As a prelude to the Masters in Breastfeeding Administration Campaign, we went around few stores in a couple of malls of the Pink City to accomplish an imperative task: increase acceptance of breastfeeding in public. It was a rainy morning, and we were excited to see how the day unfolds, while walking with breastfeeding posters in our hands. Also, we reported all of our footsteps on twitter with the hashtag #BreastfeedHere whilst on the move!

During our excursion, we came across varied reactions towards breastfeeding, some of which were, well, pretty unanticipated. There were shopkeepers, who intensely resonated with the cause, and there were also some others who didn’t even know what breastfeeding was. There were women, who surprisingly, denied supporting the mission, whereas there were plenty of men, who didn’t shy away from welcoming nursing mothers. Crazy is the world we live in, and in full swing were we to shatter taboos surrounding breastfeeding.

Destination number one: City Pulse Mall!

But firsssssst, let us take a selfie, we thought! And Lo and behold, appeared our photographer Shashank’s mighty IPhone 6! I was busy adjusting my hair and I forgot that time and tide and Shashank’s phone wait for none, and I was clearly no exception to the golden rule! Meanwhile Wasim bhai held on to the posters like they were the Goblet of Fire!

Team #JWB is @ #citypulse mall on this rainy morning promoting breastfeeding #breastfeedhere pic.twitter.com/0UQQ5tGdxe

— JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

We tweeted the aforementioned selfie and marched forward. 1. Pearl Fashion

#breastfeedhere Pearl Fashion happily welcomes nursing Mothers. pic.twitter.com/zT1ZnBAPiS — JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

2. Ethnic Collection

#breastfeedhere Ladies, your ethnic and motherly needs solved at Ethnic Collection. They support Breastfeeding. pic.twitter.com/FhrBnsMdNJ

— JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

3. Stella

#breastfeedhere Shopping at Stella is cooler than before! They support Breastfeeding! pic.twitter.com/VZf6TqVpp5 — JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

4. Monte Carlo

#breastfeedhere Mothers feel free to walk into #MonteCarlo with ur babies. They support Breastfeeding pic.twitter.com/uE2TVEBdEx

— JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

Now while we were bustling around pasting posters, clicking photographs, interacting with the store managers, other shopkeepers smelled something fishy.

Posters were also pasted in the fitting rooms.

  And I don’t blame them. Who carries a dslr and posters to a mall early in the morning? When they heard of our mission, they happily invited us to their stores to do the needful. 5. Silk Sutra: Rajkumar Rohila said, “Breastfeeding is a pious act. It is a woman’s and her child’s right, and she shouldn’t be denied it.”

#BreastfeedHere Silk Sutra, This handloom shopping store promotes nursing mothers and breastfeeding. pic.twitter.com/0LZHeK47vD — JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

6. Gulabchand

#BreastfeedHere : Yay! Gulabchand,City Pulse, supports Breastfeeding! Mothers feel free to use their trial room. pic.twitter.com/4PgkrNBuqU

— JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

Enroute the next destination: World Trade Park, me, the innocent driver, politely followed Wasim bhai’s road instructions. (Geographically challenged that I am!) We were discussing the list of stores we had to visit and were a bit apprehensive about the reactions, but what actually happened next was nothing short of a delight. Most of the stores that we visited already support nursing mothers but unfortunately, couldn’t accept our posters due to hierarchical permission system. 7. Flying Machine: Manish Udwani, Manager, shared his thoughts, “If you want to become big in life, you must respect women. A mother is the first woman in your life. She nurtures, loves, feeds, and takes care of you. A person is all that he is owing to his mother.”

#BreastfeedHere : Flying Machine, WTP, #Jaipur ! This men’s store supports nursing mothers. Kudos! pic.twitter.com/MgESq40yKa — JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

8. UCB

#BreastfeedHere : UCB, WTP’s uber cool staff welcomes & supports Breastfeeding mothers. pic.twitter.com/xXgQE2765A — JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

9. US Polo Assn.

#BreastfeedHere : Did you know you can also breastfeed at US Polo Assn. ,WTP while shopping? #Jaipur pic.twitter.com/UkGDP2W7o3

— JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

10. Manyawar: Naveen Kumar, Manager, heartily appreciated our team and happily supported the cause despite being a men’s store. Kudos Sir!

#BreastfeedHere :Men, you can tension-free bring your wife and child at Manyawar #Jaipur. They support Breastfeeding. pic.twitter.com/qMtGXw0gG8 — JaipurWomenBlog.com (@womenofjaipur) July 30, 2015

Dear nursing mothers, rushing to the washroom to feed your infant can be as cumbersome as it gets. Do not hesitate to walk into the nearby store and to ask for using their fitting room to breastfeed. It is the privilege that comes along with motherhood and you sure shouldn’t be shy about it!

So, go on, express your thoughts with #BreastFeedHere! Let’s create a ripple effect of empowering nursing mothers!

Team JWB wishes you a Happy International Breastfeeding Week (August 1st to August 7th)! Stay tuned and keep following the Masters in Breastfeeding Administration Campaign where we will talk about the real life experiences of nursing mothers and Human Milk Bank.

Picture Courtesy : Shashank K Tyagi