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There have been some very interesting blog posts lately about breastfeeding in public.
It all started when one blogger, a woman, asked why breastfeeding mothers can't cover up and be discreet while breastfeeding in public.
I've breastfed in public anywhere and everywhere. In church. On a dance floor, while dancing. On a Ferris Wheel. In the grocery store. At fairs, at concerts, malls, people's homes, field trips, at the side of the road.....anywhere that my baby happened to be hungry while I was out.
I do not use blankets or covers. I do not isolate myself in a dark corner, or in the bathroom. And yet, out of the hundreds of times that I've nursed my babies in public, I can only recall two instances where the people around me even knew what I was doing...98% of the time, everyone assumes the baby is sleeping in my arms.
In fact, when my oldest was 13 months old, I had one friend ask me if I had weaned her or not while my daughter was nursing at my breast. When I pointed out that I was nursing her at that very moment, my friend was very surprised, as she thought my daughter was just cuddling with me.
I've never received a negative comment. But somehow, there is still this perception in our culture that moms who breastfeed in public are "whipping it out" for all to see, and need to be covered up.
Afraid that your husband will see another woman's breast? Fine, tell him not to stare. And then make sure he never reads magazines, watches TV, goes to the mall, or goes to the beach. Because between all the Victoria Secret ads and billboards and skimpy bathing suits at the beach, he is bound to see some breast, and oh no we can't let that happen!
Do you have a young child and are afraid of him or
her seeing a breast? Stop right there, because this is part of the problem. Because if young children are taught about breastfeeding and see it in their childhood, then they won't grow up into adults who believe babies should eat under blankets. If you are worried it might be awkward if your child starts asking questions, please don't. I've breastfed at many a play date and park and the following conversation usually occurs:
Child: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I'm feeding my baby."
Child: "oh" and then bounds off to play.
Why is this even a big deal in the first place? A mother feeding her baby....so what?
For more on this topic, visit Adventures in Babywearing and PHDinParenting.
7 comments:
I breastfed while signing the papers to buy my car...I knew it was a sure deal because the salesman didn't "suggest" that I go to the bathroom for more "privacy."
Amen. I breastfeed everywhere too. The only comment I ever received was from a little girl who asked what my baby was doing. I told her he was eating and she said "eating your shirt?" I said "No, eating milk." Her only comment after that was that you EAT food, but DRINK milk. :)
Nice post. I agree especially with the part about children seeing breastfeeding.
I think people subconsciously do link breastfeeding with sex, and somehow seeing breastfeeding means they have to get into a discussion about the birds and the bees. Well, no. It's very simple.
I breastfed in front of my 11 yr old nephew who had only ever seen bottle feeding before. He was very curious and asked me what I was doing. I simply said that mummies make milk for their babies, so this is how babies eat. He nodded, said "Cool." then went off to play.
Well said. I also nursed two kids for over two years each, anywhere and everywhere. Never covered up, though once the kids got to the age of distraction, I paid a tiny bit more attention to the very distinct possibility that my abandoned boob would be left out in the breeze at any given moment. Didn't want to be cold ;)
Anyway, I *just* weaned my last baby (just wrote about it too), and it is making me sad that I am no longer part of that lovely group of mothers who feed their kids with their own body. It is a joy and an honour, and it should be treated that way.
Bravo! Breastfeeding has so many benefits for babies, mothers, and society in general! The sooner we "normalize" this very NORMAL way of feeding a baby, the better off we'll all be!
I have said this on several blogs now but the thing that I do not get is that it is acceptable for a woman to walk around with her boobs hanging out and no one has a problem with that. However, when a woman is breastfeeding even if she is showing less than other women everyone is throwing a fit. UGH!!! It just makes me so mad.
Yes, the uptight Americans need to relax a bit and just GET OVER IT ALREADY! I personally never felt very comfortable nursing in public, mostly because I never quite mastered being "stealth" and did feel like I was flashing the world. But I have no problem with others doing it and think as a society we need to be more supportive about this issue. Because it shouldn't be "an Issue" at all.
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