I just don't understand how people have a problem with it. It is soooo dang screwed up that people are uncomfortable with moms feeding their babies. So you can have your milk makers practically hanging out of your shirt and men will take a peek, but let a baby be on there and the fire starts. What's wrong with people?????? There was a "nurse in" at a Philly mall becasue security told a mom to go to the bathroom or her car to feed her baby. Wonder if HE eats in the bathroom? http://www.nbc10.com/health/11102867/detail.html?dl=mainclick
It's not something I'd wanna have to see in a resturaunt or anywhere I'd be forced to watch. Also I've discussed this before and it seems a common conception for people who do nurse in public to at the same time hate immodesty, so some of the people against it might just be looking to slap a hypocricy lable on someone.
Well said!!! I mean, HELLO....that's their function, their whole purpose for existing, right? Now, why men have nipples, we may never know. :lol: And most moms I know ARE very modest when nursing. Places of ill-repute are rampant in nearly every state of the union I'm sure where men spend lots of money to see "milk-makers" (as DanielsMom so aptly calls them :lol paraded about WHILE they have "business meetings" over grand buffet lunches or dinners, and to a lesser degree since they're actually covered even if just barely, at "Hooters". Umm.... isn't that the WHOLE POINT of a place like "Hooters"? To eat while drooling over "milk-makers"?!? I think the real rub comes when hypocritical men "take offense" when faced with function over form, being reminded that the MM's have an honorable purpose far beyond just playthings. I personnally was never comfortable nursing in public. And to be truthful, I didn't like nursing in front of anyone at home, either! But, I do NOT think anyone should be banned from nursing in public.
I think if they don't want you to nurse in the mall, they need to build a nursing room for mothers. How would you like to eat in a bathroom. GROSS
I think if they don't want you to nurse in the mall, they need to build a nursing room for mothers. How would you like to eat in a bathroom. GROSS
A simular thing happened here at a public pool, the mom was watching her Kids and needed to nurse, and she was told not to, they even temporalily made it against the law. In our malls they now have wonderful comfy chairs for moms to sit in for nursing they are near the food cort, in an area where there are family bathrooms (with the cutest kid size toilets, small sinks) but the chairs aren't in the bathroom just in a big area, they even have vending machines that sell juice.
I see nothing wrong with nursing in public as long as you are discreet, of course. People are just too programed to associate breasts with sex to see it any other way. My mall has an area much like Amy described also. I think that is best thing. I will admit, I was a nurser who perferred privacy to a degree. Especially as they get older and start moving around and exposing you. lol.
I think that it is a beautiful and natural thing that God has given women. I also was very discreet and had a light blanket draped over. It is terrible that society sees this differently.
Breast feeding is a beautiful gift from God. Our breast create milk for a reason. To feed our babies! As usual, the finger is pointing in the wrong direction. It should be pointed at those who view our breast as sex toys only. They are the ones with a problem. They are the ones who have a dirty mind. If any person can look at breasts and think, sex, they are wrong. Yes they are appealing to men and yes they serve a purpose beyond feeding. A man who is sexually healthy, mentally, isn't going to look twice at a women nursing, he will be a gentleman and look away and realize this women is giving her child the necessities for life. I think the reason people view it as wrong to do in public is because we live in an over sexualized world. In other countries women walk around with their breast showing all day and it is normal. It shows how we have perverted beauty. I do agree with modesty, but sometimes people take something beautiful and pervert it. Even if a women was covered under a heavy veil while nursing her child, I still think some people would have a problem with it. Some people are so weak minded. They have a choice to look away if they do not like the way it looks. It is called, self control. Now a days people do not know how to be accountable, even for their dirty minds. When I nursed Ems, I was decrete. At family gatherings I would excuss myself and go to a room. Even then, some family members had the nerve to say, "That's gross!":roll: Sometimes Handsome would sit in the room with me and he wasn't drooling or getting worked up. He thought it was neat that a women's body could do something so wonderful. It was producing food that was far better then any canned formula and no, I am not against formula. Patty
I have to say I nursed in public all the time with my kids, I was never approached to move at all. Fact was most people didnt even know because you dont like you said up ther e" hang out" you are descreete, so unless someone sees you accidently drop a blanket no one really thinks much of it here. I have nursed in malls, restraurants etc, I just put blanket over baby and no one sees.. whats the big deal?
