Breastfeeding in Public....

JenAndSome

Yay. With my first kid I was really nervous and always tried to hide in a corner and cover with a nursing blanket, etc. That worked well except people spent time trying to figure out why I was hiding in a corner and she would pull the blanket off, lol. By my third baby I didn't give a crap anymore. I learned to breastfeed discreetly without hiding or suffocating my kid under a blanket. There is nothing wrong or disgusting about it. It is a natural part of life. If you choose to not, or cannot breastfeed I don't hold it against you, though. It's not for everyone.

VeganLexi

I have no problem with a hungry baby being fed...

janatarnhem

Absolutely YES!!!!!

onwarddownward

My first experience with breastfeeding in public was in the PX. I was just 18 and my 3 month old daughter ended up screaming in the store. I covered up with a blanket and nursed her. An old lady walking by got disgusted and soon an MP came over and told me I would have to go into the bathroom to nurse her. I asked him if he would like to eat in a bathroom, but my husband made me stop nursing and we left.

Later in life and on my fourth child, I was less willing to be put others above my children. I still covered up, but I would nurse when they needed it. I nursed them as follows:

Baby one: 6 months.
Baby two: 3 mos.,
baby three: 2 weeks,
baby four: 8 mos;
baby five- 3 years,
baby six - three years.

I have to say that my last two babies are the most attached to me. I wonder why.

onwarddownward

I don't even understand this debate honestly. Babies need to eat. I don't eat in a bathroom and I wouldn't expect a mom to have to feed a baby in the bathroom. With that said, when I've done so, I've always been very discreet and covered as well as I could.

I don't have a problem with breastfeeding (after all, that was one of the functions of the female breast). The law where I live says that a woman can breastfeed in a public area if the baby is hungry. I do, however, think that the woman should cover her chest while the baby is feeding.

I think men should cover their chests while mowing the lawns with their sweaty men boobies hanging out.

:noway: :noway: :noway: not attractive.:noway: :noway: :noway:

k1229

really? this old debate.

People are opposed, others are not - its ur choice!

end of discussion.

crabbyab90

...is this REALLY being discussed? I fed in public, but she was covered...no big deal it's what worked for my daughter and I. If you want to whip out your milk maker go right ahead. It doesn't matter.

onwarddownward

Old? As long as their are new mothers with this issue coming up, it's not old. Plus this thread only started two days ago.

Not /end of discussion

RllyGudTweetr

If G*d had not wanted women to breastfeed in public, He would have made boobs disappear when women left the house.

. . . says the agnostic.

gpfan5

All for it, a kids gotta eat.

I look away, though, to be respectful and not creepy.

I have to say it does bother me a bit when people postphotos of themselves breastfeeding on FB and the like, it's one thing to not have to hide it away or be made to feel wrong for doing it in public and another to (in effect) yell "hey, look at me doing this!!!"

I think people post their pics on FB so it becomes more the norm. At least that's what my friends do anyway. If we see more babies being breastfed, then hopefully more people will realize this is the best, most nutritious food we can give our babies and there will be less stigma. No judgements on people that don't breastfeed because even though it's "natural", it can be hard work! And some medical conditions can make it impossible or very difficult to breastfeed.

sevsmom

Don't have the slighest problem with breastfeeding in public. Heck, we had a gal who, very respectfully, breastfed her baby in church service. No worries. I never really had the option as I would want to cover up and neither of my babies would let me put a blanket anywhere near their heads. . .even as infants. They wanted to check out what was going on around them while they ate. So, I would not feed in public. But that was my issue.

rml_16

I know this family who were all ganging up on their sister in law on fb for breast feeding around them at family functions.They were telling her how disgusting she was and to stay out of sight when she did it etc

That is so awful!

I was never personally comfortable doing it in public and I only had a manual pump, so I did supplement with formula in a bottle. But I breast fed around my family and no one cared. My cousin's wife always left the room of her own accord. She aso refused to ever change a diaper in front of anyone else, so ...

But I don't care about other women doing it wherever they need to.

AlbaAngel25

I personally breast fed, but would pump milk and feed her that in public. This was my own comfort and personal choice! It worked for us.

gpfan5

And if anyone happens to look at me whilst I'm breastfeeding and think or even say 'that's disgusting' or if they think something sexual of me breastfeeding my baby, well, they're the ones with the problem, not me.

By the way, as I am breastfeeding my baby sitting inside the entrance to that restaurant I will just smile at you as walk by with a disgusted look on your face, and think to myself how sad it is that you've been so badly brainwashed by society that you think that feeding a baby the natural way in public is somehow inappropriate.

bwah hh aha hahaaahhaha! that's great! I should have thought of that when I was nursing my one month old , very tiny, in a very discrete manner and some idiot tried to tell me to go to my hot car to breastfeed....
LOL if anyone ever says "that's disgusting" turn around and squirt them. Then say, "I am so sorry it slipped."

kmrichardson1

I nursed my babies wherever and whenever they needed it. If they were hungry, they ate.

TheRoadDog

Although I think that women should be able to breast feed whenever and wherever necessary, I think discretion is a factor.

My mother raised, and breastfed, 5 kids, and she never felt the need to bare her breasts in public.

Lunarbeanie

absolutely. Totally normal, and babies need to be fed.

SeamsSewWright

I say YAY! When the babies are hungry, feed them!!

I have a question. I'm not trying to start anything by asking this, but just genuinely curious.

I get that if a baby is hungry you feed it. Breast feed, bottle feed, whatever floats your boat. I don't care.

But what about 2 or 3 year old or whatever who don't use breast milk as their primary or sole form of nutrition? Since they don't NEED it and have more self control do you still whip it out whenever they want it or wait until it can be done in private? Is that even a different standard?

The older the child gets I imagine the more uncomfortable people would be seeing it. So yeah... just curious.

I breastfed my daughter until she was about 27 months. By that time, it was more of a nuturing night time/early morning supplement to her daily diet. If I were somewhere late at night (which most likely NEVER was), I'd excuse myself to my car and we'd get comfortable for us to have our time together.

BUT with that said, when she was younger than two she did look older and so I did receive some blank stares when I'd use a cover. I'd never blatantly show off my boob, but there were times when DD would think it was funny if she pulled the blanket down!

billsica

Doesn't bother me. If its in a public place and I see a woman breastfeeding, I just take my pictures of her with my cell phone and add it to my collection. I am starting up a women breastfeeding in public blog here soon. I don't want to advertise the address, but I have thousands of women exposing their breasts in public. I think the blog will do a lot of good to help with the discrimination women feel. Really I see it the worst with teen moms. I always feel a little bad with the sneers I see when 16 - 20 year old new moms are trying to feed their babies and they get looks. I feel my teen mom Thursdays and twin Tuesdays will be an eyeopener.

nygrl4evr

Yes, babies need to eat, mommies need to get the milk out of their breasts. It happens. It's also good for children and young people to see. It will help them later to nurse their own babies if they've seen it before and asked questions. I don't understand why people are against it. People that are against it probably didn't see enough of it when they were little.

I think it's interesting that there are people in this world that cling to the sexualization of breasts so badly that they can no longer view them for their intended purposes.

Breasts are made for feeding babies. We should be using them thusly.

This! Breast fed my daughter for about 6 months, tried longer and then pumped for a couple more since I couldn't find a way to make it work with my crazy work schedule. Babies need to eat and that is what boobs were intended to do. People just need to get over it.