For centuries, it's been a technique practiced by mothers around the world.
But now, one local mom says the act of breast-feeding in public seems to spawn more debate than ever- one she came face to face with, on our nation's birthday.
24 year old Kara Sylvester loves spending time with her kids.
So it was nothing unusual on the 4th of July, when she and her husband took their daughters, ages five and 11 months, to O'Brien Field to watch fireworks.
A few hours into the outing, Sylvester says began discreetly breastfeeding her baby.
"Lots of families go to Chief's games. Lot's of families have babies, and lots of babies breastfeed," she said.
Quickly, she says the night took an upsetting turn.
A ballpark employee asked her to cover up or move inside. Sylvester, a licensed lactation consultant, asked for a manager.
"I was apologized to for being treated rudely, but I wasn't apologized to for being approached for breastfeeding my baby," she said.
Sylvester says in all her time breastfeeding both her daughters, she's never been approached by a business owner or employee and asked to stop.
It was a benefit, she thought, of living in Illinois, which has some of the stringent laws in the country, protecting breastfeeding mothers from discrimination.
Currently Illinois is one of 45 states where breastfeeding is allowed anywhere, one of 28 in which it's exempt from public indecency laws, and one of five with campaigns for education.
Still Sylvester has advice for moms worried about breast feeding in public.
"Practice before you go out," she said. "Do it in front of a mirror, so you know what you look like while doing it, and just have confidence that no matter what, bottom line, the law will back you up."
Owners of the Peoria Chief's declined to go on camera, but told us the employee made a mistake, adding they honor all breastfeeding laws, and have instructed employees never to ask a mother to stop breastfeeding.
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