Does breastfeeding in public offend you?

Contributor: Lilith Bealove Lilith Bealove
Why would it be okayy, but "not where people eat?" I mean, seriously? You go into a restraunt and see someone stuffing their face, food falling out of their mouth as they talk, spewing their drink across the table cause they laughed, and leaving their poor waitress a mess a toddler would be proud of, and you have the ability to LOOK AWAY! Why can't you just look away when a baby is silently enjoying their lunch? If those who can use a fork, but choose not to can eat in public so can my baby. And it's not like you can even see anything! Some of us mama's have the decency to cover up. Where as a lot of grown people don't have the decency to cover their mouths when eating and talking. Personally, it's more gross to see a grown (wo)man with no manners eating than it is beautiful to see a mother doing one of the most natural best things for her baby.
04/12/2012
Contributor: Kitka Kitka
I don't have a problem with a woman breastfeeding her baby in public. When babies are hungry, they're hungry and can become quite angry lil buggers, why deny them their food? Just seems weird to me to deny them that.
04/12/2012
Contributor: Azule Azule
It's never really bothered me since it has to be done and I don't have to look at it.
04/12/2012
Contributor: Incendiaire Incendiaire
I think it's a bit inappropriate when people do it in eating establishments, but less so if they're considerate enough to cover everything with a blanket. Personally I'd rather that squawking children weren't let out in public at all though.
04/12/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Incendiaire
I think it's a bit inappropriate when people do it in eating establishments, but less so if they're considerate enough to cover everything with a blanket. Personally I'd rather that squawking children weren't let out in public at all though.
Perhaps we should start "Baby Jails" so that the youngest among us don't offend your delicate sensibilities. @ Personally I'd rather that squawking children weren't let out in public at all though. You were an infant once, were you and your mother kept locked in the house until you turned 10?

Read the entire thread, there are some good reasons as to why many mom/baby dyads simply can't put a blanket over the baby's head. NONE of my kids would allow it, they felt like they were suffocating and they would refuse to latch on (*GASP* resulting in my.... nipple being visible for a millisecond) and then scream even harder.

As for "not in eating establishments" nursing during meals is what babies do! It helps them integrate with the family and the community. They are eating, so are you. I don't see a problem.
04/12/2012
Contributor: meezerosity meezerosity
Doesn't bother me at all. It's natural and I hate how breasts are so overly sexualized. Boobs can be sexy but they also feed babies, that is their original intended purpose.
06/07/2012
Contributor: J5ive J5ive
I have no problem with it
06/07/2012
Contributor: booboo111926 booboo111926
it doesn't bother me at all. Your child does have to eat. As long as they are covered up i don't see anything wrong.
06/10/2012
Contributor: sexxxkitten sexxxkitten
It doesn't bother me.
06/12/2012
Contributor: MistressDandelion MistressDandelion
It doesn't bother me. Babies need to be feed too. Also, we must be the only specie to eroticize mammal glands(or whatever you english people call them)... I prefer seeing babies that get a natural milk made especially for them than hungry babies, or babies that get manmade formula. I wasn't breastfed for medical reasons, and my immune system is very weak. I believe breastfeeding is important.
06/12/2012
Contributor: Sinfully Sinfully
Doesn't bother me. Then again if every female walked around topless, that wouldn't bother me either.
06/12/2012
Contributor: Claire-Bear Claire-Bear
I'm not sure why this disgusts anyone. It doesn't bother me either way.
06/24/2012
Contributor: pirkit pirkit
I have no problem with it. I breastfed my child for over a year and have been lucky enough to not have any problems with people. I usually used a cover when I went out.
06/24/2012
Contributor: Pinkshirt Pinkshirt
I don't care, but the Time magazine article with the toddler sucking on the nipple was disturbing. After the child can walk no more breastfeeding---gross.
06/24/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Pinkshirt
I don't care, but the Time magazine article with the toddler sucking on the nipple was disturbing. After the child can walk no more breastfeeding---gross.
Why should it end when the child "begins to walk?" Some babies walk as young as 9 months, yet the MINIMUM that the American Academy of Pediatrics says weaning should commence is 12 months of age. Some kids don't walk until 18 months, so early walkers get punished? That's about as unenlightened as people who say, "If they can ask for it, they shouldn't get it anymore." My kids could speak words at between 7 and 9 months. (most likely because of the IQ boosting effects of human milk) should they have been weaned early, because they were more developed than other kids?

