Shelton Mom Organizing 'Nurse-In' For Breastfeeding Rights

Update 12:14 p.m.

Calls to the general manager at Westfield Trumbull Mall were again unanswered. We hope to have a statement from the mall staff as soon as possible.

Original Story

A Shelton mother of three is organizing a “nurse-in” at the Westfield Trumbull mall in response to her friend being asked to cover up while breastfeeding.

Danielle Ann Michaud-Elwood explains “this all started off basically because my friend was at the mall [Monday] and she was approached by a security guard and told that she needed to cover up while breastfeeding her son.”

“She’s very quiet and shy and didn’t want to make a big to-do about it. At that point she just got up and left,” Elwood said. “You would think that no one would bother her while she’s feeding her child in the food court. I mean, everybody eats in the food court!"

Calls to the Trumbull Mall spokesman and security department were not immediately answered.

Being a writer for the parenting website Babble.com, Elwood is familiar with state laws concerning breastfeeding, so the friend reached out to her for advice.

“In Connecticut you can breastfeed covered or uncovered, anywhere, at any time and anybody that bothers you is violating your rights,” Elwood said.

She took to Facebook and created a public event page for her nurse-in, scheduled for next Tuesday at the mall. It is an open invitation, meaning anyone can opt in. The idea for such an event was inspired by similar situations other moms had experienced.

“I’ve seen stories of different women from all over the country who’ve been asked to stop breastfeeding or to cover up, and in turn local mothers have a nurse-in just to kind of say, ‘Okay, we have rights’ and just to make a little bit of a scene to show the guards or whoever it is that we’re well within our rights,” Elwood said.

So far, there are eight local moms planning on participating in the nurse-in and about ten others who replied “maybe” on the Facebook event. Elwood said she sees it not so much as an event, but part of her daily routine.

“For me, it’s just going to the mall with my kids,” she said. “I have a breastfeeding three week old, so the majority of my outings include stopping to feed my baby. It [the nurse-in] is not a big to-do for me, but it seems like there’s a lot of local moms who want to pitch in and get involved.”

Elwood hopes their combined efforts will sound a wake-up call to the public, as well as incite confidence in women and moms.

“I really feel like a lot of times mothers—whatever their choices in parenting—are always intimidated when people have something to say,” Elwood said. “So for mothers to ban together and say ‘We’re not going to be intimidated and we’re going to do what we feel is right’ is like a modern-day bra burning. At least that’s the way I’d like to see it.”