What do you think of breastfeeding in public places?

I get to eat in public, who says babies can’t eat too? But keep in mid that if a mom whips out her breast for the baby to suckle, chances are I will see it. And if me seeing it makes the mom uncomfortable, then she shouldn’t be breast feeding in public.

Doesn’t bother me a bit. A little discretion is merited though. There are steps one can take to make some who are bothered less uncomfortable. Overall though, no problem at all.
Especially if she’s cute.

It is extremely easy to cover most of the breast with a diaper or cloth; the baby will cover the rest of the area. Any woman who breast feeds in public feels comfortable; she will not remove shirt and bra, just unflap the top of nursing bra.

The fascinating thing is that the erotic sensation of displaying one’s breasts are completely different from the sensations of nursing, wonderfully pleasant as that may be.

They have things like this now to assist breastfeeding in public. Babies need to eat and in the beginning it is so often (every 2–3 hours). Breastfeeding moms need to have a life too! It doesn’t bother me.

Aside; other body parts serve two functions; one for pleasure and the other for necessity. Some people use them for both purposes in public.

See scatological poems for Sheila of Jonathan Swif.t

Never has been, nor will it ever be an issue for me. It’s a sad sad commentary on society that one of the most natural things in the world is made to feel like an act to be frowned upon because of societies stupid views of the human body. Perhaps it’s because the breast is sexualized to such a large degree, but really there is nothing at all wrong with the act of breast feeding in public.

Breastfeeding is a natural thing. We eat out in public, so why shouldn’t babies? Have you seen people eat in public? I am talking about the people who are slobs and have no manners. That bothers me more than breastfeeding. A lot of nursing mothers do it discretely, so you can’t tell if they are nursing.

edit: Swift.

“We eat out in public…”

I am not sure this is the best turn of phrase to use in a thread about publicly exposing breasts.

You don’t publicly expose breasts if you are discrete and careful.

@gail: Each of my breasts is always a discrete unit. No care needed.

i don’t understand why anyone would have a problem with it…....
I am more offended by people who chew with their mouth open, than I could ever be by a baby being breastfed…
You can see more boobs in a victoria secret catalog than your going to see from a lady nursing in public.

Depends on the chick.

<ducks and runs>

Swollen breasts, oozing milk, with a ravenous baby attached, don’t strike me as particularly sexy, but that’s just me.

I kid, I kid.

I think it is a good thing… for the baby and for society. Considering what is posted in public places as advertising that is overtly sexual, I think it is good to be reminded of the breast’s true purpose (whether you believe in Creation or Evolution, they are there for a reason). I think it also is good to normalize it so that more young women will choose to nurse their babies.

Not meaning to threadjack but what’s up with the great answer for gailcalled’s edit : swift?

iPhone related boo boo i reckon.

Probably…thanks Clifford :-) LOL!

woof.

Objections to breastfeeding in public strike me as a Puritanical hangover. There is also a huge double standard for men and women. I would much rather see a baby breastfed than 6 inches of guy’s underwear hanging out. Men also feel free to be naked from the waist up in public.

It doesn’t bother me a bit. When pregnant women take prenatal classes a class on nursing and how to do so discreetly is usually included. It’s a perfectly natural thing to do, and people need to relax a bit. You see more skin on TV or in movies than a mother feeding her child. I nursed when and where I needed to with no problem.

Women descretely feeding their babies in public is a necessity if we are to have women as full persons in the society. The other option is to keep them locked up in their homes for the nursing years of their children, or else don’t have them nurse their children. And the research on how good it is for babies to nurse means that mothers should nurse their babies if at all possible. So, we have to relax and see nursing mothers as a good, positive force in the world.

I find the extreme violence and misogyny in tv and movies much more offensive…

I hate seeing people to it. It really kind of grosses me out. I am a woman and understand that it is natural but I think it should be done in private.

@zanyo1 don’t look! it’s easy, just turn your head, ha ha!

No one does it discretely. (unless the writers meant, perhaps, using only one breast for each meal . . .) Many, however, do it discreetly.

I have walked through Target with a child at my breast. I did it discreetly and my guess is that no one was any the wiser. Any mother who has nursed, or father who had a wife who nursed, knows there is nothing even remotely sexy about breastfeeding a baby. My youngest son (shout out to Cosmo who turns 6 today!) wouldn’t take a bottle no matter how hard we tried, so unless we wanted a screaming, miserable child when he was hungry and we were in public, I had no choice but to feed him. I’m pretty sure most people would have been much more disturbed by a shrieking five month old, than seeing a woman breastfeeding said five month old.

That’s what boobs are for. I say let them eat! I can’t believe there are still people who are uptight about this issue.

Breastfeeding is as natural as having breakfast out in the open. Adults wouldn’t have a problem seeing a woman breastfeeding her baby. I bet teenagers would most likely behave differently when they see a woman doing this, they watch too many movies and the media sexualizes women so much that they are seen only as sex objects. Society needs to understand women are people just like men are and we need each other in this life. Each of us have our own set of skills and gifts that can contribute to a better life. It is a shame how young women singers are becoming famous because of their sexual attraction and display of their bodies in public. We have a very good example of Ms North Carolina who besides her beauty and how sexy appealing she is, has nothing useful in her head.

@Ed: you don’t consider working for world peace and funding the breast implant industry useful?

@ ed: and so on and so forth, such as.

I’m pleasantly surprised that so many people encourage and are okay with mothers breastfeeding in public. What a breath of fresh air! I recently read a poll in one of the magazines I subscribe to that showed something like 40% of people being incredibly turned off and even offended. That’s just nonsense! Babies need to eat, mothers need to leave the house…not to mention it’s NATURAL. Sheesh.

It’s 100% natural.

Of course, it’s even better when the mother has a relaxed and natural attitude with it. That removes the mystery (and thus any the thinking that something sexual is going on).

It’s easier to feel comfortable about something when others do too. However, I’ve had the experience where a mom was very secretive about it looked worried that people might be curious as to what she’s up to. – Nervous vibe.

Some of the wraps / carriers are good for covering up a bit when it’s time to eat.

It’s natural. Just think, mom feeds her infant meal. What’s wrong with it! But moms should consider nursing cover while feeding and make sure that the kid is adequately covered. There are so many nursing covers on the market. Choose the right one that is prefect for you.

Thank you.

I have no problem with it, maybe because I was exposed to it at a young age (my mom & little brother, photos of mom & me, Madonna & child painting on the wall, etc.) and grew up thinking it was normal.