Breastfeeding Mom Is Asked to Cover Up by Her Own Doctor

Time and time again we’ve heard stories of women who were criticized for breastfeeding their babies while shopping, in museums and even at Disney Land. Sadly, the shaming is still happening—even, in this Oregon mom’s case, in her doctor’s office.

Jennifer Howard went to see a new primary care doctor to talk to him about postpartum depression. During the appointment, her 3-month-old daughter Evelyn started crying—and like any mom would when their child is hungry, Howard picked her up and started breastfeeding.

That, apparently, was not okay with her doctor.

“He asked me if I had a cover, and I was a little surprised,” Howard tells KOIN. When she asked him to clarify what he meant, he claimed the clinic she was visiting had a policy against women breastfeeding uncovered to prevent any potential lawsuits over “inappropriate” incidents.

“Nobody has ever asked me to do that before,” Howard recalls. “And (Evelyn) is crying. I’m trying to figure out what to do in this situation.”

Made to feel uncomfortable, she started rooting around in her diaper bag looking for something that could act as a cover. When she finally found something, the doctor held it up as a shield while the baby latched, then used it to cover her and her baby before proceeding with the visit.

“I felt like I was doing something wrong, something dirty that needed to be hidden,” she says. “And all I was doing was trying to care for my baby.”

When Howard followed up with the clinic after her visit, a woman she spoke to in customer relations told her not only did the policy the doctor had referenced not exist, “there was no breastfeeding policy. They don’t have one at all."

She then filed a verbal complaint with the clinic and requested to switch to a different doctor. To add insult to injury, her request was denied. In a letter Howard shared with the local news station, the clinic wrote, “After review, it has been decided that you will not be able to change to a different physician within Salem Clinic. …If you would like to establish another primary care provider outside of Salem Clinic, feel free to contact your insurance…”

The thing is, Oregon breastfeeding laws give Howard the right to breastfeed—uncovered—anywhere in public. “This protection is needed since women breastfeeding in a public place may be asked to stop, leave or cover up, causing embarrassment and stigmatization. Embarrassment remains a barrier to breastfeeding,” the legislation reads. Clearly.

Howard said she’s going public with her story because she wants to fight back against breastfeeding shaming, which, hopefully we can all agree, has officially gotten out of control.

“Parenting is hard enough as it is,” she says. “Women don’t need this.” You can say that again!

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