BREASTFEEDING IN PUBLIC 7/16/00

I think breastfeeding in public should be accepted and looked upon not as odd but as a natural part of nurturing a baby. There are plenty of ways to stay modest about it, you don't have to bare all to breastfeed in public. Women should not be expected to go hide out in a bathroom to feed their hungry baby, how many of us would want to take our lunch to the bathroom?!!! Its a natural part of life.  ~Anonymous

 

A natural thing yes it is to breastfeed, but not in public.  Other children may see, and that is the choice of their parents if they want them to know about it.  Not the choice of another who decides to do it in public.  That is why they invented the breast pump.  Make some bottles before you go out anywhere  ~Anonymous

 

Boy is this a great topic to start out with. I have breastfed all 3 of my girls.  With my first one, we weren't very good at it and I had a really hard time feeding her in public because if I used a blanket, I couldn't see her and if I couldn't see her, I couldn't keep her latched on.  It was very frustrating. I felt self conscious.  If I did try to feed her, people would stare and you could tell many were not pleased.  I ended up staying home or bottle feeding her with expressed milk.  Bottle feeding only made breastfeeding worse because she started to prefer the bottle to me.  I ended up giving up breastfeeding all together by the time she was 8 or 9 weeks.With my other two, I was much more sure of myself. I was able to feed them without having to keep my eyes on the task.  Now, I feel much more confident in my mothering and know that this is the best thing for my girls.  I still get dirty looks but I refuse to feed my daughter in the bathroom.  I would be happy to retire to a nursing room or bathroom lounge but seeing as most places are without those, I don't have much choice but to breastfeed wherever I can find a chair, whether it be a table at a restaurant, a bench in the park, or a doctor's waiting room. The day I am forced to feed my baby sitting on the toilet in a public restroom, is the day I start changing poopie diapers on dinner tables in restaurants.   ~Noelle

 

I say go for it when it comes to feeding your baby in public. I think we should use some discretion such as a blanket but by no means do I think that we should hide away in a corner.  I have breast fed my baby every where and have thought of nowhere that is unacceptable. And I refuse to pump and give my baby a bottle for the sake of someone elses comfort. My baby dictates when and where she eats not society.   ~Anonymous

 

I feel that there is nothing wrong with a mother breastfeeding her baby in public as long as she is covered up.  And who is to say that if the mother is all covered up that she can't feed her baby in public. Who would want ot sit on a toilet and feed there baby?  I wouldn't.  I have breastfed two of my babies and I did it where ever I was at if the babies were hungry.  What is the point of breastfeeding if you have to use a bottle when you are around other people.  There is nothing wrong with breastfeeding its a way of nature.  To all you mothers out there that are breastfeeding good luck!  Blondie24_10

 

I breastfeed my baby in public when it is absolutely necessary.  Because of the stares and disapproving looks I get, I breastfeed sitting on the toilet of a public restroom often.  I am always discreet in public but it's hard to be relaxed and comfortable when other people are staring at you! Lori

 

What is this world coming to when what should be the most natural things are seen indecent and obscene "in public"?  So many moms that don't breastfeed, make that choice because of the inconvenience.  Why does our society serve the artificial mom?  We should be praising the mothers that give their children the best: nursing, staying at home, etc.  Society should be making these things easier on families so that the real values in life can be brought back and this new generation will not have as many problems as the last.  Mothers who have no choice but to work or to formula feed deal with so much loss when they can't even make the choice to nurse or stay at home with their babies because of the demands of this morally deprived nation.  When did having money and riches surpass the importance of giving your family what they need emotionally? - a very proud stay at home mother going on 5 months in the business(and still breastfeeding)~Anonymous

 

I truly believe that the only unacceptable place to feed a baby is in a restroom! I mean I don't eat in there so neither should my baby! I have to agree that you can find a discreet place to do it and you can cover. I have been known to breastfeed in public, in the middle of a mall, in Pizza Hut, wherever I am when my baby needs it. I do however use a nursing bib or a sling. ~Marnie

 

I breastfed my son the first six months of his life, then he stayed with his grandma for 3 days and was bottle fed, after that he wanted nothing to do with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding can be hard sometimes, and making a mother give her baby a bottle so someone else can be comfortable does not help the situation. Anyone who has breast fed knows you need to be in a comfortable position for the baby to latch on correctly, and the mother herself needs to feel relaxed in order to let down. If I were still breast feeding I would not be comfortable feeding my baby in a dirty bathroom while some one else is stinking it up, so to anyone who thinks breast feeding mothers belong in the bathroom, for their comfort, why don't you take a dump outside so it doesn't smell up the place~Anonymous

 

Breastfeeding is one of the most amazing parts of being a mother.  Not only have we had the opportunity to have a child grow in our wombs and bring it into the world but we get to feed our child our own milk that our bodies made just for that purpose.  There is nothing discusting about feeding in public.  There is nothing to be ashamed of and no reason to be embarrased.  There is no reason to worry about other children "seeing" for at one time they probably breastfed too.  Being able to nourish your child from the nector of your own body is absolutly the greatest experience.  So whether it is in public or in the privacy of your own home charish every moment. Sunshine3899