Just out of curiosity...

[estella1007]

So, I'm at the mall today with my son. I brought him into the little play area to crawl around and play with all the other kids. Meanwhile I begin chatting with all the other moms. One mom in particular sits right next to me and starts chatting about the random mom stuff. Out of nowhere she whips out her boob to breast feed. Like wham, theres her whole jug, just blasting out to the entire mall population. Sher didn't even bother to cover it up at all. I am a mom, I get why people breastfeed, and totally support the decision. But I can't seem to get past when people do it in public. I was discussing this with my friends, and a very select few thought that there was absolutely nothing wrong with this. I love this forum because you can get feedback from so many people with so many different opinions. So, am I the only one who feels like this is completely inappropriate?

[t&kJanuary2010]

That is plain nasty. I mean I am not a mom yet but I can tell you...no one wants to see that! Did you like stop mid-sentence?? I mean hello...it is the mall not your home or families home. If I were at a friends house our something I think it would even be most polite to ask...is it okay if I breastfeed the baby now? So weird!

[estella1007]

I know! They put all those "mom rooms" in the restrooms for that purpose. I can see if they are very discreet and completely cover up, but this was all National Geographic. I tried to BF for the first few weeks, and if someone was at my house I would go in a room by myself. And thats in the privacy of my own home, and I still had a sense of modesty. I guess I am just trying to understand why these women feel its acceptable behavior.

[t&kJanuary2010]

I hear ya! Your so funny...all National Geographic..LOL.

[SillyGirl]

I think its perfectly reasonable for her to do. The child needs to eat, no need to shove her and the child and a closet somewhere just b/c ppl tend to sexualize breasts.

 

Then again I grew up in Europe where topless sunbathing at family waterparks was common. I just don't see why she should feel ashamed or need to hide. <shrug>

[candicemarie]

I'm not a mom yet, either, but I'm SUPER modest about naked body parts so there's no way I would do that in front of anyone. Not because its sexual to me or anything just because I don't want to see other women's boobs and I don't want them to see mine, lol.

 

Plus honestly, no matter what people say, someone (esp. preteen/teenage boys) who sees it is going to sexualize it if there is a boob hanging out. Plain and simple haha.

[JOSIE]

i personally wouldnt do that, but at the same time wouldnt care if someone else did. things like that dont bother me just my .02

[islandbride317]

My dearest Christina --

 

I can DISTINCTLY recalll, when I was a child, being in "Brownies" (if you are familiar with the whole Girl Scout thing) and we were on a camping outing with the "Daisies and Pixies" (ie. younger children).

 

ONE lactating mom of a Pixie with an infant was full-fledged bare-breasted feeding her son right in front of us all.....at 5 years of age, and having taken in that experience and still remember EVERYTING at the age of 29, I was completely changed FOREVER!!!

 

I, personally, detest breastfeeding in public because of what I experienced first hand as a kid...and my opinion has not waivered yet. I think breast feeding is natural, but mothers should try to keep "feeding" their children out of sight of the public. I think it (as well as breast-pumpimg) are appropriate IN THE HOME if you need to secure your breastmilk for your kids, so they may have it elsewhere. I might come up against opposition, but I still FIRMLY believe somethings are better left under "cover"!

[shellk]

i think its a natural thing to do but there is no need to do it full blown in public you can be discrete.i wouldnt do it and i would feel a little embarrassed if i was you.

[rodent]

I'm not a mom & I don't know what I will do, but I am happy hearing women are getting more comfortable with breastfeeding in public. To hide away in the bathroom, she'd have to stop the older kid from playing and have them stand in the bathroom with her while breastfeeding.

 

My friend's baby breastfeeds for about 30 minutes at a time every 2 hours. That is a lot of time spent hiding out. She has worked on getting comfortable in public breastfeeding. She has a cover, but her baby hates being under it. She squirms around trying to knock it off.

 

Breastfeeding sounds so exausting that anything to make it a little easier on these new moms sounds good to me. It's so good for the baby if a mom can keep it up, so it's ideal to make it as convenient as possible.

 

I've also heard pumping can be pretty miserable.

 

My friend attends la leche meetings & it sounds like one of their goals is to make women comfortable with breastfeeding in public LLLI | Home

 

I know when I was a kid it shocked me to see someone breastfeed, but it was just something I never saw. I'm the youngest in the family so I wasn't around it growing up. My memory of a woman breastfeeding was in the ladies room at the livestock show. It was a really small & crowded bathroom and miserably hot. I remember being shocked by seeing her breastfeed. I had just never seen anyone do that before. Now I think back and feel bad she had to sit in the bathroom all that time.