Breast Milk STINKS...............apparently

[mamigila]

what we should do, all breastfeeding mums, go together and breastfeed there!

[FatherJack]

I'm up for it as are my kids !!!

[Indiana]

I suppose you could call it a flashfeed - bit like those flashmobs that sometimes spring up in places...

[ryedalema]

I'm up for that too.

Ummm, we could alert the media, or is that going too far?

[snowboarder]

Indiana Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I suppose you could call it a flashfeed - bit like

> those flashmobs that sometimes spring up in

> places...

LOVE it. Or we could just all randomly wander in over the next week or so, casually breastfeeding as we browse around the shop....

We need a webcam set up....

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Strikes me as a bit pitchforkish response on here.

If you want to change someone's ignorant behaviour, ganging up in an offensive fashion is not the best way.

Please take into account, some of the volunteers employed have mental issues which will not be helped by a group of militant mothers storming the shop.

Continue with a written campaign to the Head Office, by all means and allow them to reflect on the incident and take the appropriate behaviour.

[FatherJack]

Email address now available for The Chief Exec at MIND.......

[email protected]

Extreme behaviour often encourages/calls for an extreme response but I note what you say PGC.

[intexasatthe moment]

I agree with Peckhamgatecrasher - it was outrageous yes ,but some of the workers do have mental health problems.

Write to head office and wait for response.

[iaineasy]

Im up for it !! i intened to grow breasts at the earliest possiblity and involve myself in this direct action!! Oh and breast milk does stink apparently our Elsabel-Hope can smell it from about 50 feet when she's hungry!!:)-D

So when does this feeding frenzy happen? I will video it and post a link to the forum so you can all see the look on this sour old gits face when he gets 20 BF mums whipping them out in his shop!! hahaha

[The Nappy Lady]

Ok, I take the point, I am just angry I guess.

Shall we all write via email first, and also alert local press I think - any views?

Then if no satisfactory outcome we can take the direct action route.

I didn't realise they employ people with mental health issues, that does change things slightly, but still, as a store manager his behaviour is not acceptable IMO.

Iain you make me laugh - so true re babies smelling it from afar, they are so clever. At 16 months baby C now comes up, points and says 'booby' when she fancies a snack cheeky madam.

Molly

[Steph]

I have had experienced the wrath of the Manager at Mind, he is incredibly rude, most of the time. I was only trying to offer him some books but his attitude when telling me they didn't need them was quite shocking. I have seen him behave in the same way towards others since.

He does need to be brought down a peg or two!

[ryedalema]

Ah - i did wonder about whether some staff there had mental health issues/challenges etc but I didn't want to sound un-pc. Surely if their 'illness' meant that they could be prone to attacking people with aerosols then there should be some sort of steward's enquiry about whether they are suitable personnel to be serving the public though.

Agreed the Militant Millie approach may upset too many innocent bystanders - the press might be an option if we get no joy from the CEO though. However it's only really a 'story' if the Mum involved, gets involved.

Anyone know her? Or maybe she wants to put this horrid exp. behind her.

[localmama]

Hi! I've not really been part of this forum but apparently I'm now famous. Thank you for publicizing it FatherJack, I really appreciate the support. To clarify a couple comments, my baby has just turned 10 months and started grizzling while I was looking through clothes so I thought I would take advantage of my time in the change room trying on sweaters to feed her. This took a maximum of 2-3 minutes, as she's very quick. I had intended to buy 2 of the sweaters.. but not after the treatment I received! There was only one other customer in the shop at the time & there are two change rooms available. The manager peeked in the side of the curtain (possibly knocked by my 3 year old in the change room with me, although as closed as I could make it) and started complaining to other people about me breastfeeding in there. I thought he was being ignorant and had no idea he was the manager at the time so decided to ignore him and continue shopping until the exchange FatherJack wrote about.

Ironically, I'm a helper for the Breastfeeding Network so I posted about this to their listserve as well. Someone shared the fact that in the 90s several major retailers wrote breastfeeding policies where they stated they would happily provide a changing room for a mother who preferred to breastfeed in private, including the Burton Group: Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins, TopMan, Wallis, etc etc. I wonder if Mind has something similar?

Anyway, I've emailed Mind head office yesterday & have just sent a message to my MP. I tried to speak to the area manager Lindsay at the time, but he only told me that the changing rooms are not for breastfeeding & that managers have the right to look in them. He has promised to follow up through email on Monday. Any other ideas?

The topper? Someone took advantage of my distraction to unzip my bag & steal my mobile phone. Grrr... terrible day.

[sillywoman]

Actually I'm still in favour of direct, non aggressive action. Look what happened to facebook when they tried to pull a similar 'breasts-are-only-sexual-objects' stunt. I really can't see that a bunch of browsing breastfeeding Mums could possibly be construed as 'ganging up in an offensive fashion', but I'll go with the majority decision. And of course I'll be emailing MIND to complain as well.

[The Nappy Lady]

localmama, very pleased you have found us all on here. As you can see you have A LOT of support.

So sorry to hear you had your mobile phone stolen to cap it all off, what a rotten day.

I hope you get a full apology on Monday, but personally I would also like to see the manager reprimanded, and for MIND to have an official policy on this going forward.

