breastfeeding in public

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  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    I really hate the term "Whip out a breast." Yeah, cause anyone ever just whips that out. Here, let me swing my breast around, make sure that all the women/men/children in the room get a good long look at my incredibly offensive mammary gland (aka BOOBY) while my child cries in my arms, waiting impatiently for milk. Cause, you know, I'm not doing this because it's been proven to be best for my child, I'm doing it because I really looooove to show off these lovely tatas of mine.
    Really?
    You think I want to show ANY part of my breast in public? You think I get my kicks this way? No. For most women, breastfeeding in public is INCREDIBLY mortifying, at least here where it's frowned upon in the great ol USA, nation of freedom. I had to build up courage for it every single time, and I would have started sobbing had anyone so much as looked at me with offense in their eyes.
    If its legal for you to walk around in a shirt that boldly states "F@ck the world" or whathaveyou, and you can, I assure you, then you can damn well avert your eyes if my feeding my child offends YOU.

    I say it again that there is a VERY big difference between a woman feeding her child and a woman making a point. That has been shown in this thread as well. There is nothing wrong with breast feeding. They should get a break on health insurance for doing it as it promotes the health of their child. They should, however, cover up - it's cheap in a good way;)

    Those shirts should not be legal.
  • david581c
    david581c Posts: 337
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    If the baby's hungry, just handle ur business. Growing up i was told public anything will send me to hell.

    Being 21, im down for people to make their own choices, i love colorful people so someone who's down to do their own thing no matter what; as long as its legit not really hurtin someone, im chill on that.


    This whole thing reminds me of Jim Carrey in Me, Myself, and Irene w/the milk mustache 8D
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    I'm all for women breast feeding. Only in America (the issue was a Target in Texas and also in the Midwest where the "bible belt" is) is it usually an issue. Anywhere else around the world it's not uncommon.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ahahaha, we're not prudes here. the employee offered the mom a dressing room and she flipped out and said the employee invaded her privacy.... um... ok. personally, so not to make myself or others feel uncomfortable, i always did it in a bathroom stall if i had a hungry baby and was out and about. (yes, my own babies...)

    How did you stand being in a public restroom stall for the 15 minutes that it would take to feed a baby?:laugh: The thought of being in a public restroom a second longer than absolutely necessary makes me gag.

    I am very modest & I breastfed - in public when we were in public. All the things I thought I would have worried about weren't close to the top of my priority list when my baby was hungry. I wanted to find a comfortable place to sit to feed the baby. For the most part, a feeding baby covers the breast. I used receiving blankets and a commercial cover. Sometimes they stayed on sometimes they didn't. I agree with a poster above who said that the covers attract a lot more attention that just sitting with the baby at your bosom.

    I'm a big coupon shopper so I'm used to asking employees to check their companies corporate policy when they try to tell me that I cannot use a particular coupon. I probably would have suggested check with corporate or their regional office before bothering me again about breastfeeding.

    how did i stand it? i did what was best for my babies and did what i could not to make others uncomfortable. period.
  • annalynne1983
    annalynne1983 Posts: 23
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    Whether we like to admit it, breastfeeding is a feature of all mammals including ourselves, and it is what allows the young to survive and grow. Deal with it. I'm all for it. If your baby's hungry, go for it. That said, everyone I have ever seen breastfeed in public have been so discreet about it I've almost not even noticed, and when I have, I've had to have a second look to make sure! I certainly have never seen a great deal of naked breast. As far as I can tell (never having done it myself though!), it's possible to be super-discreet right under everybody's noses. So what on earth is the problem? I don't believe anyone should make a big deal out of it, and that works both ways - I don't think women should actually intentionally flash naked breast just to shout from the rooftops that they're breastfeeding, and other people shouldn't make a fuss about it happening. I don't honestly understand what the big deal is. I suspect when I have kids and breastfeed them, I'll probably avoid being too public about it, but that's more to do with what I'm confortable with myself, not because I expect anyone else to judge me for doing it in public.

