If you missed these articles, check out:

Applebee’s Nurse-ins Get Positive Responses (a round-up with links to photos from some rallies, news coverage and a YouTube video)
Photo Evidence of the Power of Nurse-Ins (two signs that make an interesting point)

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

can help result in signs like this one posted in the window of the Quincy, Massachusetts Applebee’s today:

Congratulations to all the activists on the success of the events.

Thanks Lisa and Jessie for the photos!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Our goal as restaurant operators is to provide a great dining experience for all our guests. This situation has provided an opportunity for us to work with our associates to ensure we’re making nursing mothers feel welcome….we will also accommodate other guests who would be more comfortable moving to another area of the restaurant.

It’s not an apology but it is a huge improvement over previous statements from Applebee’s corporate and franchisee Thomas and King that its policies comply with the law and that Thomas and King would provide nursing mothers with blankets to cover up.

Individual participants across the country report that the nurse-ins were very well received both by the local Applebee’s management and the general public! There are many stories of Applebee’s restaurants graciously providing water or lemonade to participants and better yet, restaurants sharing copies of their newly adopted breastfeeding-friendly policies and displaying “breastfeeding-friendly” stickers in the restaurant windows.

For more positive press see:

About 200 Demonstrate for Breast-Feeding at Lexington Applebee’s, Lexington Herald-Leader
Protesters March Outside Lexington Applebee’s Where Mother Had to Cover Up, WAVE3

To see photos from some of the events, check out:

Indianapolis, Indiana nurse-in photos from Tattoos & Drool
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylania from Photography by Hollis
Madison, Wisconsin uploaded to flickr by afole4

A video has already hit YouTube, compliments of “Georgiasmartypants.” Enjoy her photo story of her attendance at two Georgia nurse-ins:

With several locations yet to report their nurse-in attendance numbers, it is amazing that the count already stands at 1,424! Stay tuned to Breastfeeding 1-2-3 for continuing coverage and a final count.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

I said if we could resolve this before Saturday we could turn the nationwide nurse-in into a celebration of thanks in which nursing mothers could patronize instead of protest Applebee’s. The response I received from a Thomas and King representative directed me to the statement in (Thursday’s) Herald-Leader. After reading the statement, it has become apparent to me that Thomas and King refuses to accept any corporate responsibility for their restaurant violating the law, nor to make any acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

Too bad Thomas and King did not jump at the chance to make good on this issue. Lucky for Thomas and King that Ryan insists she does not intend to pursue legal action against the restaurant in question.

I have updated the Google Map of all the nurse-in sites to reflect the growing number of participants.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Thomas & King is proud that, every day, dozens of mothers breastfeed their children in our restaurants. We are known for providing a safe and hospitable environment for all families. Our policies regarding breastfeeding are consistent with the laws of the states in which we operate.

While we believe our actions are consistent with creating a pleasant dining experience for all of our guests, we always welcome opportunities to learn and are treating this situation as such an opportunity.

Did anyone else notice a distinct lack of apology or admission of wrong-doing there? Thomas and King and Applebee’s certainly have a lot to learn. This Saturday they will hear from hundreds of breastfeeding advocates across the country. By my count there are nurse-ins planned for at least 61 Applebee’s locations in 31 states. Take a look at the updated Google Map of all the nurse-ins!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

View Larger Map

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

States participating: 25
Applebee’s locations: 40

Visit the Yahoo group to check if there’s a nurse-in near you or to register a new location.

Here’s what the mainstream press has to say:

Mom Calls for “Nurse Out” at Applebee’s, Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, August 29, 2007
Mom Pushes Applebee’s on Breast-Feeding, Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, August 29, 2007

What do Breastfeeding 1-2-3 readers have to say? Please take a moment to reply to Scott in the comments to my original post. He feels “women have no problem whipping out their breasts in public these days” and that “If you know your baby is going to be hungry and you know your [sic] going to be in public prepare yourself so that it can be done in some sort of discreet way.”

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Not withstanding any other provision of the law, a mother may breastfeed her baby or express breastmilk in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be. Breastfeeding a child or expressing breastmilk as part of breastfeeding shall not be considered an act of public indecency and shall not be considered indecent exposure, sexual conduct, lewd touching, or obscenity.

The sponsor of the original bill, Senator Tom Buford, agrees that Ryan’s rights were violated:

“She was not treated right under the new law,” he said. “There should have been no comment made to her at all; the restaurant overstepped its boundaries.”

Unfortunately, this did not remain an isolated incident of ignorance at one local Applebee’s restaurant. Ryan’s lawyers wrote two separate letters to Thomas and King, the corporate entity that runs several Applebee’s. It finally responded two months later with:

“We regret that Ms. Ryan left without being served and would like the opportunity to personally invite her to return” …. “We are also considering keeping blankets in the restaurants for use by breast-feeding mothers that may not have them readily available as a result of this incident.

Let’s all say it together: breastfeeding shall not be considered indecent exposure. A mother cannot be made to cover up with a blanket. It is not a matter of whether or not the mother was breastfeeding “discreetly” or “modestly.”

The problem did not stop with the local franchise owners Thomas and King; it went all the way up to the corporate level of Applebee’s. A concerned mother who contacted Applebee’s International Guest Relations Manager reports that she received this response:

I am calling with the corporate response you requested – and the corporate response to the breastfeeding in Lexington, Kentucky is that Applebee’s and its franchisees love having families dine together at our restaurants. We believe that this franchisee made a reasonable and lawful request of this guest in order to promote a pleasant and comfortable experience for all of its guests.

There is nothing “reasonable” or “lawful” about a request for a nursing mother to cover up with a blanket. Kentucky law is clear. What else is clear? Applebee’s learned nothing from the Delta national nurse-ins last November. When a woman follows all legal channels and gives a company every chance to right a wrong yet continues to receive inappropriate responses, there is cause to stage a nurse-in. In the hopes of getting an apology from Applebee’s and a promise to train its employees in breastfeeding rights, Brooke Ryan has organized a nurse-in locally for September 8, 2007. Activists have rallied to join her at 20 sites in 13 states so far. To see if a nurse-in is planned near you or to register your own site, join the Yahoo group set up to coordinate the events.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3