breastfeeding in public

Options
1…34689…41

Replies

  • healthyJenn0915
    healthyJenn0915 Posts: 185
    Options
    I nursed both of my kids, and see absolutely nothing wrong with doing it in public. Although when I did I wore a nursing tank top under my shirt and had a cover, so I was prettty descrete about it. I see it all the time, and personally think it is perfectly normal. I had several friends who also nursed, and did it not so descretely. Didn't bother me a bit!
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Options
    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!! :)
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    Options
    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...)

    I think also we have to think, a breast feeding mom is lacking in sleep & has some sort of postpartum stuff goin on & someone asking is she needed a more private spot she may have been more emotional than a normal person with sleep may have responded. I think you should be able to breast feed in public, i dont think your breast should be hanging out, but with a receiving blanket thrown over your shoulder & its covered, go right ahead! The most important thing is that the baby be fed..

    it would not and does not bother me that others choose to do it publicly, however, i do think that this incident in particular was blown out of proportion. i do not think the employee was trying to be rude or hassle the mom or invade her privacy. i think it was an innocent, sincere offer. period.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    Options
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXERUn2mJKU
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    Options
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnReJeQrK0k
  • reactor25
    reactor25 Posts: 146 Member
    Options
    I am pro Breastfeeding, I work on Maternity and we sell new moms apron like things so they can cover up while in public.. you should be able to sit on a bench in a mall and feed your baby YES but discreetly and have the baby and breast VERY hidden

    You work on the maternity ward with itty bitty teensy weensy babies that don't care if they're covered. Older babies care not for blankets.

    I prefer to throw blankets on the heads of people who feel the need to stare....

    :)

    So true!!!! Older babies do NOT want to be covered while they are eating!! Love this: "I prefer to throw blankets on the heads of people who feel the need to stare.... "

    Totally pro-breast feeding wherever and whenever hungry babies want o be fed. Except a bathroom stall. Why would anybody want to eat or be fed in a stall? Ugh.

    i was such a bad mom that i did that to my kids as babies... gah, i was so in line for mom of the year back then, breastfeeding my babies in privacy, even if it happened to be in a stall...

    Hey, you did what you felt comfortable with at the time. No way would I call that "a bad mom"!!! You were feeding your babes in a spot you thought was appropriate at the time. Clearly, you are a loving and amazing mom! Me, I am a little weird about any idea of mixing eating and bathrooms stalls, it just doesn't jive with me :)
    Plus, I am a straight up LACTIVIST and will nurse in public. It made a big difference for me nursing and having the full on support of my husband, family, and friends, even other nursing moms encouraging me to be comfortable anytime and anywhere.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Options
    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?
  • Kel3369
    Kel3369 Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    Why is this an issue in nearly 2012? As long as you cover yourself out of respect for others it shouldn't be an issue. I nursed my kids and would never go sit in a bathroom stall to do it. This Country is so uptight about stupid things. This energy should be put into other issues like why are people homeless, hungry, etc.
  • jojoof4
    jojoof4 Posts: 120
    Options
    lame.

    as long as the mother covers herself appropriately, there is zero issue here. kids need to eat. and it isn't in any way appropriate for people to expect them to FEED THEIR CHILD in, say, a public bathroom. if you don't wanna eat in there, why does the kid have to?
    [/quote]


    ^THIS^ I am all for breastfeeding. I discreetly nursed in public and I absolutely REFUSE to nurse my child in the bathroom. No older child or adult would ever be expected to eat in a restroom; I certainly wouldn't expect my infant to eat there either.
  • reactor25
    reactor25 Posts: 146 Member
    Options
    Ok one last post and I swear im leaving this topic alone. Had enough of it on babycenter. I will always try to be considerate of those around me. That's why I shower and brush my teeth daily. I don't have to but I do. However a womans right to bf in public is legally protected. Like it or not.

    To those without children I think sometimes you underestimate the power of a mothers instinct. If my kid is hungry and I have the power to feed him there is nothing you can do or say to stop me. And if you try...gods help you!

    Yes.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Options
    Why is this an issue in nearly 2012? As long as you cover yourself out of respect for others it shouldn't be an issue. I nursed my kids and would never go sit in a bathroom stall to do it. This Country is so uptight about stupid things. This energy should be put into other issues like why are people homeless, hungry, etc.

    Thank you!
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
    Options
    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!

    This in itself reads as judgementa. Perhaps it isn't insecurity. That person may have lost a child or be unable to have one at all. You don't know what another person's situation is.

