Cathi Duchon, CEO
Ann Arbor YMCA
400 W. Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Dear Ms. Duchon,
I have just learned that you are banning breast feeding at your pool. While I do not live in your neighborhood and thus cannot join your maternal clientele in a nurse-in, I am writing to let you know that as a nursing mother I am offended by your decision. A mother should not be made to go and hide in a cubby to feed her child.
I read that some “officials” pointed out that food is not allowed in the pool. I am certain that you do what you can to accommodate visitors with special needs. Perhaps you allow guide dogs but not pets. Your infant guests are not flouting the rules, but simply have the special need that they must eat very frequently in order to survive.
With that issue out of the way, I would like to address the policy that is at the crux of this issue. The main reason for banning breast feeding is apparently because it distracts the lifeguards. Well, there’s something everyone can relate to! When one sees a nursing mother, often, like Pavlov’s dogs, one experiences hunger. The solution to your problem is simply to remind your staff to eat before starting their shifts.
It’s a good thing they’re not distracted by nubile young women in bikinis. You’d have to start requiring full body swim wear!
Truly,
Liz Mann
