Unfortunatly, Victoria's Secret has yet to learn. A national nurse in was organized yesterday July 1st, 2006 because of 2 incidents 6/21 and 6/22 in Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

Nurse in coordinators are using the nurse in to bring attention to the fact that not all states recognize a women's right to nurse in public and that breast-feeding needs to be something that is viewed as normal and natural by everyone in society.

I participated and handed out the press release and a flyer I made on Massachusetts proposed legislation to the store manager (below). 2 other moms and their children (and my son) were also present at the Independence Mall in Kingston, MA.

www.mothering.com/sections/action_alerts/victorias-secret.html

-Jessica

Press Release

“A Tale of Two Nursing Moms”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 29, 2006

www.mothering.com/sections/action_alerts/victorias-secret.html

This Saturday, two moms are organizing a nationwide nurse-in of the popular lingerie store, Victoria's Secret. Prompted by run-ins with Victoria's Secret employees, Rebecca Cook, of Burlington, WI and Jessie Chandler, of Quincy, MA have decided to do something about state and federal laws that do not protect nursing mothers.

On June 21, 2006, Rebecca Cook entered a Victoria’s Secret store with a friend to browse through the sales racks. While in the store, Mrs. Cook’s daughter wanted to nurse, so she went to the dressing room and asked for one. When a dressing room wasn’t available, she said that she’d sit out of the way and nurse her daughter, and was told that she wasn’t allowed to by a store employee, that she would have to use a restroom. After she refused to use a restroom to nurse her daughter, a dressing room opened up, and while she was in it, the two store employees were heard loudly discussing, right outside her dressing room, to make sure if there’s an occupied sign that the dressing room is truly occupied and to get customers in and out of the dressing rooms as soon as possible. Mrs. Cook left the dressing room because of their rudeness, nursing her daughter on her way out of the store. When she called to complain to the store manager, she was told that the employee probably asked her to nurse in the restroom because the sight of her breasts might offend a customer. Taking the complaint of the treatment by the store manager to the corporate customer service wasn’t any further help, because she was told that women are not allowed to try on clothing in the middle of the store, therefore they are not allowed to nurse in the middle of the sales floor.

In a similar incident, Jessie Chandler entered a Victoria’s Secret store on June 22, 2006 to browse the sales racks as well, after feeding her daughter. A saleswoman approached her to welcome her to Victoria’s Secret, and Mrs. Chandler asked to use a changing room. When asked by the sales associate if she was going to change her daughter’s diaper, Mrs. Chandler said that she was going to nurse her, to which the sales associate replied with giving directions to the bathroom outside the store. Mrs. Chandler refused to use the bathroom, and the attendant said that it was unsanitary for her to nurse in the dressing room because people change in them. When Mrs. Chandler called the store manager, she received an apology. Mrs. Chandler called Victoria’s Secret’s corporate office after hearing of Mrs. Cook’s experience with corporate’s customer service, and was told that Mrs. Chandler’s experience was an isolated experience and that she would have a letter of apology sent out to her.

This nurse-in is not about Victoria’s Secret’s lack of enforcing their company policy; the company only prompted the awareness for a need for state and federal protection for nursing mothers. The federal government has invested a lot of time and money into advertising about breastfeeding being the best nutrition for babies, but without federal protection, some moms might give up when they’re told that breast milk is dirty and unsanitary. To make those federal dollars most effective, we have to protect and educate; protect a mother’s right to nurse in public, and educate those that work with the public on the proper way to handle nursing in public and those that might complain about it.

“A Tale of Two Nursing Moms” seeks to bring recognition to the need for a federal law that protects a nursing mother's right to feed her baby anywhere that she and her baby would otherwise be allowed to be. We’re urging moms to go to their local Victoria’s Secret on July 1 at 1 pm to nurse their babies, support nursing mothers and be a part of this important movement. ###

PLEASE SUPPORT A

MOTHER’S RIGHT TO NURSE IN PUBLIC

Massachusetts residents:

Call your local rep and ask them to

support legislation to permit breastfeeding

in public. Here's a link to find your representatives:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm

Tell your friends to contact their representative.

Every letter or phone call counts.

Ask them to support House Bill 1782

www.mass.gov/legis/184history/h01782.htm

and Senate Bill 75

http://www.mass.gov/legis/184history/s00075.htm

Sign the online petition for H1782:

www.petitiononline.com/HB1782/petition.html

Help us support legislation to permit breastfeeding

in public in Massachusetts.

Not from MA: Check out your laws here:

http://www.lalecheleague.org/LawBills.html

Breastfeeding Information & Support

http://www.lalecheleague.org/

www.kellymom.org

www.mothering.com

www.promom.org

www.askdrsears.com

www.breastfeeding.com

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/links/bf-links.html

Victoria’s Secret Nurse In 7/1/06

www.mothering.com/sections/action_alerts/victorias-secret.html

Why didn't she just sit and nurse in one of the many chairs they have in the dressing room area for all the partners who are waiting around for women who are trying on bras in the dressing room? No need to commandeer a dressing room that might otherwise be needed, just sit in an available chair. Problem solved!