Beyonce Breastfeeds Blue Ivy in Public
Beyonce reportedly breastfed little Blue Ivy in public. Yes, in public at a restaurant in New York City. (Insert joke about the heavens opening up or the fake pregnancy here.) And I think that is pretty cool, especially considering all the fighting going on about public breastfeeding.
According to US Weekly, Beyonce and JayZ took their 7-week-old baby for a casual lunch in NYC's West village:
And Beyonce nursed her little girl at her the table, an observer tells Us Weekly. Two additional sources confirm to Us that the first-time mom has been breastfeeding her daughter.
The news broke and the media and breastfeeding advocates were quick to point out that Beyonce's nursing at a restaurant was a show of support for breastfeeding in general. Having a celebrity of Beyonce's stature nursing thrilled many advocates including Emma Kwasnica, who told ABC News: “I think Beyonce has a huge impact on being able to re-normalize breastfeeding and give women confidence to do the same.”
Blue Ivy's restaurant nursing session comes at the same time as the issue of public breastfeeding is increasingly in the news. Kwasnica is fighting Facebook to keep breastfeeding pictures intact, instead of removing them from women's profile pages and labelling them obscene. (Hear her interview on CBC's Q radio.)
A Georgia woman is staging a nurse-in at her church after her pastor asked her to leave, telling her that nursing in public was no better than being a stripper on the pole. She is now asking the Georgia legislature to strengthen their laws about breastfeeding in public. Nurse-ins were also held at Targets all over the U.S. after a nursing mother was asked to leave by security guards.
Advocates can fight for the right to feed their babies in public peacefully, and health officials can re-affirm that breastfeeding is not a lifestyle choice, it is a health issue. Political action will do a lot to normalize breastfeeding. But a celebrity like Beyonce will do even more.
When you heard Beyonce breastfed in public, were you surprised? Did you feel comfortable nursing in public? (I did.)
Want more chaos? Last year, I asked what is your biggest fear?
« Teens Are, Like, Awesome Communicators | Main | The 25 Words Your 2-Year-Old Should Know... »
