

• Protection against ear infections,respiratory illnesses,pneumonia,bronchitis,kidney infections,septicemia (blood poisoning),

• Protection against allergies,asthma,eczema,and severity of allergic disease

• Reduced risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) Statistics reveal that for every 87 deaths from SIDS,only 3 are breastfed.

• Breastfed infants develop higher IQ’s,and have improved brain and nervous system development;IQ advantage of 10-12 points studied at ages 8,12,and 18. (Breastfeeding is considered the 4th trimester in brain growth and development…there are specific proteins in human milk that promote brain development)

• Are hospitalized 10 times less than formula fed infants in the first year of life

• The colostrum (first milk) coats the GI tract,preventing harmful bacteria and allergy -triggering protein molecules from crossing into baby’s blood

• There are factors in human milk that destroy E coli,salmonella,shigella,streptococcus,pneumococcus….and many others

• Less risk of childhood obesity

Health Benefits to Moms Who Breastfeed

• Reduced risk of breast,ovarian,cervical,and endometrial cancers

• Protection against osteoporosis and hip fracture later in life

• Helps the mother’s body return to its pre-pregnancy state faster –promotes weight loss…1/2 of calories needed to manufacture milk is pulled from fat stores…can burn from 500 –1,500 calories per day.

• Helps delay return of fertility and to space subsequent pregnancies

• Breastmilk is free- reducing or eliminating the cost of formula (in the thousands of dollars/per year)

• Breastfed babies are sick less thus reducing healthcare costs to family in Doctor office visits,prescriptions,over the counter medicine purchases,and hospitalization

Benefits to the Environment and Society

• Breastfeeding reduces the cost of healthcare by promoting healthier children and mothers……….If all WIC babies in the U.S. were breastfed,our economical savings would be $33,000,000 per month ……….In 1993,90,000 babies were hospitalized for RSV at a cost of 450 million dollars. Currently,the U.S. spends over 1 billion dollars a year on Otitis Media (ear infections)

• Reduced insurance premiums for both parents and employers

• Breastfeeding reduces global pollution by decreasing the use of resources and energy required to produce,process,package,distribute,promote and dispose of materials created by the manufacture and use of artificial baby milk

• Reduced tax burden on communities and government to ensure children are properly fed

• Reduced absenteeism in the workplace due to children’s illnesses