Every now and then I get sucked into these online arguments over a woman's right to breastfeed in public. It really amazes me that in this day and age this is an issue. I don't understand how people could be so closed-minded about this, it's a woman feeding her child, that's it. If it is seen as anything else, that's YOUR problem.
My friend Scott, a fellow dd blogger down in Georgia, has been championing women's rights for some time. I first came in contact with him when the whole Forest Park, Georgia breastfeeding ban was being proposed. He was adamant that day and he has not let up since on his stance that women should be allowed to breastfeed their children pretty much anywhere that they need to.
Well it hasn't stopped since. It seems not a day goes by that I don't see a tweet from him slamming someone that has said something ignorant about a woman breastfeeding. I'll give you an example of the idiocy.
The lady in the theater that is sitting next to me is breast feeding. Really?
— Megan (@Roogalayini) January 23, 2012
Yeah really!
It seems that her child was hungry, how dare he want to eat something. If you were to follow this particular idiot's Twitter stream, she went on to say that public bathrooms are there for a reason, and that the mom should use it to feed her child.
My response?
I think that if this person is so offended, she should get up and go eat her popcorn in the comfort of the theater's bathroom. I mean, why on Earth should ANYONE be forced to sit on a toilet and feed their child? I will say it again -- that mother is feeding her child, just like anyone else that feeds their children chicken nuggets or pizza. If you have such a problem with it, MOVE. I am sure that mother would be more than happy to not have YOU sitting next to her anyway.
This lady breast feeding in church lik WTF just nastyyy so disgusted rite now
— Miaya Sample (@MiayaJetSetter) January 22, 2012
Now it doesn't stop with movie theaters, you can find people everywhere that have an issue with breastfeeding. I am sure in this case the mother didn't want to be feeding her child in church but when they're hungry, they're hungry. It's not unlike my boys who constantly ask for snacks and won't stop begging me until I give in. I would ask this person if they would have an issue with me offering my child a cheese stick in church. There really is no difference. I am satisfying my child's need to feed. How dare I do such a thing? Another issue I have with this is, what the hell are you doing tweeting in church? Shut your phone off and get to the business at hand. I am sure there are more people upset with you interrupting God's work by tweeting on your phone, than are upset about the bond between a mother and child.
Just walking through supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because I was obviously seeing things. I wasn't!
— Kasey Kahne (@kaseykahne) December 27, 2011
I don't feel like shopping anymore or eating
— Kasey Kahne (@kaseykahne) December 27, 2011
Shocking that a mother would feed her kids at the Grocery Store, I know. After all that is where you buy food and all. I would ask this semi-famous NASCAR driver if it was OK for a mom to pull a candy bar off the shelf and give it to their child, it's no different, except that feeding the child breast milk is WAY more nutritious. What I can't believe is that he would buy himself a six pack of Budweiser? Has he no shame? I just lost my appetite.
Why do mothers insist on #breastfeeding in public?
— Justin (@Sk1nnyJeanSwagg) January 23, 2012
Why do moms do it? Why don't they just let their kids starve? Why won't a mother just let her kid scream uncontrollably when she knows that her child is hungry? It makes no sense to me. How dare THAT mom want to offer her child the food that they need? I would ask Justin if he has ever eaten a sandwich or chomped on a granola bar in the park. It's no different.
I am sure that most breastfeeding mothers are as discreet as possible when they feed their children. I know my wife was. Do you really think that mothers want to walk around with their boobs hanging out all over the place? I would have to think that they don't. It can't be comfortable for them knowing that there are such ignorant people in this world that would question what they are doing. I would say instead of being disgusted by what a breastfeeding mother is doing, tell her how awesome she is for feeding her child.
My boys will grow up in a world where women feed their babies however they want to. If that means a bottle in the comfort of their living room or a breast on a crowded subway, it shouldn't matter.
I want my boys to be boob men, just like their old man.*
*I like nice eyes too
This post originally appeared on Daddysincharge.com.
