NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WBNS) – A group of mothers gathered in an Ohio city Friday to show their support for a woman who was forced to breastfeed her baby in a bathroom.
The woman was with her baby at a public swimming pool in New Albany, near the capital city of Columbus, on Thursday.
As summer draws to a close at the Plain Township swimming pool, children splash around and a group of mothers breastfeed their babies in solidarity.
“I owe the success of breastfeeding to this group of friends, among others,” said Vanessa Dyckman.
But on Thursday, everything was different for Dyckman, who reported on her experiences.
“The lifeguard said, ‘Excuse me, you can’t actually breastfeed here. We would prefer if you went to the bathroom or something instead,'” Dyckman described. “Our babies shouldn’t have to eat in a toilet.”
Under Ohio law, Dyckman had every right to breastfeed in the pool area.
“I am a lactation consultant, so I knew immediately that it was legal to breastfeed your baby in public, covered or uncovered, whichever the mother preferred,” explained Dyckman’s friend Brittany Kovacs.
Officials immediately apologized for the misunderstanding and said the community supports and welcomes all breastfeeding mothers.
“It’s a big deal for moms to breastfeed in public. Sometimes it’s a lot. People sometimes see it negatively,” added Cierra Rider, Dyckman’s other friend.
For this group of mothers, the most important thing is to be informed about their rights and to exercise them.
“We want to talk about women empowerment and equality and all of those things, and we want to talk about it like this,” Rider said. “This is women empowerment. This is empowering a woman to do the best she can for her child.”
The township administrator says the incident is an opportunity to educate lifeguards about Ohio’s breastfeeding laws.
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