Breastfeeding Mom Pumps While Running Half-Marathon

By Rebekah Fiedler

As the debate about public breastfeeding rages on, one amazing, multitasking Utah mom decided that her own and her baby’s well-being were more important than anyone’s opinion of where she should be allowed to pump.

Anna Young, who had been training for a half-marathon run for the last year, knew that she would need to pump sometime between leaving her house and finishing the race. Despite feeling nervous and a little embarrassed, Young decided during the run that it was time to pump. She slowed down to a walk and pulled out her pump.

Young said, “I decided to keep walking and moving with the flow, more people started passing me, I wasn’t sure anyone could tell what I was doing because they were coming from behind.” Eventually at least one of her fellow runners noticed what she was doing, and shouted encouragement to Young as she ran past her: “Way to go, good job!”

Young finished pumping and started running again, finishing the 13.2 mile race that she had been working towards for so long. After the race, Young found out that a photographer had taken a picture of her pumping. She had no way of knowing that her story would go viral, but she decided to publish the photo on the Occupy Breastfeeding Facebook page. “I guess my message behind it is you can still do the things you love even after you’re a mother, and you can still breastfeed your children, and you can do these things you’re passionate about,” said Young.

Since sharing her story, she has received thousands of likes, comments, and shares on social media, most of them overwhelmingly positive. Young used the hashtag #normalizebreastfeeding on Facebook, as part of the movement to try to remove any stigma attached to public breastfeeding.

In recent years, breastfeeding has become an increasingly hot topic. Now more than ever, the issue is being talked about on social media, addressed through legislation, and highly debated in religious circles. Proponents of public breastfeeding state that breastfeeding is the most natural way of feeding a baby, and that there is no reason a baby should not be able to eat in public just like anyone else would. Many people think it is an issue of modesty, and that if a mother wants to breastfeed in public, she should at least use a cover.

The issue is one of personal liberty and responsibility. A mother should be free to feed her child however she chooses. While public breastfeeding is legal in most states, private business owners should be able to choose to allow or forbid uncovered breastfeeding in their place of business. However, as one business owner learned, there can be severe backlash from breastfeeding advocates for business owners who ban breastfeeding on their property. It is the free market at work.

Whether or not you’re running a half-marathon while pumping, here’s to all the moms who are doing whatever it takes for the good of their children. To echo the words of one of Young’s fellow half-marathon runners, “Way to go, good job!”