Breastfeeding in Public....

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

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 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.

Infants need to nurse every two hours, and it's their only source of food and water.

Toddlers eat food and drink water and cows milk and all kinds of stuff. Usually if a toddler is still nursing it is only a couple times a day and at very specific times such as bed time or first thing in the morning. So, usually by that age it would not be in public.

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.

Infants need to nurse every two hours, and it's their only source of food and water.

Toddlers eat food and drink water and cows milk and all kinds of stuff. Usually if a toddler is still nursing it is only a couple times a day and at very specific times such as bed time or first thing in the morning. So, usually by that age it would not be in public.

Thanks.

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.I felt so bad for her because I knew how isolating it felt to have to go into another room and stay there while feeding my infant while everybody else was having a good time.I've had other people on fb just going on a rant about how gross breastfeeding in public is.I mean really? I think breasts are beautiful and the fact that we can nourish our children like that is an awesome thing....I don't ever see people ranting about girls in bikinis at the beach...smh.

I recently had to do it in public because I forgot to bring formula and was stuck in traffic with a very hungry screaming 6 month old for 2 hours.We finally were able to pull over into a gas station and I yelled at my brother to please give me the baby and I swear I whipped that boob out in record time lol.I really didn't care at that point.My windows barely have any tinting and there were some people standing around giving me the ugliest looks.I told them that if they didn't like it to go somewhere else.

Public breastfeeding doesn't bother me in the least,even if I don't really do it myself.People that have a problem with it are usually immature and uptight.I give props to women that are brave enough to do it whenever.I unfortunately still carry alot of body shaming issues that I got from my extremely religious upbringing....which is why I still get nervous about doing it in public.....I don't get out that often anyway lol.

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

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.

really? this old debate.

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

end of discussion.

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

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.

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.

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."

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.

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!

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.