Public Breastfeeding

"peeing in public" C'mon. Breastfeeding is EATING, it is NOT an eliminatory act. No one should be eating in the potty, especially a baby. So, babies need to eat where ever they are, when ever they need to. Breastfeeding has NOTHING to do with peeing or pooping or sex. It's the feeding and bonding with a small child. Grow up.

 

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thank you for dismissing me as a silly young child. instead of acknowledging that i made a good point, you belittle me. what i said was that if people accept others peeing on the side of the building, in public, then there is no problem with breastfeeding in public. the penis is usually concealed by clothing, and the nipple is usually covered up by the baby.

it's the same thing in a sense that people are whipping something out that they don't usually whip out. both of them don't involve the person doing it coming out at people, they are just going about their business without harming others. a woman breastfeeding is bonding with her baby, and a man peeing in public is bonding with nature. if someone has a problem with one, they should have a problem with both.

 

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thank you for dismissing me as a silly young child. instead of acknowledging that i made a good point, you belittle me. what i said was that if people accept others peeing on the side of the building, in public, then there is no problem with breastfeeding in public. the penis is usually concealed by clothing, and the nipple is usually covered up by the baby.

it's the same thing in a sense that people are whipping something out that they don't usually whip out. both of them don't involve the person doing it coming out at people, they are just going about their business without harming others. a woman breastfeeding is bonding with her baby, and a man peeing in public is bonding with nature. if someone has a problem with one, they should have a problem with both.

and thank you for telling me to grow up. but living in a former war zone has taught me to grow up.

 

sorry my computer sent that two times

 

Your points are useless.
A mother feeding her child is NECESSARY. A grown man peeing in public is not... unless there are no washrooms around for him to go to. Then it's understandable. But nobody should have to sit in a washroom and feed their child, and no child should have to eat in a washroom. They're MADE for urinating... or defecating, definitely not a place you would want to feed your child.

Think about it, though, really. What kind of man would urinate in public, when there's a washroom near by? The kind that would probably flash random women (or men) just for kicks. The kind that would do it to be a showoff. What kind of women breastfeed in public? The kind that care about their child enough to "say no" to fake formulas, and actually breastfeed.
And there ain't nothing wrong with that.

 

you're kidding, right?
in no way is peeing the same as breastfeeding!!!!!
And let me guess, you're also one of those people who get aggrivated when a mother can't get her baby to settle down at the store? So what, because people get frustrated with crying and feel all uncomfortable with breastfeeding, a mother should settle for second best for her baby to please everyone else? I think not.
Ok, yeah, so a breast isn't usually whipped out and all that, but it shouldn't be that way! They've been too sexualized! A breast is an essential part of the growth of our babies. They provide comfort, bonding and more nutritional and health benifits than you'll ever know.
You men should be reqired to cover yours up, they're usless. Ours feed our children.

 

Most 15 year old boys would probably feel uncomfortable seeing a breastfeeding mom and perhaps come up with a useless analogy such as has been discussed.I have never seen a breastfeeding mom ,for example,remove her blouse,bra and sit somewhere half naked to feed a baby in public.Moms are usually quite respectfull of propriety.To me it comes back to the ability and desire of those who make money off women's bodies in advertising--i.e.=if we all went without clothing,the ability to titillate (no pun intended)and entice thru implied or blatent sexuality would disappear.You all know the ads--drink our beer--get more sex--buy our car--get more sex--accompanied by leering woman,who if you just can suspend common sense and buy the crap they are representing ,are itching to get at you!Crass bullshit.Only it works,and all women's bodies are put in a special catagory,that is ,something to be used for material gain.And ,of course,the religeous folks that believe ,somehow,that a "creator"would make bodies ,parts of which are more "sinfull" than other parts.So,at this point,breasts are not mainly for nourishing little ones--they're for us men to lust over and be be led around with ,like the fools we are.And for up -tight parents to make their 15 year olds learn to be up-tight and regurgitate just what they have been taught.To the detriment of moms that just want to do what comes naturally.What a sad joke.

 

well what i originally meant was that i don't care if a woman breastfeeds in public, and i don't care if a man or woman urinated in a back alley. but if someone gets offended by one and not by the other, then that doesn't make sense. if i can't find a bathroom for miles, then i'm going to go somewhere. if a mother needs to feed her newborn, then she is going to feed it. but don't pick one to get offended by and one to be totally fine with.

 

did i say it was? no. and if i did, then that was a mistake. and yes i have seen women breastfeeding their newborns. it didn't horrify me.

also, what is your fixation with my age. yes i'm 15, and in a couple of months i will be 16. so what. does that mean i'm stupid. maybe. but it's not because of my age. and i've been registered here for a longer time than you have, but does that mean i'm any more correct on issues? no. so if you would drop the whole 15 bullshit, then maybe we could actually talk about this.