Follow John Willey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DaddysinCharge
This video was hilarious and speaks to this issue!
http://screen.yahoo.com/junk-pump-2000-28567001.html
None of these risks are significant, but they are rendered moot by simply feeding the baby.
16000 children will die tomorrow from hunger. Only in the US would it ever be inappropriate to feed a baby.
The problem people have with public breastfeeding has nothing to do with being weirded out by bodily fluids. People don't like to see a grown woman pull a breast out of her shirt to let a baby go to town on it. It's really that simple. Your point about whether or not a bottle is more likely to make a mess is, frankly, ridiculous.
Regarding your last point, if a baby in this country is dying from starvation, breastfeeding in public is really a non-issue. Even if a mom chose not to breastfeed outside the home, a baby is not ever going to be anywhere close to starving.
Now if my baby's screaming and crying, then yes, I'd take her to another room so I can nurse her quietly. Most churches even provide a room for this.
What I am against is the lack of discreteness. I don't want to see breasts practically falling out of a tiny tanktop (or a miniskirt where I can see your panties, low jeans with your crack peeking out) so I equally don't want to see breasts exposed to feed an infant. Just use a nursing cover up, baby blanket or even a sweater and then it's a non issue. A friend of mine used to wear a cardigan all the time after she had her little boy and it worked perfectly for a bit of extra coverage when she needed to feed him on the go.
I feel bad for mothers when I see them at the mall trying to juggle their baby while keeping an eye on their purse, shopping bags, etc. I've seen "powder room" setups at upmarket department stores which seem to originally be built to provide an area for women to put on makeup outside of the toilet area. Why not use that approach but have a corner sofa for nursing moms? The mom and baby could be comfortable and wouldn't have to be as worried about her valuables.
And no, I don't hate breasts. How could I, I have them!
I absolutely agree that it can be a pain to manage a nursing baby, wandering toddler, and all of my belongings while trying not to flash the grocery store. Which is why I don't do it unless I NEED to. Compassion is more helpful than criticism.
Most States protect breastfeeding, or exempt it from public indecency laws. Only three do not.
http://www.nursingfreedom.org/p/state-breastfeeding-laws.html
Breastfeeding in public, in the vast majority of states, does not break the law.
In addition, breastfeeding is legally protected on all Federal property where a mother and her child are permitted to be.
I *am* sorry that a couple of generations of Americans are so unused to seeing nursing babies that they get uncomfortable. It's a shame. Most nursing mothers attempt as much discretion as they can while in public. But even with a full cover, some mothers get harassed and ejected from places where they are legally allowed to be, with their children. This is unfair, and discriminatory.
If you really support breastfeeding, you understand why we're angry.
I don't get why it's labeled as disgusting. It's not accurate to compare it to urinating in public because breastfeeding is not a health or sanitation hazard. Breastfeeding is in a class of its own so it is not fair to compare it to other bodily functions.
However, I am disgusted by Nurse-ins. If the goal of this "movement" is to normalize breastfeeding, staging such events are counterproductive.
There is absolutely nothing normal about 50-100 moms using their infant children as pawns in a public demonstration. The only result from such demonstrations can be to force a reaction on unsuspecting citizens. Shouldn't the goal of the movement be that breastfeeding elicits zero reaction?
If these mothers truly want to change the perception of breastfeeding in the US they'd be wise to simply continue breastfeeding in public as if it IS NORMAL. Making a spectacle of themselves works against their stated goals.
What if this isn't about the mother's right to nurse, but the baby's right to feed? I think most (if not all) babies would vociferously demand their right to be full and content. But unable to form words or arrange transportation to demonstrations, their mothers must chaperone.
The spectacle draws attention to the ridiculousness of the folk who cry foul when they see a mother feeding her child. Often times, the mother has her breast and the child covered with a cloth but some folk still complain.
The folk that feel so disgused by breast feeding need to find something to do...