Am I being an insensitive panda when I complain about a woman, who came into our office as my co-worker's guest, and decided to breastfeed her four-month-old in a conference room? This woman, who is not an employee, was sittin in a conference room when I entered, to clean up after a meeting. As I walked around the table, to get to an area that she was facing, she exclaimed, "I'm nursing!" So, I apologized and left the room (with both doors open, just like they were when I walked in).
I realize that her baby has needs, but is it really appropriate to nurse in a conference room during business hours? When you don't even work at the company?
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2 comments:
Well ... no, but the harsh truth is, when a 4-month-old has to eat, nothing can stop that train. Straight-up biological imperative. In her position, I would have asked my friend whom I was visiting to let me have the use of his/her office (with a lockable door, preferably). Failing that, or any other private space (not the bathroom ... I mean, do YOU eat in the bathroom?), I would at the very least have SHUT THE DOOR, locked it if possible, and/or put a sign on the door (like, "Room in use -- 15 minutes please"). Being a nursing mom of a young infant puts you in all kinds of undignified and less-than-optimum situations, pretty much every day, and you gotta just roll with it ... but you should also try to be practical about it. Like, if you want privacy, at least shut the door.
I agree with Gleemonex re: using a different space or just rolling with it. Let's just say that the conference room was the only available, semi-quiet space (some babes are distractible) and you just left the door open - recall that just because you are nursing, it's not your space - and public spaces are different, so don't get me started on that one! I might point out that I was nursing so other didn't have a problem with it (I often acknowledge it mainly so that people don't get uncomfortable because they are unprepared for the sight of boob, but it's not going to stop me and Mr. Hungry Baby), but I would not tell you to leave, especially if you had more of a right to be there than I did. As Gleemonex points out, you can't stop the hungry train, but you do need to be aware that maybe not everyone snacks in the conference room (or the subway, the park, etc.) and be prepared for that. She made a weird choice, so you can feel weird.
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