 

You are NOT getting it. ELIMINATING WASTE PRODUCTS in public, which can spread disease, and cause smells ect has NOTHING to do with feeding a child. NOTHING in common.

A grown man can wait to get to a public or private restroom. An infant sometimes (often) needs to eat as soon as s/he feels the need. Also, breastfeeding mothers are not leaving EXCREMENT on the sidewalk. The milk (although it is NOT considered "Medical Waste of Contamination Possibility" as urine and stool are) that a mother creates goes INTO the baby. Even if she leaks a little, it is on her own clothing. Most mamas know how to take care of this problem. I've had many mothers nurse in my home. No one has left milk on my furniture, floors ect. If people were pissing in my living room, it WOULD be not only a health concern, but there would be Waste Materials left in the area, as well as possible bacteria and an odor. Breastfeeding has NONE of these issues.

 

What this beautiful act has to do with someone taking a piss on the sidewalk is beyond me.

 

I think has to do with exposing body parts that are normaly covered. Comments from several posters seem to focus on the breast rather than the child.

 

That could well be, Mike. Usually you can see more breast when a womyn is wearing a bikini, or even some tops, than one shows when breastfeeding.

I think it may be the idea "OMG, she has a Breast in there........somewhere." LOL!

I think most of the fuss comes from people who, for whatever reason, not only equate the breast only with sex, but who have no or little opportunity to actually come into contact with one, on their own terms. Or from womyn who are ashamed of their own bodies. Just my take on it.

I have spent more than 12 years of my life breastfeeding. Not counting the first 2 months or so of my first baby's life, I have always fed my children where and when they needed it. Of course, many times a toddler can not only wait until you get home, but is happier there. But, a baby, or even a toddler who is about to launch into DefCon 3 if you don't do something to de-escalate the mood swing, NEEDS that breast. I never got a comment of negativity while breastfeeding in public. Only ONCE, that I know of did someone LEER at me. Usually people either didn't realize I was feeding a baby, or people would smile. I meet people head on, with eye contact and a smile, if I see them looking. I glance at my child, then make sure the person looking at me knows I know they are there. Eye contact (fleeting, you don't really want to start a conversation, unless it is an other mama) can deflate any comments or problems, I find.

 

I just tossed a blanket over my babies, and my shoulder so no one could actually see anything

 

That works for some babies. My kids HATED the blanket, and it actually caused more attention than if I just fed them. Mamas need to do what works for them. I would just feed, I usually wore a long (but not too bulky) top, or, with my last baby, some nursing shirts or dresses. There is rarely a reason to show much at all.

My oldest would attack the blanket, scream, hit it, and refuse to nurse if she was covered. So, we had to abandon that idea. Some babies do OK with a blanket, though. Also, I found that trying to keep the blanket in place was just too much. Especially as I have four kids, and often, had to move around a lot, to care for my other children, with every baby except the first one. (But, I was doing child care when my first was a baby, so I did have to take care of other children when Sunshine was a baby.)

Toddlers and preschoolers reallly don't usually like being covered, at least not mine. But, some kids don't mind, and if that works for you, that is great.

I also felt that I was making a statement. "Here I am, feeding my child. Nothing icky about it, you can't see my breast, my baby isn't screaming and bothering you, we are doing what nature intended. We're here, we're nursing. Isn't is sweet?" I also felt that by nursing in public, I was demystifying something, and making the NORMAL more NORMAL. Not all mamas are that comfortable, but nursing in public becomes more easy every time one does it.

 

Curious...(I'm not a mother, so I obviously have no experience with this)

Have any of you moms ever been criticized or attacked for feeding your little one in public?

 

you know, nobody even notices when I nurse in public. Nothing shows, and I have really big breasts. Most people just think baby is asleep. I found that covering up with a blanket or wearing a nursing shirt only drew attention to what I was doing, rather than actually hiding anything. I have never gotten any rude comments, and very few odd looks from people. Usually the only people who know that my baby is nursing are other mothers who nursed their babies. It's really no big deal. It would be much more of a big deal to let my child scream and holler because she was hungry, then you can bet I'd get the looks and comments from people.


but...I do have a friend here in town who does get the looks and comments. I think the biggest difference is that she feels uncomfortable nursing in public, covers up with a blanket, and draws attention to herself in the process. If you act like you think you are doing something wrong, people will think you are doing something wrong. If you act like it's no big deal, it really is no big deal.

 

That's somewhat what I was saying. Why should you toss a blanket over your kid when its eating? Of course you didn't cover your baby, you covered your breast. I'm curious, did you do it for your modesty or in consideration of other people?

Its like Maggie said, too many people see breasts as sexual only. (Plus, for a different thread, too many people see sex as bad.)

 

Well, isnt it a fucking shame that they dont ? If I would actually see a woman do THIS, I would at once offer my beer, coke or whatever I would be drinking to the baby so that I could play with the mothers assets instead !

 

Just incase we needed more proof to the claim that breasts have been turned into purely sexual playthings....