The PhlagleBreast is Best

Breast-Feeding:  All mammals do it!  In fact mammals are the only animals on Earth that do it!

Breast milk is full of much needed antibodies, fats, proteins, and minerals important for the development and growth of a baby.  Breast-feeding has been proven to reduce viral infections in infants, reduce childhood obesity and diabetes, protect against allergies and reduce the risk of heart disease. 

So why then, if it is so beneficial and natural, is there is such a stigma when talking about breast-feeding?

The California State University, Sacramento, University Union's annual Phlagleblast open house was no exception to the breast-feeding stigma.  As the event kicked-off Wednesday, September 15, with hundreds of students racing through three floors of the Union in search of free stuff and stamps to complete their scavenger hunt "game cards," one important student service was completely overlooked: The Mother’s Room.

The Mother’s Room, one of nine on campus, is located on the first floor of the University Union and is available as a quiet and relaxing place with a couch, rocking chair, sink and mirror for nursing mothers. The key can be easily retrieved from the information desk, as the room must be kept locked to keep out sleepy students in search of the perfect napping spot.

According to the University Union Information Desk, the purpose of the Phlagleblast event was to showcase and introduce new and returning students to the many different student services available for little to no cost at the University Union.

When asked why such an important student service would not be showcased at an event where hundreds of potential, perhaps one day, expecting mothers or unexpectedly-expecting mothers would see and learn about the room’s availability, no one could give a definitive answer.  

Emails to the director of the University Union, Bill Olmstead, about nursing mothers on campus and the mother’s room went unanswered.

Emails responses from the director of the Women Resource Center were uninformative and disheartening.

“Having been a nursing mother myself, I would have been somewhat dismayed to have someone inquire about what is a personal health matter for some,”  said WRC director Alysson Satterlund.

Dismayed?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should be breast-fed exclusively for the first six months and continue for at least 12 months.  Yet, only 13.6 percent of babies are exclusively breast-fed in the US, and only 22.7 percent are breast-fed to 12 months old.

Many mothers forgo breast-feeding due to a lack of support at work, or in this case school, negative reactions in public, misconceptions about formula and other obstacles.  Legislations has been passed in many states to protect women's rights to breast-feed in public and ensure that employers support and encourage breast-feeding at work.

So how do breast-feeding mothers, expectant mothers, and someday expectant mothers find out about the service’s available for breast-feeding around the CSUS campus?  Apparently not at the open house.