    I should probably say I'm from NZ, and I haven't ever heard of anyone having a problem with public breastfeeding here. You don't see women everywhere in town breastfeeding, but every so often you see a woman in a cafe discreetly feeding their baby and I've had friends and relatives breastfeed when visiting and it's barely registered with me. I don't think anyone here has a problem with it - there are a lot of pro-breastfeeding public health messages here and some have been quite entertaining TV ads - one was of a couple in a cafe and a neighbouring person criticising, at which point Mum took the complainers plate of food away and pretty much said how do you feel having your food taken away, don't make that happen for my baby! It was a pretty cute ad actually! :tongue:
  • supertracylynn
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
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    "Tex. Health Code Ann. § 165.002 (1995) authorizes a woman to breastfeed her child in any location."

    Per THIS website:
    http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389

    There. Problem solved. This isn't a "preference" thread so much as it is a "law" thread.

    Have an issue with the law in your state? Either move or start a petition to get it changed.
  • LadyKatie2010
    LadyKatie2010 Posts: 115
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    I really hate the term "Whip out a breast." Yeah, cause anyone ever just whips that out. Here, let me swing my breast around, make sure that all the women/men/children in the room get a good long look at my incredibly offensive mammary gland (aka BOOBY) while my child cries in my arms, waiting impatiently for milk. Cause, you know, I'm not doing this because it's been proven to be best for my child, I'm doing it because I really looooove to show off these lovely tatas of mine.
    Really?
    You think I want to show ANY part of my breast in public? You think I get my kicks this way? No. For most women, breastfeeding in public is INCREDIBLY mortifying, at least here where it's frowned upon in the great ol USA, nation of freedom. I had to build up courage for it every single time, and I would have started sobbing had anyone so much as looked at me with offense in their eyes.
    If its legal for you to walk around in a shirt that boldly states "F@ck the world" or whathaveyou, and you can, I assure you, then you can damn well avert your eyes if my feeding my child offends YOU.

    AMEN, sistah
  • dlyeates
    dlyeates Posts: 875 Member
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    As a long time nursing mother I personally see nothing wrong with breastfeeding in public...BUT not everyone is as open to me and I personally don't like making people uncomfortable because I think something is okay. I've nursed many times in a dressing room st a store or in the bathroom because other people do not need to feel uncomfortable with what I'm ok doing.

    Only if the dressing rooms and bathrooms were completely filled would I do so in an aisle. And I'm VERY comfortable feeding my children in public...done it at parks, under trees on a walk, etc. But there are private places to do it at stores.

    As ok with doing it in public as I am I also don't feel that exercising my right to do so at the expense of someone elses insecurity is right either!

    I really appreciated reading this and agree completely that just because something is comfortable with one person, does not mean it's comfortable with another. Thank you for posting this!! :)

    So, every nursing mother should cater to everyone else's "discomfort" at expense of feeding her baby because it might maybe someday somewhere somehow offend someone else?

    Woah...I never said to do so at the expense of feeding a baby. I'm am extended nursing mother of both of my children and NEVER did I not meet the needs of my hungry child. It literally takes no more than 2 minutes to go to a dressing room or bathroom (about the same amount of time to find a far desserted corner in a store) to do so.

    What if a mother has a nusing baby and cart full of groceries at the store? Should she just drop it and go to the bathroom then and leave everything behind? What if she's on a plane or a train or somewhere where access to a private place i limited? I just don't see why people get so incredibly worked up about it and feel the need to go on about how other people should feed their kids because of their own insecurity. That's a problem that should not be an issue for the mother, but the one looking at her scornful

    Been there, done that...groceries can be left by the bathroom/dresding toom door. What does anyone do that has to use the bathroom when shopping...leave the cart close and go. I've also nursed both children on planes...and one hated to be coveted. I tried to be discreet but, yes, at the end of the day didn't really care if they were uncomfortable about it but it was the effort put in to try. I love seeing a brestfeeding mother and there is no scorn there but usually there are discreet options...when there aren't I have found people very helpful and understanding...especially on airplanes. Should you try to respect othets...yes. Is it always possible...no. But in a store it is possible.
  • Momkat65
    Momkat65 Posts: 317 Member
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    On a different note.......hence we are on a fitness website>>>>>>>Breastfeeding is great for weight loss!
  • bcampbell54
    bcampbell54 Posts: 932 Member
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    Making some low fat air-popped popcorn. I'll sit back and watch the anvils fly past.
    Boy, this has worked out well.
    Good thing 2 cups of kettle corn is only 150 calories.
    Ladies, if you breast feed in public, a little discretion, please.
    Folks, if you don't like ito see it, turn your damn heads.

