Though the South Beach, Florida store in question was closed for renovations this past Sunday, some mothers gathered at a Starbucks and held a "nurse-in" to protest the expulsion of a woman named Nicole Coombs from the store. Coombs claims that she was asked to leave for breast-feeding her 4-month old son. The Starbucks manager, however, maintains that Coombs was asked to leave for changing her baby's diaper on one of the tables in the cafe.
Coombs states that the store manager asked her to leave while she was breastfeeding. She said she would leave as soon as she was done, because she was so outraged that she did not want to remain in the store. Then, according to Coombs, she proceeded to change her baby's diaper. She does not deny that she changed the baby on the table where people ordinarily eat. Now, the store manager says that he did not say anything to Coombs about breast feeding, which is perfectly acceptable in the store. He contends that he approached her as she changed her baby on the table and asked her to stop. When she refused, she was asked to leave.
Management and employees of that Starbucks store have never had any problems with nursing mothers in the past and have many women with infants as regular customers. This tends to support the store's side of the story, though the protesting mothers clearly support Coombs. They believe that Starbucks may have broken a Florida law that allows mothers to breastfeed anywhere they are legally allowed to be.
Unfortunately, Coombs' story doesn't make that much sense, so it is entirely possible that she is clinging to it to hang on to her 15 minutes of fame. If she was really outraged, why would she have remained to change her baby's diaper? And, regardless of the situation, why on earth would she change the baby on the table?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-15-2006 @ 10:41AM
Jenny said...
I was thinking that I'd seen another Starbucks/breastfeeding story not that long ago, and I had. This is it: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5662809/ . It is about a Maryland woman who was asked to cover-up or nurse in the bathroom. I agree that the Florida "outraged, but changed diaper before left" story sounds a little odd, but if Starbuck's had a national policy on breastfeeding they'd be in a much better position to defend themselves.
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6-15-2006 @ 11:49AM
suburban misfit said...
I'm a breastfeeding advocate (I nursed both of my children), and by no means am I a prude, but seriously...breastfeeding can be done with a bit more decorum than is shown in the picture. I don't know whose story I believe (though she admits to changing the diaper on the table; what was she *thinking*?), but I do know that if it were my daughter in that picture, I'd tell her be a little more discreet.
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6-15-2006 @ 12:48PM
Hawk said...
I've seen people breastfeeding in public and yeah, it appears to be doable with a minimum of fuss. I've definitely gone, "uhm, wow, that's a breast" but you know, it's a baby on a breast, that's okay. That's what breasts are for.
However, reacting in such a way to decide to change your baby on the table in protest? That's .. uh. infantile.
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6-20-2006 @ 1:10AM
Vince said...
In this day and age it seems everything must be politically correct to coin a phrase. I believe America needs to relax breast feeding is a natural and very healthy part of human nature. I have three children all which were breast fed. A mother can breast feed in public and use a blanket to cover herself. Ok just because you walk by and know what she is doing relax people you see more at the beach!! As for the diaper portion sure that was wrong and maybe slightly infantile as one poster put it. But in protest people have done much worse so maybe she just a little upset!! Who knows....
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6-25-2006 @ 8:28PM
Julie said...
Changing a baby's soiled diaper anywhere in public is disgusting, especially in a cafe or restaurant. That's why there are rest rooms. I have seen people do it at an airport in the middle of the gate lounge while boarding was taking place.
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