Three years ago they expelled a nursing mother from a pool for breastfeeding your baby in the water. As if instead of milk the women had liquid plutonium in their breasts, or the milk splashed to the point of making the pool cloudy (sorry for the exaggeration, but if not, I do not understand).
Well, history repeats itself because as we read in Herald another nursing mother had to stop breastfeeding her baby, in this case without even being in the water: for breastfeeding by the pool.
"Milk can contaminate, and you can't eat here"
His name is Bethlehem Gimeno and two children are a mother: a 3-year-old girl and a 9-month-old boy, whom she breastfeeds in tandem. The day of the event was his partner who was with them in the pool. She arrived in the afternoon, so as soon as her daughter saw her she ran to be with her, and incidentally ask for a tit.
He sat by the pool to breastfeed her, when the lifeguard approached to tell her he couldn't do it there because milk could contaminate water and because, in addition, It was not allowed to eat in the pool.
Belén, who has been a member of the pool for four years and had never had problems in this regard, has said she feels humiliated and discriminated against for what she considers to be a "surreal and outrageous" situation, according to her own words in Heraldo.
Claiming that it is gerund
The event happened on Thursday around 7pm, so when he approached the offices to leave a claim he found that it was no longer possible. This week he has returned to fill the complaint, precisely because the lifeguard had told him that there is no regulation regarding breastfeeding on the premises, but that the lifeguards team had decided to implement this standard in a meeting.
Now, what is the value of such a norm, created by first responders, if it undermines the right of a baby or child to be breastfed? Remember that, as Belén has written in his complaint:
Breastfeeding is a necessity for the baby and the mother and it is necessary to ensure the fundamental right of children to be breastfed at any place and time. The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which the WHO member states and the UNICEF executive board adopted in 2002, so establishes. Therefore, breastfeeding in any public space is completely legal, considering, not allowing a woman to breastfeed her child in a public space, an act of discrimination.
But this is not all, his claim also reminds that the potential contamination of water is a very poor argument, if we take into account that the waters are treated to avoid such contamination, and that in reality there are much more "dirty" things that end up in the water:
Breast milk is antibacterial and antimicrobial, and does not cause any problems. Urine, hair, sweat, mucus, saliva and fecal matter are usually found in swimming pools. The water in the pools must have an adequate filtration and disinfection treatment, according to current legislation. Breast milk is, without a doubt, the thing you should care less about.
And finally, on the "here you can not eat" ... what is the intention? That mothers with babies cannot go to the pool? That they have to pick things up and go to the area where they can eat every time the baby wants to breastfeed? What if he goes with two children? Imagine what day in the pool can happen if every hour or so (babies suck more often in summer because of the heat) they have to take the towels and bags, move to eat and return. Certainly would be a discriminatory norm And so with babies it cannot be applied:
I believe that the rule of not eating food or drinking fluids should not be applied in the case of breastfeeding. This rule is intended to apply to things such as solid foods, tea, coffee, soda and the like. Breast milk is not really comparable to these, and will not contaminate the pool in the way these other food products can. A baby that feeds on demand does it without schedules, it has not established established shots. In addition, breast milk is not just a food for a baby, it also involves physical contact, affection, comfort. It is a way to comfort them, such as the use of a pacifier, carrying their best doll, a hug, etc. Are we going to ban that too?
Those responsible for the pool have stated that they do allow breastfeeding in their facilities, but not in the beach area or inside the pool glasses (inside the water), because then the rule that prohibits eating or drinking in those areas would be broken.
Thus, a mother who is taking a bath with her baby, has to deny her breast if asked, or get out, breastfeed and re-enter. Yes, it is by chance that the child asks you at that time; And yes, you can say no and keep playing in the water or go out. But there really is no need to do it: probably Just blow me a moment and just drop milk in the water. And even if it falls a little ... it's just some breast milk (Once I fell a little on the arm and despite running to the tap to clean it it took me too long ... or so I thought: my arm is still intact).
