If you feel like you're constantly hearing about moms who were publicly shamed or kicked out of restaurants or other establishments for breastfeeding their babies, that's because you are. A new, infuriating story practically pops up every week. But the latest one hitting headlines that stands out from the rest. It belongs to Michelle Solone, M.D., and Tammi Rowen, M.D. — two OB-GYNs who who recently attended a three-day medical conference in Nashville, Tennessee, with their babies, and were allegedly kicked out over a "no kids" policy.
I repeat: They were kicked out for bringing their babies to an OB-GYN conference, of all places!
Solone, who works at Stanford Medical Center, and Rowen, of the University of California, San Francisco, both say they had separate, but equally uncomfortable confrontations at the event, which was held last week. It was hosted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a professional organization that — in case you couldn't tell by its name — is devoted to the medical care and well-being of women and their babies.
The convention advertised an on-site childcare program called Camp ACOG, which could look after kids 6 months to 12 years while their parents attended the scheduled lectures. That was music to these new moms' ears, so they each brought along their babies — a 6-month-old for Solone, and a 13-month-old daughter for Rowen.
But it wasn't too long into the convention that Rowen got a call: Her daughter was crying for her.
And so, just shy of three hours after leaving her daughter at Camp ACOG, the new mom was asked to return.
“She was exhausted and inconsolable, but she stopped crying when I picked her up,” Rowen told Yahoo Lifestyle. “I figured I would take her to the exhibition hall to wander around the product booths and get some food.”
NBD, right? … WRONG. Apparently, the mere act of wandering the convention floor with a baby in tow was against the rules, and she was stopped at the door.
Rowen says she was told, “No babies are allowed,’” and turned away before entering. She spent the rest of the day sitting in her hotel room.
“It made me sad,” Rowen shared. “I attend medical conferences a lot, usually with my two children. Sometimes people stare, but I’ve never been asked to leave.”
She also wasn't just any ole' convention guest, either — Rowen was due to speak at a lecture the next day.
Then on Saturday, Solone had her own uncomfortable exchange, after bringing her baby onto the convention floor.
The mom of three told Yahoo Lifestyle that she brought him along so as not to disrupt his breastfeeding schedule, but added that she did leave him with Camp ACOG while she taught a lecture and manned a job fair booth.
As we all know though, babies need their mamas; and breastfeeding babies can't exactly go too long in between feedings. So Solone attempted to bring her son with her while she sat and ate her lunch. She said she even got a warm greeting from one security guard, as she strolled past with her son. But while she was eating, another approached her and asked her to leave.
“They stated that my baby and I needed to leave immediately as kids under 18 were not allowed,” Solone told the outlet.
“I put him back in the stroller, picked up my plate, which I had not yet finished eating, and was physically bounced from the conference, all the way out through a closed door — as if I were going to sneak back in," she continued. "They didn't even use a normal exit.”
The moment was shocking and embarrassing and confusing, to say the least. Moments later, the mom snapped a photo of herself breastfeeding in a nearby lecture hall, after getting the boot. It was later tweeted by her friend, Dr. Jenn Conti. The story went viral.
Luckily, the ACOG reacted pretty swiftly, after being alerted to the issue, and reversed course on the policy.
It also clarified that the policy was not about breastfeeding, but about having young children on certain convention floors that may be deemed unsafe.
“ACOG has always strongly supported breastfeeding," the tweet stated. "#ACOG2019 moms can nurse anywhere they’d like. We regret that our policy of no children in the exhibit hall disrupted breastfeeding for some of our attendees. We have made an exception for breastfeeding moms visiting the hall."
But while the response satisfied some convention-goers, Solone noted that it still highlights an overall issue with how we treat mothers and children.
“Breastfeeding clearly sensationalized the issue on social media," she told Yahoo Lifestyle, "But this is about human rights and wellness — about improving work life integration for working parents.”
“We should never force a working parent to choose between spending time with their child or advancing their career at a conference, when it is reasonable to do both simultaneously,” Solone continued. “I wasn’t asking to bring my baby to the operating room; I was asking to bring him to lunch.”
Oh hells yeah, is she right about that one!
According to the US Department of Labor, over 70 percent of working women have kids at home under 18, and 75 percent of them work full-time. And yet, working moms are literally getting buried by the pressure created by a workforce that hasn't yet caught up with the times.
They're still fighting for adequate maternity leave and equal pay; still begging for appropriate rooms at work to pump in, or to breastfeed in public without being shamed for it. And even in instances as seemingly "minor" as this one, moms — working or not — are finding themselves at odds with policies that simply don't take into account how hard it is to care for young children while being a working professional.
In the end, at least some action was taken, and the ACOG reaffirmed its support of breastfeeding moms.
According to a spokesperson from ACOG who spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle, exhibit halls have actually always been closed to children under 18 for safety reasons. But it now looks as though next year's convention will be a whole lot more kid-friendly.
“Because there were women who couldn’t use the daycare center or enter the exhibit hall, we changed the policy in one hour,” the spokesperson shared. “Next year, we will fine-tune the policy. Any baby is welcome.”
