Breastfeeding your baby is a basic necessity and right. You would think that, in this day and age, everyone would understand this. Unfortunately, there are some people and companies who disagree, even if the state and federal laws protect moms’ rights to do so in public.
Mom Tiffany Francis went viral in the media after sharing an emotional story on Facebook about how the staff at Rigby’s Water World in Georgia left her feeling “upset and appalled” because she breastfed her son at the theme park. Scroll down for the full story.
Bored Panda reached out to Tiffany, and she was kind enough to answer our questions about what happened, whether the water park issued an apology, and the advice she'd give moms who breastfeed in public. You'll find our full interview with her as you read on.
Some people still have a warped perspective when it comes to breastfeeding in public
Image credits: Rigby's Water World
One mom shared how upset she felt when water park employees told her to stop nursing her son in public
Image source: Tiffany Francis
Image credits: Yan Krukau
Let’s get a few things straight from the get-go. The law is very clear about moms’ rights. The Georgia Breastfeeding Law states: “The breastfeeding of a baby is an important and basic act of nurture which should be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health. A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location where the mother and baby are otherwise authorized to be.”
Moreover, at work, employers are obligated to “provide time for women to express breast milk for [their] infant child,” and moms are supposed to get “paid break time and [a] private location for [the] expression of breast milk.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, all 50 US states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, have laws that “specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private location.”
What’s more, 31 states also have laws that exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws.
It is ironic (and slightly insulting) that any water park would prohibit breastfeeding when the entire point of these places is for people to swim around semi-dressed.
With so many bodies swimming everywhere, it’s inevitable that there will be some sweat, saliva, hair, urine, and even fecal matter found in the water. It is ridiculous to claim that breastmilk would ‘contaminate’ the water. For one, it is antimicrobial. On top of that, there are other contaminants surrounding every water park visitor as it is.
The law is very clear about breastfeeding in public and private
Image credits: Lisa Fotios (not the actual photo)
We asked Tiffany for her thoughts on her story having been picked up by so many news outlets around the internet. She told Bored Panda that she was shocked by how much attention her Facebook post got. While most readers were supportive, not everyone was as positive.
"My original post got over a thousand comments and shares as well as news articles and shares in Facebook groups. I got a lot of positive messages and comments, but I also got a lot of hateful comments and messages. I just wanted to feed my child. I wanted people to know that it was wrong and that the company didn’t care," she said.
"I left the park so my son could nap. People said I did the post for attention, but I had fed my son to nap many times before at the park. We’d been season pass holders for years. I loved going there, until that day. I haven’t been back. Even seeing my old post, I have to relive that day and it is an awful feeling. I didn’t do anything wrong. My baby didn’t do anything wrong. People even said hateful things toward my, at the time, 11-month-old baby. How anyone can be hateful toward a child is beyond me. "
Bored Panda wanted to find out whether the water park administration actually tried to make amends in some way. "No. Steve Rigby sent a message saying he knew how I felt because his wife breastfed their kids. That felt like a slap in the face as he has NO idea how he and his staff made me feel. There’s no way he could remotely resonate with my feelings. He’s not a breastfeeding mother nor has he been embarrassed publicly for breastfeeding."
The way the situation was handled definitely wasn't done well from a public relations perspective. "He [Rigby] blocked me on his personal and the water park page, as well as anyone else who disagreed with him. They did change their 'policy' to allow mothers to breastfeed in the park and 'water features' after this incident. Although the law said I could do this prior to their 'policy change.'"
We also asked Tiffany for the advice she'd give moms who get pressured not to breastfeed their children in public. "Feed your baby!" she urged moms everywhere.
"I am so proud of any mom who breastfeeds, especially publicly. There’s so much negativity toward mothers to begin with, much less one feeding her child. It’s crazy to think anyone could be hateful toward a mom nourishing her child. It’s not a sexual act. It’s FOOD. Anyone made uncomfortable by that is sexualizing the breast and they are the problem, not the mother," Tiffany explained.
"The best way to react is to know the law for your state and inform the person of the law (Georgia law states Ga. Code An. § 31-1-9, 'The breastfeeding of a baby is an important and basic act of nurture which should be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health. A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location where the mother and baby are otherwise authorized to be.'). There is nothing wrong with feeding your child in public. Nobody bats an eye at formula or a bottle, but the most natural way of feeding is shamed."
The water park faced a lot of backlash at the time, and many internet users stood in support of the mom
However, some people had a different opinion
One of the business owners later responded to the mom in the comments of her Facebook post
The theme park updated its policy after the incident went viral
Image credits: RossHelen (not the actual photo)
According to People and Business Insider, the water park has updated its breastfeeding policy since the incident.
Mom Tiffany shared with Business Insider that she did explain to Rigby’s Water World general manager that barring someone from breastfeeding was illegal. The mom felt humiliated by the entire ordeal.
A representative from Rigby's Water World told Business Insider that the goal was never to embarrass the mom. The theme park quickly updated its breastfeeding policy after what happened. Now, moms are allowed to breastfeed anywhere in the water park.
On top of that, all the employees working at the theme park have been educated about the change in policy.
However, at the time, Tiffany didn’t feel like the apology was sufficient. “I don't feel a sincere apology at all, but they said, 'Oh, well, we've said sorry.’ And they've changed their unwritten policy to say you can now do something that was already legal,” she said.
"I told one person yesterday, I was like, 'If you're going to say something to a breastfeeding mom, make it positive, because that's something it's going to stick with them forever’ It sticks with you because it's a very sensitive topic. It's crazy that this is even still happening to people in this day and age.”
Rigby’s manager Steve Brown told People that the entire situation was a misinterpretation of policy. "When we decided to create this policy that we didn't allow women to breastfeed in the pools, it was strictly for the pools. We have always welcomed it on the pool deck, but we have asked folks not to breastfeed in pools for a number of reasons,” he said.
"Mrs. Francis wanted to use the pool so the motion of the river could help her child fall asleep. And she asked for a refund for her season pass, which we do not do refunds on per our policy,” he said.
"I looked up the law and saw that mothers have the right to breastfeed anywhere they are reasonably allowed to be with their child. So I reached out to professionals in the aquatics field and to the local health department, which didn't have a policy set aside from no food or drink in the pools.”
He continued: "After consulting with more professionals in the industry, we made the decision to change our policy and did so as of that evening, which I responded to on the post. We admit we were wrong. We made a mistake and have apologized to Mrs. Francis both publicly and privately."
The manager added: "Mothers are allowed to breastfeed in the pools now. Saturday morning, I sent out a memo to all staff and spoke to staff directly to retrain them on how they should handle any situation with a breastfeeding mom in the pools."