Author's note: I'm about to to discuss breast feeding in public. Any questions? If you don't want to read about boobies used as feeding machines, you may want to skip this.
Breast feeding. Oh the controversy. Should it be allowed in public? You decide.
I nursed both of my children, at least for a while. With Chickie, I tried to make it last but was only able to make it to around 6 months. With the pressure of going back to work full time, and trying to pump, I just wasn't that successful. Add in the fact that she was a voracious eater? I just was not cutting the rug. It was hard to give up, but her Pediatrician told me that stressing myself out was not going to help matters any. And he was right. Once I started to feed exclusively with a bottle, she was so much more content.
With Amelia, I didn't last nearly as long. Looking back, I realize the stress of having a toddler, working full time and having to pump at work was just too much. As a rule, I'm a rather private person. My place of employment had "lounge" areas in which you could have limited privacy. I use to pump several times a day in there, for both Chicke and Meelie. I went all out. I bought an electric breast pump, in which I could take care of both boobs at once. Two! For the price of one! Sigh.
It was good while it lasted but people would just walk into the lounge, while I was pumping and start talking to me as if I didn't have two suction cups attached to my hooters, sucking nutrients into a bottle. Hello? I am fine thank you. Did you come in here by accident or are you just wanting to know how my day is going? I'm sorry, but that doesn't make a good environment for things like that.
Ok, so I failed at the nursing thing. But I'm ok with that.
Becca, over at Smoochy4life wrote an interesting piece about discrimination against breast feeding in public. I have to admit that I have never experienced anything like she describes (dirty looks, etc). I also have to admit that I was one who always avoided breast feeding in public. And when I did have to do it, I covered everything up, because by God people, I was NOT going to show my boobs in public. End of discussion.
Well, not so much.
Turns out, over time, I've come to realize that it was only my perception that made me uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a byproduct of my upbringing? I don't know. I just know that I wasn't comfortable with it. On the flip side, I would never look down upon, nor discriminate against those women who don't have a problem with it. Does the discriminization come from society marking breasts as a sexual object? Or should we look at breasts in context? They are a tool to provide nutrients to our children.
The arguments are endless, and many of them are valid. What are your thoughts? Read Becca's post and let me know what you think.
Bonus Question: When you encounter a woman breast feeding in public, and you engage her in conversation, where do you look? This one still has me baffled.
Comments
Okay... well.. I'm quite opinionated on this subject, so I'll play your little game.
I TRIED to breastfeed all my babies - but as it turns out I produce less than SKIM milk -- my milk has NO calories and my babies were starving to death... so please don't call yourself a failure - I'M lower than earthworms on the BF side of life!
Now, as for PUBLIC breastfeeding. I'm all for it! As long as a woman has SOME sense of modesty! It really doesn't matter how the entire world or even your neighborhood views "boobies"... whether they are sex objects or feeding tools... it's all irrelevant. What matters is how much the feeding parent RESPECTS the feeling of ANY member of society. The mother certainly has the right to breastfeed her baby! The baby certainly has the right to EAT! And all humankind has the right NOT to come face to face with the mommies BOOB while she does it! All it takes is a towel or blanket to make the task a modest one.
Now... the women who think they have the RIGHT to just lift their shirt, bare boob, and suckle is just.... rude.
Well... you DID ask for our opinions now didn't you?
Posted by: Melli at August 15, 2007 7:59 PM
I wasn't successful at all with the whole breast feeding thing. I'm MUCH older than you and times they were a different then. The bottle was the very thing back then and hardly anyone nursed their baby. My doc thought it good for them, so I did. However, like Melli, I didn't produce enough milk and my daughter was hungry and woke frequently. Life was very good after we went to the bottle and formula....for all of us.
It doesn't bother me at all to see a woman feeding her child. I talk to the mother and make eye contact...look at the baby and see how much it has changed since the last time I saw the baby..not the boobie... then carry on my conversation like I would if she weren't nursing the baby.
Society is sort of schizo about this. Everything has to be "green" now...well, there is nothing more "green" than natural milk...yet there are those that object to a breast in public. Whatever...I think they are very odd. Also, there is the fact that the baby is getting immunity from germs from the mother that they lack. I think it is a good thing.
Posted by: AS at August 15, 2007 11:13 PM
I never breast fed either of my kids. And, I don't consider myself a bad mother because of it. I chose bottle feeding, because tho it's a mother's 'job' and she has the equipment to do so.............I also wanted to have the 'other half' of the production line--------HUBBY to help feed at 2 a.m. or when I was napping!! Now-a-days the breast pump would allow that very thing....but in my day, I didn't know there was even a pump to be had!! No, I'm not against breast feeding in public ---it's the mother's choice---but to do so, there should be limits to exposure also because of societies views on all things that are 'politically correct'. I blame society [and playboy ---*giggles*] for making boobies a sex object!!
Posted by: Hootin' Anni at August 16, 2007 5:24 AM
Well I could go all PC and say stuff like you can't discriminate and stuff but I won't because as it's already been stated it's a woman's right to be able to feed her baby in anyway she wishes, but a bit of modesty never hurt. As to where to look at some point in the vague distance over the other shoulder i.e. the left, if she's using the right one (if you'll pardon my delicate analogy).
why did this post remind me of a quote from "look who's talking" ... where the guy goes "are you thinking what I'm thinking?" and the kid goes "yeah Lunch"
Posted by: Gopher at August 16, 2007 7:13 PM
I nursed in public discreetly. I probably wouldn't have pumped milk though.
Posted by: colleen at August 16, 2007 8:31 PM
