Report: Beyonce Nurses Baby Blue In West Village, Sparks Breastfeeding Debate
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Barely 2 months old in her first public outing, Blue Ivy, Beyonce and Jay-Z's baby girl, is already causing quite a stir.
Beyonce reportedly breastfed the baby at the Saint Ambrose Cafe and Espresso Bar in the West Village earlier this week.
The restaurant manager wouldn't confirm the power couple had been there, but witnesses said they were having brunch when Beyonce nursed the child, not opting for the privacy of the bathroom, reports CBS 2's Kristine Johnson.
As the restaurant does not allow strollers, Blue Ivy was carried by mom in a baby snuggly.
Most people on the street voiced their approval to CBS 2.
"Do it Beyonce, breastfeed your baby in public, on the street," said Gary Weingarten of Bed-Stuy.
"I think it's fine. If the baby was hungry I think it's right," another said.
According to civil rights law, "a mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be...." but breastfeeding in public places remains controversial.
Proponents said they think Beyonce is setting a good example.
"I think it's nice for breastfeeding mothers everywhere to have someone in the public eye who's breastfeeding and again just to make it normal, to normalize it. It can be something odd or something special and it's just normal," said Leigh Anne O'Connor of La Leche League.
However, not everyone is on board.
"There are a lot of natural things that we all do in privacy and perhaps if you have the option to do it privately you should
be considerate of other people," Jim Colucci said.
From the start, it seems everything about this baby has been in the spotlight, from the first public revelation of her pregnancy to the flaunting of the baby bump.
And with just this first outing generating big news, experts agree we'll all be hearing much more about baby Blue.
"When two of the biggest celebrities in the world have a baby, there's tons of interest. Any time they take Blue out is going to be very big news," said Cristina Gibson of Life And Style Magazine.
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