    There, all fixed.
  • LelliAmi
    LelliAmi Posts: 327 Member
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    I think it's inappropriate, no matter WHAT the circumstances, to take your tits out in public....maybe that's just me. Mothers can breastfeed all they want, but it's really not necessary to do it in front of the entire world.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    On a different note.......hence we are on a fitness website>>>>>>>Breastfeeding is great for weight loss!

    And offers protection for baby against adulthood obesity, diabetes, and yes; even cancers!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Those shirts should not be legal.

    Some people aren't offended by such shirts/language, some are, just like with breastfeeding. There are many things which people cannot agree where to draw the line and so a certain amount of freedom must be protected where there is such debate.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    I think it's inappropriate, no matter WHAT the circumstances, to take your tits out in public....maybe that's just me. Mothers can breastfeed all they want, but it's really not necessary to do it in front of the entire world.

    Seriously? That second profile picture of YOURS shows more "tit" than anyone would get a glimpse of while I'm breastfeeding in public. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/photos/view/12863470 COVER IT UP!
  • Elixandra
    Elixandra Posts: 299 Member
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    On a different note.......hence we are on a fitness website>>>>>>>Breastfeeding is great for weight loss!

    I never lost weight breast-feeding. And I was told its not a good thing to lose to much while breast-feeding its bad for baby.

    And I don't think breast feeding mothers should hide. Babys have a right to eat just like everyone else. The mother can be discreet about it and it should not be an issues. But if she wips them out and flashes everyone I can see where there would be a prob.
  • caitmcwill
    caitmcwill Posts: 102
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    lets also remember that it is legal to breastfeed in public, if you have a problem with it look away
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I think it's inappropriate, no matter WHAT the circumstances, to take your tits out in public....maybe that's just me. Mothers can breastfeed all they want, but it's really not necessary to do it in front of the entire world.

    And this is why so many young mothers go straight for the formula - some skewed perceptions about what breasts are for.
  • Renea_Kay
    Renea_Kay Posts: 189 Member
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    sorry but i dont like it...unless they are tottally covered...when i was younger there was this lady who showed her full breasts while feeding her baby...it just made me uncomfortable ....but my sis in law keeps her breast covered while feeding so im perfectly okay then
  • AnnieSPAJ
    AnnieSPAJ Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm all for breastfeeding in public, but prefer for it to be done discreetly. Discreetly can be achieved without a cover. In this particular case at Target, I think the issue is that she was sitting on the floor, blocking aisles. She said they harassed her by walking by and shaking their heads, did they say anything to her after that? I would stare at someone sitting on a floor at Target bottle feeding too. I don't care to see anyone's boobs, but I would choose that over her having to feed her baby in the bathroom.

    And seriously, to the people that think formula feeding mothers (without a medical reason of course) are selfish and shouldn't have children? Mind your own f*cking business. My son is healthy and happy and does quite well on his formula. I do everything for him but I'm selfish and/or shouldn't have children because I'm not breastfeeding? My kid may be bottle fed, but at least he'll be open minded and tolerant.

    ETA: If she's going to sit the whole time she's breastfeeding, I would think a dressing room would be more comfortable than a dirty floor, it has nothing to do with her breastfeeding. If I had to sit and stop whatever I was doing when I was out to feed my son (which I don't) I would rather do it in a dressing room. Or a chair in the furniture department even. And that wouldn't be blocking people's way.
  • dlei456
    dlei456 Posts: 201 Member
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    I think it's inappropriate, no matter WHAT the circumstances, to take your tits out in public....maybe that's just me. Mothers can breastfeed all they want, but it's really not necessary to do it in front of the entire world.

    Seriously? That second profile picture of YOURS shows more "tit" than anyone would get a glimpse of while I'm breastfeeding in public. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/photos/view/12863470 COVER IT UP!

    AND she is calling breasts "tits." Classy.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    I never lost weight breast-feeding. And I was told its not a good thing to lose to much while breast-feeding its bad for baby.

    As long as the weightloss is done healthfully and while getting proper nutrition, baby doesn't suffer. :) If anyone were to suffer, it'd be mom. The body WILL take any and everything the mother's got to provide for baby. This is why babies in the starving third-world nations typically do okay (from a nutritional standpoint) until they are weaned from the breast.

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