The purpose of the Flathead Valley Breastfeeding Coalition is not to convince people that breastfeeding is not inappropriate. It is, coalition member said, about making mothers aware of their legal rights.

“Our goal is to empower breastfeeding women to know what their rights are, so that they don’t have to feel they have to leave an area because they’re asked to — because that’s against the law,” said coalition Chairwoman Kim Winchell.

Standing in front of the coalition booth at their second annual Breastfeeding Support Fair at Depot Park in Kalispell Thursday, coalition members were making T-shirts with catchy pro-breastfeeding slogans, such as, “I make milk, what’s your superpower?” and “Breast milk: Nature’s Healthcare Plan” to raise money for the organization.

The coalition’s mission is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the Flathead community, Winchell said. This was evident by allowing mothers to nurse in the “breastfeeding bungalow,” a circle of rocking chairs shaded by a canopy.

Mothers gathered in the rocking chairs smiling and talking as they nursed their infants, amid families and children visiting different booths.

After nursing 4-month-old Malaya, first-time mother Tia Shaw placed her dozing infant in a stroller and undraped a nursing cover from around her neck. If there were not laws to protect public breastfeeding, “I’d be a complete shut-in,” Shaw said. “If I can’t feed her in public, my time out is basically so limited I can’t do anything.”

Winchell, whose background includes teaching breastfeeding classes, is well aware that public breastfeeding may draw negative attention from passersby.

“If someone doesn’t agree with public breastfeeding, you can’t change their mind, but what you can do is make them [mothers] aware that their right to breastfeed in public — and not worry about covering up if they can’t — is protected by law. To make negative comments is highly inappropriate,” Winchell said.

Currently the coalition is trying to promote a Breastfeeding Friendly Business Drive.

The idea is for businesses to create nursing-friendly environments. By becoming a breastfeeding-friendly business, management pledges to instruct staff on breastfeeding laws, how to handle objections by patrons and provide a welcoming environment for nursing mothers.

Along with promoting breastfeeding, Erin Riggs, Flathead Best Beginnings Community Council coordinator, was conducting family surveys.

“We’re trying to find out exactly what the needs and challenges [are] for parents raising kids today,” Winchell said.

Riggs added: “The better we can address those needs, the more we can help.”

The council is a new agency organized to bring together community-based organizations that serve children to better serve families and reduce duplication of services.

“We’re all at the table trying to better coordinate and collaborate, so we can improve a better service delivery,” Riggs said. “There are a lot of organizations good at helping kids and families, but we’re not always so good at talking to each other and coordinating services, so this is really all about collaboration.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.