There was a semi-odd occurrence happen yesterday as I was making reservations for my daughter’s birthday party.  The building at the park where you can rent the pavilion next to the playground is also the headquarters for all the goings-on of the pool and tennis courts.  In the middle of the lady making our reservation, one of the lifeguards called her (she must have been the park supervisor) with a strange scenario.  An indignant mom was demanding she be allowed to continue to breastfeed her child WHILE IN THE POOL!

While it might make some queasy, I don’t have a problem with moms breastfeeding in public.  As long as they’re discreet about it, it’s one of the most natural things a mom can do and they shouldn’t be ostracized for doing it.  But there are limits.  You shouldn’t breastfeed while giving a professional lecture in front of hundreds of professionals, you shouldn’t breastfeed while dirtbike riding, and you definitely shouldn’t breastfeed in public while doing a kegstand.  Standing in a public pool, while not as outrageous as the scenarios I listed above, is a distracting, not to mention unsafe, way of feeding your newborn child.

The supervisor told the lifeguard to please explain to the mom that they had no problem with her breastfeeding her child anyplace outside of the pool.  She rightfully also said that a baby shouldn’t be drinking remnants of chlorinated water either.  Why wouldn’t this mother just feed her child while sitting on a chair by the pool?  Why was she insistent on being in the water?  It’s not safe for the kid, it’s distracting for others, and it’s probably a health hazard.  It’s bad enough the chlorine is working overtime to kill the urine bacteria from all the mouthbreathing little mobile piss machines who inhabit most pools.  At least you can’t see whizz in the water although you can feel it when you wade through a mass of warmer water.  With spilled breastmilk, I wonder if it creates a slick like an oil spill?  Or does it dissipate and just become yet another bodily fluid that you hopefully don’t ingest if you happen to be in a  public pool?

The situation hadn’t been resolved by the time I left so I’m curious as to what arguments this psycho mom would use when she flopped her tits back into her swimsuit and stormed over to the office.  Again, I’m not against breastfeeding but I think this mom was out of line by doing it while in the water.