Well, I'm a mother of three and I've nursed all my children into toddlerhood. WHY? Because I'm educated in Lactation. I'm a Lactation Consultant, a nurse and I work in Infant Maternal Care. I know the absolute need a human child has for human milk.

My youngest was a preterm baby and had the expected immune issues of a preterm baby. I nursed her for four years. SO? I'm "Gross?"

I did what was best for MY babies. You can think it's gross, but until people have done what I have and know what I know, and have first hand seen the difference of doing otherwise, they... don't get it.

I'm sorry some are so uninformed. It's sad.
06/25/2012
Contributor: cryinglightning86 cryinglightning86
There is far too much body shame in the world as it is. Breast-feeding is beautiful and natural and far from disgusting. There is no reason for it to be considered disgusting. I'm not a mother, but if I was one, I would nurse in public. I would cover up, yes, but why? A body is a body. There is nothing dirty about it. Nothing shameful about it. I might cover up out of courtesy, but that doesn't mean that I think I should (again, in the hypothetical mother situation).

I'm completely for any woman that wants to stand up for her right to be a mother. I absolutely cannot wrap my head around what's considered bad about caring for your child.
07/06/2012
Contributor: T&A1987 T&A1987
part of it might be the desire to take moms down a peg. for some reason some people use "mom" as a way of demonstrating their superiority. They created life, which is a "miracle" and totally not just sperm in vagina, therefore they should be able to do whatever with their kids, wherever, without question. On facebook the new moms constantly post things not only about parenting, but how they KNOW EVERYTHING about parenting and if you don't believe them you're wrong. Breastfeeding could be a proxy for simply opposing pushy moms.
07/06/2012
Contributor: srval69 srval69
i do not have a problem with it and think if someone does they can look the other way then
07/23/2012
Contributor: ss143 ss143
I have no issues with breastfeeding woman should be able to feed their children where ever and when ever the need arises. Why should an infant be forced to eat at a later date or location than anyone else. I nursed both my children. My first couldn't after a few weeks due to issues but my second nursed until just a couple months ago( making him almost 3 1/2) I nursed him when he was hungry regardless of stares or comments. I tried to keep covered but one I am very large chested so being completely covered was difficult and secondly he would not allow a blanket or cover what so ever so we dealt with it and if someone had an issue that was exactly that their issue. Children are people to and breast feeding is what are breasts were created for. Some woman cant nurse as I couldn't with my eldest some children have a difficult time with it but at the end of it breasts were not created for sexual enjoyment they were created for nourishing our young. So after that long winded comment ( sorry its a hot topic with me) lol I'm perfectly fine with breastfeeding anywhere it doesn't bother me
07/23/2012
Contributor: Llahsram Llahsram
Hell no it doesn't offend me. Babies gotta eat, too!
07/23/2012
Contributor: Tork48309 Tork48309
Doesn't bother me a bit. It's amazing some of us Americans be so fearful of nudity even if it is just feeding their baby.
07/23/2012
Contributor: xilliannax xilliannax
Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker
Recently in the news in some random Midwest McDonald's, a woman who was breastfeeding was asked to leave. The lady doth protest too much and proceeded to find other breastfeeding mothers and have a...tit-in? They all gathered at Mickey D's ... more
I dont get pissed when girls whip out a bottle... I dont get pissed when a boob gets whipped out. Kids gotta eat and things gotta get done. OOPS!
If it offends you, go over and offer the woman $300 to she can hire help to run her errands... ahhhh dont want to do that? THEN GET OVER YOURSELF!
07/23/2012
Contributor: xilliannax xilliannax
Quote:
Originally posted by LicentiouslyYours
Really?

