This weekend, Vanessa received the letter below from Dan Hecker, President and CEO of the Gulf Coast YMCA. The YMCA is taking several steps towards creating a culture within the organization that not only allows breastfeeding, but fully supports it. They are educating staff of the law, creating a policy to support breastfeeding staff, members and program participants and conducting a "Healthy Moms" seminar which will include a breastfeeding component. By taking these steps, the Gulf Coast YMCA not only has a positive impact on the families in our community, but also becomes a shining example to other organizations.
THANK YOU, Dan and the YMCA staff. I could not have asked for a better response.
Upon receipt of this letter from Mr.Hecker, we had not even delivered our letter to the Blossman YMCA. Our letter to they YMCA was written just 7 days ago and was signed by over 200 people from across the country, online, and approximately 50 signatures locally. There is no need to continue collecting signatures. However, we will deliver the signatures and comments to the local and national YMCA (as promised).
Personally, I am so excited to hear that our YMCA recognized that this issue is important to our community and took action. If you live in OS, I encourage you to the let the YMCA know how much you appreciate these actions.
For all those who live in other areas of the country, please - ask your local YMCA (or other organization) if they have a breastfeeding policy. It is amazing what can happen, if you just bring up the topic.
Thank you again to the YMCA and all the signers of our letter.
On June 24, 2010, Vanessa Dudley was asked to leave the Blossman YMCA (Ocean Springs, MS) weight room because she was breastfeeding her 7 month old baby. She had stepped in momentarily to help her 12 year old daughter. The employee told her she could not “do that” in the gym and needed to leave. She said, “No, you are wrong. I can do this.” She specifically asked, “Do I need to leave because I am breastfeeding or because I have a baby?” The employee advised that she could not “do that” in the gym.After some back and forth, the employee went and got the president of the Blossman YMCA. Vanessa spoke with him for several minutes. At one point in the conversation, he expressed that the YMCA is a private property and thus could set the rules. At the end of the conversation, he agreed that she could nurse at the YMCA, but needed to be discreet because not all members are “free thinkers” like her.
Vanessa responded to the president with a letter explaining how important it is for her to nurse her baby, and how much she values her YMCA membership as a place for her family to spend time together. She included a copy of the Mississippi law which states that a woman can breastfeed her child anywhere that she is otherwise authorized to be. In other words, if she is allowed to be in the gym, she is guaranteed by the law that she can nurse her baby there.
“SECTION 3. A mother may breast-feed her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, without respect to whether the mother's breast or any part of it is covered during or incidental to the breast-feeding.”http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2006/html/SB/2400-2499/SB2419SG.htm
Some days later, one of the YMCA managers (not the President) sent the following email to her employees.
“Please remember the dress code for the Wellness Center:
No mid-riff tops (no belly exposed) men or women - shirts and proper shoes at all times.
Only athletic shoes.
Also no children under the age of 11 are allowed in the Wellness Center unless they have a medical excuse from their physician or they are attending the Kid's bootcamp.
Tricky situation- Make you think?
If a women comes in the Wellness Center breast feeding her baby/child with an exposed breast, what do you do?
a. Tell her she does not satisfy the dress code
b. Tell her that children are not allowed in the Wellness Center
c. Both a and b
d. Only b
Stay tuned to the next e-mail to find out the correct answer.
The answer is b.
Although dress code would be an issue under normal circumstances, the Mississippi code states that a women can breast feed anywhere and she does not have to cover up, so you would address the no children under 11 policy.
If you can believe it, this was an actual situation recently at our Y. Fortunately the employee on duty had the fore thought to get someone more in authority to handle the sticky situation after trying to address it himself. I would have done the same thing. Feel free to pass the buck if you need to in a sticky situation to me (then I will pass it) and if I am not here to Cat, Karon, Dan, or Eric in the front office. And always remember to fill out an incident report with witnesses. The incident report is in place to protect the Y and it's employees.
I am giving you this information because the women sent a copy of the entire MS code on breast feeding to Dan our CEO, so we might expect her to do a repeat performance. Just be prepared and remember to not show any opinion in this type of situation, just state the YMCA policy.
Thanks.”
The YMCA has not banned breastfeeding or even required that anyone stop.However, they are not supportive.Several women in Ocean Springs worked together to write a letter to YMCA to express our support of breastfeeding in public.The goal of the letter is to encourage the YMCA to not only allow breastfeeding, but to put a policy in place that is supportive. We plan to present this letter to the board of directors of the Blossman YMCA and the YMCA of the USA. The YMCA headquarters in Chicago does not currently have a breastfeeding statement, despite their stated “Focus on Social Responsibility.”Read more at http://www.ymca.net/social-responsibility/
I have not explained why it is so important for breastfeeding to become “normal” in our society or why it is important that organizations and businesses support it. If you would like to learn more, please visit the following websites:
I get my best info during car rides. This is one reason why I like the 15 minute drive Nativity to take Luci to school and pick her up.
Today, Jenna was discussing her birthday party, since she will be turning 4 in just a few days. Jenna: I will be happier when I have my birthday. Bianca: yea? The party will be fun. Should I wear my swimsuit? Jenna: Don't take my grandma's swimsuit. Bianca: Why did you say that? Jenna: I don't want you to steal my grandma's swimsuit. Bianca: OK, I will wear my own.
On the way home from school, Luci was excited to tell me that God made everything. "First he made sunshine, then heaven, then land & sea, then flowers & trees, then day & night, then fish & birds. And then, on 7 he made cats. And the last thing he made was people. Can you believe my teach knows that?" (there is a numbered drawing to accompany this info)
So, I have Caprie with me full time, she is 14 months old. Jenna is a "adjunct" family member that stays with us during business hours. Luci is in 1st grade , but enjoys her off hours at home.
Between the three of them, each day we have an interesting/funny/embarrassing interaction. I usually just laugh (or cry) to myself, but I am over that. From here on, I will share these conversations/events with anyone who will listen, right here.
This morning was "Back to School" mass at Nativity Elementary. As usual, I envisioned my sweet angelic Caprie sitting quietly, smiling as all the children sang. The other two, Jenna and Luci, would listen carefully to the service and sing along. WRONG!
As usual, I do not have a clear grasp on reality. Jenna was quiet. Thank you Jenna. Luci left her class to sit with us. I mean, to giggle at Caprie, complain that I hadn't given her her sweater before school and she was cold, beg to take off her "slipping" headband, and giggle uncontrollably at Caprie. Caprie was the highlight of the mass. At her best, she was laughing at the people behind us. At her worst, she was laying flat on the ground screaming, banging my cell phone on the metal folding chairs and trying to find something to chomp down on with her vicious teeth.
I had high hopes that the "peace be with you" business would do something. God would answer my prayers and actually give Caprie some peace. WRONG! That was the grand finally, she really let it fly after that. I swiftly pushed our group towards the door. I left Luci sitting in the empty chair closest to the door. As I glanced back, I saw tears as she was wondering where her class was and how she was going to rejoin them.
Guess that was the only school mass we will be attending this school year. Peace be with you.
