I want to point out something that I don't believe the Crusader Moms (any mom who finds a cause, no matter how absurd, and starts protests, wages war and generally causes a ruckus) think about: It is unsanitary for YOUR CHILD to nurse in a pool. Do you know what's in a pool, besides chlorine? Urine. Fecal material. Skin cells. Food particles from the snack you let your older kids have 30 minutes before swimming. If it's an outdoor pool: bugs, grass, sunscreen residue, sweat. There's a good chance another kid might've puked a little of his lunch up and not told anyone. Most people don't shower before getting in, especially those old men who just sat in the sauna for 20 minutes and need to cool off.
Do you really want the privilege of nursing your child in that?
Chlorine makes water safe to SWIM in. It does not make it an appropriate place to feed a child whose immune system is not as strong as yours. And believe me when I say, the pristine pools you see the Olympians swimming in is not your local public or neighborhood private pool.
Yes, mothers have the right to breastfeed where they want in Colorado. That doesn't make it right to breastfeed in a pool!
I won't even bring up the bodily fluid argument because it's a moot point, there are all sorts of nasty bodily fluids floating in that water. If you care about your infant, you will take the time to get out of the pool, wrap him/her in a nice fluffy towel and breastfeed on the sidelines. Oh, and it's probably not a bad idea to give the older kids a break, too, because children get tired in the water and it's better to be safe than sorry with your children!
Clearly, this debacle has become the vocal minority overruling the quiet majority—a majority of women don't feel the need breastfeed while in the pool, but that Crusader Mom and her group of "Human Rights" mommy minions have blown this whole thing out of proportion.
Crusader Mom seems to not care that others may be offended by her actions, and that attitude is harmful and blinding. All she sees are her "rights" while forgetting the those around her have rights, too. And typically she vents her opinions on a hapless lifeguard who only wanted to enforce the rules so that everyone at the pool is comfortable, safe and happy. (Side note: Stop taking out your issues on lifeguards. It's not nice.)
If you search for "breastfeeding in public pools" you find a lot of stories, and most of them end with pool management acquiescing to Crusader Mom. You'll also find a lot of forums where the question is posed: "Should it be allowed or not?" and the answers are ignorant "sure, why not?" and "I don't see why you shouldn't."
If you worry at all about your children being in a clean environment, then you would not add to the mess of a pool. You would breastfeed your child out of the pool for the sanitary consideration of everyone (I've only ever seen Mexican hotel pools allow food and drink in the pool so don't even throw that argument at me!) and most importantly, for the well-being of your very own loveable, messy baby! You would also take your kids home and make them shower in good clean water with soap, because even though the possibility of contracting illness from a chlorinated pool is slim, that stuff I mentioned earlier is on their skin, in their ears, hair, nose, etc. and it is pretty nasty when you think about it!
One closing thought: Swimmers do their very best to avoid inhaling/drinking the water they swim in, for more than just appropriate breathing reasons—they're in it enough to know that it can be nasty. So why put your baby in the position to consume that bacteria-filled water at the same time as their nutritious breast milk?!
Disclaimer: I support breastfeeding wholeheartedly. I support a woman's right to breastfeed in public. I do not believe that right extends itself into physically breastfeeding a child in a pool. These are my opinions, and frankly, if you don't share them, I'm always open to a little thoughtful discourse so comment below!
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