    I don't know why the OP seems defensive about her position. Most of the posters agree that a blanket or modesty cover is preferable for all kinds of reasons. Nobody should be asked to leave for breast feeding unless the place doens't allow children (and there are places that shouldn't). Nobody should be able to whip out a boob in public. You really don't see men in stores doing it either. Maybe it's an issue of context?
  • Lisa_222
    Lisa_222 Posts: 301 Member
    Options
    I don't see the controversy. They are just boobs. Half of the entire world have them. (more than half if you count manboobs). People get nuts about the stupidest things.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    Options
    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!

    This in itself reads as judgementa. Perhaps it isn't insecurity. That person may have lost a child or be unable to have one at all. You don't know what another person's situation is.


    Well, if that's the case, then ALL children should be locked up in their homes anyway-so that the ones who may not be able to have children or who've lost children aren't able to see them and get all sad and teary eyed over someone else's ability to procreate.

    My gosh, people.

    And it isn't exactly "WHIPPING OUT A BOOB" to breastfeed.

    Again, I say (in general): grow up, people. Boobs is boobs is boobs. Every freaking mammal on Earth has them. The great apes aren't sportin' no bras, and their junk looks just like ours... 'cept for a hairier!
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Options
    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!

    This in itself reads as judgementa. Perhaps it isn't insecurity. That person may have lost a child or be unable to have one at all. You don't know what another person's situation is.

    I don't know why the OP seems defensive about her position. Most of the posters agree that a blanket or modesty cover is preferable for all kinds of reasons. Nobody should be asked to leave for breast feeding unless the place doens't allow children (and there are places that shouldn't). Nobody should be able to whip out a boob in public. You really don't see men in stores doing it either. Maybe it's an issue of context?

    I'm defensive because it is how I feel about it. I just don't think it's cool to do it in public, but to each their own. I'm clearly not going to stop anyone from doing it. But if you must breastfeed in public, please think of others when you do so, and be modest about it so people like myself that aren't comfortable with it aren't made to feel awkward, and don't force others into feeling bad for their feelings.
  • dlei456
    dlei456 Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    I feel like some people see this as a manners issue, some people a rights issue, and then a few people as a sexual issue and can't deal with it (dude who compared it with sodomy). Unfortunately, people display horrible manners all the time (not offering seats, pushing people over, not using thank you or please, talking loudly on cell phones, eating and being really messy, leaving the shopping card full of trash and crap, etc.) Breastfeeding in public just doesn't seem to be in the same category to me. Covering or not covering is up to the mom and her preference.

    If there were offensive public habits I would like addressed, it's handwashing. That is certainly something that can physically affect other people. I feel like vomiting when I see someone use the toilet and then not was their hands. But I really can't do anything about it, can I? Just like those who feel discomfort when seeing someone breastfeed can't really do anything either.

    But I truly feel breastfeeding is not a public health concern, but damn, wash those hands!
  • Wallaby2
    Wallaby2 Posts: 132 Member
    Options
    I breastfed my two boys exclusively and often when out and about would need to feed. I was always able to feed discreetly, breast covered, blanket shielding if needed (to stop bub being distracted), find a quiet place or turn my body away from others if I felt self conscious. I never fed fully exposed not so much for the fear of offending others but for my own privacy.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    Options
    But if you must breastfeed in public, please think of others when you do so, and be modest about it so people like myself that aren't comfortable with it aren't made to feel awkward, and don't force others into feeling bad for their feelings.

    Likewise. When you eat in public, be mindful that there are people around you... and it makes them shudder and nearly vomit at the sight of seeing you chew. Please, don't force them to feel bad because you feel the insane need to eat.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Options
    While the OP seems in the minority here, the sad thing is there are sooo many people who are disgusted by breastfeeding! The number of mothers choosing (and I said choosing, not referring to mothers who can't nurse) formula is astonishing.The primary function of female human breasts are for breastfeeding human babies. The fact that those in the U.S. choose to attach so much sexuality to them is just another indicator of how paradoxical our mainstream culture is. And being disgusted by breastfeeding is just another example of how many in the U.S. have created bizarre aversions to the natural aspects of a woman's body. Get over it. Be offended by something that matters - for instance, as another poster mentioned, the fact that women's rights are constantly being chipped away at and we could wake up one day wondering how we lost the rights we took for granted.
  • dlyeates
    dlyeates Posts: 875 Member
    Options
    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. And why should I not care about other's feelings. Too many people only think about themselves and their rights. Yes it's my right to do so but if it's going to make someone uncomfortable why would I do that? How do I know that the person in the store didn't just lose a pregnancy or can't get pregnant and because I just have to exercise my rights I've caused them a great deal of heartache and pain. No thank you. I will always meet the neefs if my child but I don't have to be selfish and not think about how it could negativelly affect someone else.

Categories