Is there anything specific you wish to achieve? Just thinking if we know we can all support you.

Molly

[iaineasy]

I think it would be a shame to boycott the shop and charity for the sake of a rude shop manager, the direct action route actually doesnt take anything away from the good work they do , whilst pissing of this miserable old git personally and shaming him directly. Then we can all get backto supporting the good work they do. The manager will definately get the point that east dulwich is a very family orientated place and his and all the other businesses rely on the mums new and old to support them. Its non aggressive, and to be honest a very creative and funny way to make the point!! I bet it would make the local press!! FREE THE BOOBY BABIES NEED FEEDING!!

The girls on this forum rock , you have my full support even if it is at the risk of being called a bit of a shit stirrer!!

big hugs.

we are moving tommorow to brockley, I will miss living here but due to greedy people and rubbish letting agents it didn't work out, however I will still be working in this area as I am booked for a month or two and will still be on the forum.

Thanks mums of dulwich for keeping me working and helping get my new family off the ground. your great!.xx

[FatherJack]

LocalMama......I've replied to your PM

Now that we are aware of what you're doing let's wait and see what kind of response you get. I have sent an email to the Chief Exec.

If it's negative then I'm with SillyWoman a direct and non-aggressive approach with publicity.

Is it realy true that a shop has the right to enter/look in an occupied changing room? Surely not??

Iaineasy, I'm not boycotting the MIND charity just the Grove Vale shop......I don't appreciate being sprayed without warning and given there were small children involved.....anyway the more I speak about this locally the more I hear about this man's rude and aggressive reputation. Now that I've seen it first hand it seems more than justified.

I hope to get a reply from MIND and will post it on this thread.....

[reetpetite]

iaineasy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think it would be a shame to boycott the shop

> and charity for the sake of a rude shop manager,

> the direct action route actually doesnt take

> anything away from the good work they do , whilst

> pissing of this miserable old git personally and

> shaming him directly. Then we can all get backto

> supporting the good work they do. The manager will

> definately get the point that east dulwich is a

> very family orientated place and his and all the

> other businesses rely on the mums new and old to

> support them. Its non aggressive, and to be honest

> a very creative and funny way to make the point!!

> I bet it would make the local press!! FREE THE

> BOOBY BABIES NEED FEEDING!!

>

> The girls on this forum rock , you have my full

> support even if it is at the risk of being called

> a bit of a shit stirrer!!

>

> big hugs.

>

> we are moving tommorow to brockley, I will miss

> living here but due to greedy people and rubbish

> letting agents it didn't work out, however I will

> still be working in this area as I am booked for a

> month or two and will still be on the forum.

>

> Thanks mums of dulwich for keeping me working and

> helping get my new family off the ground. your

> great!.xx

Good luck with the move Iain hope you still keep in touch with the forum , love reading your posts .

[The Nappy Lady]

Brockley's gain is our loss Iain & Anna - hope to still 'see' you on here lots.

Molly

x

[hpsaucey]

AND, even worse, the guy did this to a Mum, baby and child old enough to maybe understand what was going on and get upset by it!!!! I'm SO SO angry. Given some of the staff in there may have their own idiosyncracies but surely this DOES NOT excuse such behaviour!

Will offer any support needed.

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you localmama!

[JDR]

Just to add supprt to localmama and other breasfeeding mums. I've just sent my email to the exec and requested that they make an obviously positive statement regarding breastfeeding, whilst directing them to this thread. I did point out that the forum does have some media savvy users and that there are serious risks regardign this being picked up natioanlly if people use their contacts... I will be boycotting the store and using other charity shops until I feel they have made appropriate changes to their stance. Very disappointed in them but much joyed by collective response so far.

Just one note, can't remember who said about getting negative responses re BF in public. The only negative comments were from my dad!! In public I only ever seem to get positive comments so PLEASE no one stop because of others ignorance. It makes me smile every time I see it, a truly beautiful thing to do for your child

[FatherJack]

MIND are taking this matter very seriously indeed and as promised I have attached the reply from their

Chief Exec received to my email tonight!!

Dear Caroline,

Thank you for your email and for bringing this to my attention. I want to

reassure you that I am extremely concerned by the experience of the lady in our

East Dulwich shop, and have asked the Managing Director of our shops network,

Bob Monteath, to investigate this as soon as possible.

I have written to the lady concerned to apologise for the distress that she has

experienced, and we will be in touch with her in due course.

As you witnessed the incident, I hope you will be happy for Bob or one of his

colleagues to contact you for interview.

I have received a number of emails today on this issue, and will respond to all

of them in the next couple of days.

Yours sincerely

Paul Farmer

Chief Executive, Mind

Sent from my BlackBerry? wireless device

[Fuschia]

I'm not very impressed at the idea the staff can look into the changing rooms, regardless of whether or not we might be bf in there.. what happened to basic privacy?!

[JDR]

great to hear... good to know that feedback in media/technology intensive times can ellicit a postive response. Bless him for sending it on a saturday night, thought there was only me sad enough to be checking emails at this time...

[FatherJack]

JDR......you, me and he makes three!!

Watch this thread for an update!