By now, we've all heard a lot of stories about moms who were shamed or asked to leave public spaces merely for breastfeeding. (Like, a lot.) Each one is often more unbelievable and infuriating than the next, especially when you consider that it's completely legal and within a mother's right to publicly breastfeed in 47 out of the 50 states. But not many of those stories end quite like one out of Texas did this week — by a group of mothers banding together to stage a nurse-in at the pool where a breastfeeding mom was asked to leave.
The initial incident reportedly happened on Sunday at Nessler Family Aquatics Center in Texas City, Texas.
Speaking with CafeMom, Misty Daugereaux says she was sitting in the kiddie pool at the time, which was about a foot or so deep.
"I had my legs extended out and [my son] Maxx was standing in front of me," she recalls. "During that time Maxx turned around and started rubbing his face in my chest."
Instantly, she knew what that meant: He was hungry.
She says she pulled the center of her bathing suit to the right, so that the "peep hole" that was in the center could allow Maxx to discreetly latch on. Then, she placed her left hand over the top of his face.
"He quickly got distracted and decided he wanted to watch the kids [and was] over nursing at that time," she explains. "Typical behavior at that age!"
But moments later, he repeated the same motion.
"Each time I let him latch on and when he pulled off I pulled everything back in place," Daugereaux says.
Nothing about it felt out of the ordinary for the Texas mom, but she had no idea that they'd caught the attention of a young lifeguard.
Moments later, she says he approached her and asked if she was breastfeeding. When she told him that she was, he responded by telling her, "You can’t do that here. This is a public pool."
Daugereaux says she explained to the young man that she had every right to feed her son and that he "should go talk to someone that might know" more about the rules.
To her surprise, he did — and returned a few minutes later with a manager who backed him up.
"You can’t do that here. This is a public pool," the manager allegedly told the new mom.
Daugereaux was stunned and told the woman precisely what she told the lifeguard: That she had every right to feed her son — here or anywhere.
"She said, 'No ma’am. You need to be covered up!'" Daugereaux recalls, saying the manager insisted it was the pool's policy that breastfeeding mothers be covered.
Finally, she was told that if she didn't want to cover up, she would have to leave. When she didn't, the police were called.
In the moments before the police arrived, Devereaux says she tried to collect her thoughts but was overcome by emotion.
"After she walked away, I was shaking," she tells CafeMom. "I had a flood of thoughts going through my head. Am I right? Can they kick me out! What is about to happen now? Should I call my husband to come up here! OMG I wish my best friend Kristin was here! (Which was our original plan till she had a family emergency.)"
In the body cam footage later released by the Texas City Police Department, Daugereaux can be seen breaking down into tears while trying to explain the situation to the officer.
"I don't stand for much, but I will stand for that," Daugereaux said, recalling how the manager asked her to leave. "I'm not being disrespectful. I don't want to cause a scene," she continued, "but I'm gonna feed my baby."
By the next day, news of the upsetting incident had spread to other local moms who vowed to make a statement.
On Monday, a group of moms showed up to the town pool for a "nurse-in" to show support for Daugereaux as well as breastfeeding moms everywhere.
"To have all of those moms there to make a statement and support me was so invigorating!" she tells CafeMom. "I never could have imagined I would get that much support! New motherhood was something special along with breastfeeding, but to have moms that I had never met stand behind me and show their support was amazing!"
Daugereaux, who found out about the nurse-in through Facebook, says that when she showed up to the pool entrance Monday, she was overcome with emotion and "lost it."
"I remember hugging a mom and thanking her for being there!" she says. "There were so many sweet happy healthy babies all attached to the mommas! I have a Velcro baby, so to see so many others was nice."
For now, she's looking to put the whole uncomfortable incident behind her. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can help empower other breastfeeding moms who may one day find themselves in her shoes.
"It is our divine instinct to protect and nourish our young!" she says. "Continue to do what you body was naturally made to do."