Seeing a woman feed her child disgusts you?

And actually, having a child does give a mother the sacred right to feed that child as was intended by nature. There is nothing disgusting about it.
*appaulds* Sing it sista!
07/23/2012
Contributor: chantalgiardina chantalgiardina
Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker
Recently in the news in some random Midwest McDonald's, a woman who was breastfeeding was asked to leave. The lady doth protest too much and proceeded to find other breastfeeding mothers and have a...tit-in? They all gathered at Mickey D's ... more
I think it is fine as long as you cover up when doing it.. they make the covers just for that..
07/23/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
The orignator of this thread has seen the light. She understood, shortly after first posting, the necessity for women to breastfeed and actually pretty much retracted her original post.

I'm a Lactation Consultant and the mother of three breastfed-into -toddlerhood children. So, breastfeeding is very important to myself and my children.

I think people get upset when they don't understand the way breastfeeding works (a lot of people think breast fed babies only need to nurse every 4 hours and that simply doesn't work for about 97% of babies) or they don't know why women know why they want to do it. OR they didn't breastfeed or their mother didn't and some feel bad. (And they shouldn't, people make their choices and/or sometimes things don't work out. As long as they tried their damnedest and got all the help they possibly could to succeed, I have no issue with that.)

I think ignorance is the biggest stumbling block to accepting breastfeeding. People think it's for "poor people" (which is ridiculous, it is known that the more education a woman has the more likely she is to breastfeed and the longer she is to allow unfettered access to the breast) or "it's nasty" (I can't wrap my head around that one at all. It's a baby and it's what G*d intended for them!)or they don't want to "ruin" their bodies (which is ridiculous, as any damage done to the elastic structure of the breast is done during pregnancy and aging, NOT during breast feeding) if people LEARN why others breastfeed, most rational people learn to accept it when others do it.
07/23/2012
Contributor: g- g-
I always preferred to breasted feed with a small blanket or Shaw as a cover up. I do feel that it is incredibility rude to kick someone out of a store if choose to do so. I think a lot of this stems from a cultural view that breasted are first and foremost sex-objects, when in fact they are glorified udders.
07/23/2012
Contributor: lulz lulz
Doesn't really bother me. I don't really pay attention to it.
07/23/2012
Contributor: Phosphorous Tick Phosphorous Tick
It's fine and natural I don't know why people get their panties all in a bunch about it
07/23/2012
Contributor: LilLostLenore LilLostLenore
Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker
Recently in the news in some random Midwest McDonald's, a woman who was breastfeeding was asked to leave. The lady doth protest too much and proceeded to find other breastfeeding mothers and have a...tit-in? They all gathered at Mickey D's ... more
show them boobies and be proud to be a mama
07/23/2012
Contributor: Eden062112 Eden062112
Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker
Recently in the news in some random Midwest McDonald's, a woman who was breastfeeding was asked to leave. The lady doth protest too much and proceeded to find other breastfeeding mothers and have a...tit-in? They all gathered at Mickey D's ... more
I guess to me it all depends on how "modest" you are being about it... and where you are.

When you go out to dinner or something, you can take a bottle with you, but I can see if you are out and about all day traveling how sometimes you might need to breastfeed. But you DON’T HAVE to do it in plain sight for the whole world to see.


If a woman doesn’t have a blanket or something to cover her- that is offensive to me. Like you said, you don’t have some sacred right to go pulling your boobs out for the whole world to see. You can breast feed and still be modest.

I guess I feel like you don’t usually HAVE to breast feed in public, there is a woman’s bathroom or your car, or other less public places to breast feed then in the middle of a McDonalds. Come on.
07/23/2012