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Photos: Over 100 Moms Breastfeed In Times Square For Big Latch On
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 2, 2015
Modified Aug 2, 2015
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Gretchen Robinette / Gothamist
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 2, 2015
Modified Aug 2, 2015
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The "breast is best" movement took over Times Square briefly yesterday, as more than 100 babies and toddlers breastfed from their mothers at the same time.
The "synchronized latch on" was part of the "Global Big Latch On," which has seen breastfeeding demonstrations all over the world to promote the benefits of breastfeeding. All the mothers had their children feed at 10:30 a.m. for 60 seconds on Broadway between 43rd and 44th Streets, in front of the Sephora store. Photograph Gretchen Robinette reports, "The police did not intervene, even though they all joined up in front of the police station" across the street.
Robinette adds that it was a pretty peaceful, calm event, "The mothers stayed a few minutes longer to talk to one another, then took a group photo, and a few other photographers came with cameras."
The event was organized by NYC Breastfeeding World, which said, "Breastfeeding contributes to the normal growth and development of babies/children and research indicates that children who are not breastfed are at an increased risk of infant morbidity and mortality, adult obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, premenopausal breast cancer, and ovarian cancer (for both mom and baby). The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby's life to optimize these benefits, continuing to breastfeed for two years and as long thereafter as is mutually desired by a woman and her child."
In New York, it's legal for women to breastfeed in public, even if it makes other people uncomfortable—as the NYCLU says, women can "breastfeed your baby in any public or private place where you have a right to be. This includes stores, day care centers, doctors’ offices, restaurants, parks, movie theaters and many other places. No one can tell you to leave any of these places because you are breastfeeding, and no one can tell you to breastfeed in a bathroom, a basement or a private room." Also, you have breastfeeding rights at work, too!
Earlier this year, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams proposed more private and public breastfeeding rooms, but let's face it, if Blossom can breastfeed on the subway, so can you.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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