Article on Public Breastfeeding

[jbowman]

DH found this interesting article, so I thought I'd post a link to it:

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/colb/20040714.html

Thoughts?

[DebbieJ]

Interesting.....

I agree when she says "To avoid the dirty looks, breastfeeding women may have to expose the people around them to breastfeeding often enough for desensitization to set in."

The only way NIP is going to be fully accepted is if more women do it more often. If that means having nurse-ins or public protests, then so be it!

~ deb
Mommy to my sweet boy
B born 12/03

[californiagirl]

My DH cannot imagine why anybody would be offended by breastfeeding in public, and thinks I'm over-worried. And indeed, although I've had the odd dirty look, nobody's ever said anything negative -- far from it, I've had positive comments and delighted smiles most of the time. On the other hand, I've only once seen somebody I wasn't with nursing in public, and she had a blanket thrown over her. And it's not like I don't see babies!

[JMS]

I think it's so wonderful that the medical community (Drs., nurses, hospitals, LLL, LC etc) embraces the benefits of BF and encourages all new moms to do so (this wasn't always the case, when I was born my mother was encouraged to formula feed). Hopefully this type of support will spill over into the mainstream as BF becomes more common and subsequently less taboo. (I recently read somewhere that a national compaign is about to begin promoting BF.)

I completely agree that the act of BF needs to be desensitized in the public at large. Hopefully when society sees it as normal, in addition to beneficial, it will no longer be met with hostility in public. With that said, although I have always been a supporter of BF, and was never offended in any way by NIP, it wasn't until I experienced it myself that I realized how truly natural it is.

[mudder17]

We had a group of mothers in my new mothers support group about 3 years ago do somethings like that. They went around bakeries, shopping malls, etc. and nursed as a group. :) They knew part of NIP was getting used to it themselves, so they figured if they did it as a group, they could encourage each other to do it. They reported some funny/incredulous looks, as well as some encouraging/way-to-go looks!


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
born 22 February 2004

http://www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya

[californiagirl]

We were in a restaurant last night, and another table had a baby around DD's age (4.5 months). Both babies started to whine at about the same time. The other mother took hers away somewhere to feed it, and they didn't beam happily at us any more after I fed my baby at the table. Well, at least I got to eat my meal while it was still warm. Admittedly it was not the world's most graceful job of NIP (DD now feels the need to pop off 5-10 times, sometimes still crying, at the beginning of a feed, regardless of how perfect the setting is).

[JElaineB]

Excellent article. It is very timely, as at a nearby restaurant recently a breastfeeding mother was asked by one owner to go to the bathroom, cover up or leave. At this same restaurant, they also hold late night wet t-shirt contests. Some moms are holding a nurse-in there on Saturday. The other owner says he has no problem if they breastfeed at the restaurant but would prefer them to cover up. Luckily in our state the law allows a breastfeeding mother to feed her baby anyplace she may be in public. I would like to go and support them, but we can't really afford to eat out, especially at a restaurant that isn't very good for the price! What I think is really bad is there were 2 letters to the editor in the same paper supporting the restaurant, and one was from a breastfeeding mother. Sad.

http://www.press-citizen.com/news/071404restaurant.htm

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[jbowman]

I found the comments about the public v. private aspects of motherhood very interesting. By not allowing (or being very negative about) NIP, women are essentially being trapped in their homes! It seems very misogynistic to me and I liked how the author of the article eloquently discussed it.

[MartiesMom2B]

They should've just ordered water at the above stated restaurant during their nurse in. I find it disgusting in general to hold a wet t-shirt contest at a "family restaurant" regardless of the time of day.

Sonia http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/character/1/character03.gif
Proud Mommy to Martie

[sntm]

I agree! And the nerve of the owner to argue it was different because no nipple shows?!?!
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03