OH btw some plces actually have these! Some of the big malls< so ask if you ever get cornered, Macy's I believe is one of them! in regards to nursing rooms up there!
I'm nursing my second child and I will nurse anywhere that has a spot. I've nursed walking around stores, in church, at the park or the Dr's office. I'm discreet and keep a blanket covering us up. As they get older, it does get harder to be discreet because they want to look around so much. That is when I try to nurse around going out but it doesn't always work. I've never had someone say anything negative to me, only positive. If my child needs to eat, I'm going to feed her.
With my first I was a little apprehensive about nursing in front of people. By the 4th, I could nurse anytime, anywhere, and I didn't care what others thought. Now, I was always discreet and kept a blanket to cover with. I've never had anything negative said in public, but at my grandmother's house, my uncle told me it was gross. He didn't even know I was nursing until someone else mentioned it. America is probably the only country where this is even an issue. It's a beautiful thing. Keep nursing those babies!
I think that this is one of the most interesting idiosyncracies of the American Culture. We make so much of a deal out of the breasts as a secks symbol then are afraid of them in a maternal contexts. I BF both babies in public with little trouble or flack. I carried a supply of small clean blankets in the diaper bag and always tucked one under my bra strap then used it to cover the babies head before unbuttoning my top button to nurse. This was about indescrete as scratching ones collar bone. I always wore loose button up shirts that allowed descetion, not that it takes much to cover mine up. LOL I can remember being in the play area at Chic-fil-a when a young kid asked me why the baby was under a blanket, the baby was done nursing and I had already buttoned my blouse up. I said "she is relaxing" the mother then looked over and was horrified and said "she is feeding that baby, lets go now!" Funny thing was the child was fine with my answer and the mother is the one that opened up that "aweful" can of worms. I am sure that kid wondered why it was so bad to feed a baby.
I really don't understand it either. That's what God gave us breasts for!!! I mean, I will admit I do appreciate those who nurse and keep their modesty about it. It's not that I can't handle seeing a child nurse, it's just about being respectful to others. I plan on nursing our next one, and I never nursed Tanner so we will see what I all endure in public. I plan on keeping a coverall with me though, because I want to be respectful to others around me. Now...to just try and explain the whole thing to Tanner when the baby comes.......
When my oldest asked, I would say that the baby is drinking Mommy's milk. She asked for a drink a few times- I would let her try. She would just put her mouth on, give me a funny look and be done. She now nurses her own baby dolls- very cute!
There were so many years between my little one and my other two, that I wondered how I would explain it. Of course, they are older than Tanner...but I explained to them the simple truth about mammals. lol. They never really did care. Now, I can't say I would let one "try" to nurse off of me if asked...not saying that is bad...I can't see myself doing that. I would simply explain that is how a mommy feeds a baby. I actually think he will be perfectly fine with it. My older dd, saw me nurse her brother when she was only 2, and it never phased her. She never even asked. She just knew I was feeding the baby. Really, there is nothing more to explain about that than a bottle. Afterall, we are feeding a baby. Of course my older dd asked once when I went out..."Daddy if mommy doesn't come back soon how will the baby eat?" lol.
Well, it's not just and American thing, it's here too. Not that long ago one of our members of parlaiment was ejected from the session because she was feeding her baby. They said later that it was because the baby was an unauthorised person in the parliament, but please!! The world health organisation promotes exclusively breast feeding for the first six months, and then ongoing breastfeeding until 2 years of age, in conjunction with other family foods, as the best from of nutrition for our babies. When is our society going to leave our cultural sex biased views and get with the program?
