Discussions
Is Breast Feeding In Public Acceptable?
Posted by gingerbeer25 • 8/07/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: breast feeding, sexism, women
Can there be anything more natural than a woman breastfeeding her child? For those that are successful at it, it can be a moment of complete bonding and nurturing.
Unfortunately because the female body is always, already sexualized this natural act has taken on an air of perversion to some, thus forcing women to hide away from public view as though they are performing a shameful act. Manuela Valle discovered how shameful when, she was ushered into a change room at at an H&M store in downtown Vancouver, for fear that her breastfeeding in public "might make some customers offended". www.womanist-musings.com/2008/08/you-dirty-breast-feeding-woman.html
User Comments
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If it isn't it certainly should be -
Ugh. LOL
We had a discussion on this before, I think I lost. I SO don't wanna see it or know about it ... and sorry ... but it grosses me out. And it has NOTHING to do with the female body being sexualized because I'm not turned on by women's breasts ... for me it has to do with bodily functions. Keep it outta my space.
It's a big world, so you gotta make the majority happy. And the majority find it something that should be done in private. And I agree.-
Where does your space end, and their's begin though? And what space are we talking about? A public space? No one owns that individually. A private space? The owner of that space owns it, and you - as well as others - are there by permission.
What if you do something they find offensive (no matter how normal or natural) and they want to ban you from doing it to "keep it outta their space"? -
I know that ... I'm just saying ... I don't like it. If it's done discreetly okay, but I've seen some women who are anything but discreet.
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I understand that - and rudeness happens in so many forms - I don't think it should be OK to ban it.
Everyone has ick factors, me included. But so long as it doesn't pose a health threat (like exposing human waste in say -a public eating area by changing a diaper on a table that may or may not be cleaned afterward) then I say live and let live.
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Tell those customers they can leave then. People don't have the right to not be offended, regardless if they're a customer or not..They can take their money and shove it sideways. It sounds like those customers think they can eat, but a newborn can't. Some people should really just get a life and learn a little bit of tolerance. -
I smell a fight brewin'...
outta here...-
Apparently, Tolerance only applies when it's to their advantage..Sounds like history repeating itself.
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dr jay, ginger & I like each other ... we wouldn't fight we just disagree, that's all.
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Excellent. Instigating. That'll make you plenty of friends.
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I think that it is a natural act and there is nothing obscene about it all. If people are disturbed it is because of how they view womens bodies.
@DM What this store did was against the law..they were the ones in the wrong.-
Yeah, maybe they were in the wrong. I'm just saying I don't like it ... and it's not because of how I view women's bodies. It has to do with the idea of liquid coming out of a body part. That's what bothers me. Regardless of how natural it is. It's also why I don't want to see parents change their children's diapers in public. Somethings are just better done discreetly. Just my humble opinion.
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YES YES YES
dbeen discrete is good too -
Absolutely, it is the most natural thing in the world to feed your child and it should not be discouraged in any way. I feed mine in public and refused to move when asked. And won the argument as it was discrimination!
Lots of other women had almost all their breasts out in their low cut mini skirts and they were worried about me????
Feed on ladies and give yourselves a round of applause! You are only giving your child the best start in life, why should you have to cramp your lifestyle just for the over processed prudes out there!-
Yeah, the public flaunts over bimbos like Paris Hilton yet criticizes something as normal as eating. This is more double standard bullshit.
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I guess I have a problem with the "eating" thing, lol. Can't help it. It creeps me out.
I'm not saying people should be allowed to do it. I'm just saying I don't wanna see it. Of course there's lots of things I don't wanna see in the world, this is hardly a huge issue for me. I'm just being honest. And there's no need for you to get so upset about it and start swearing, sheesh.
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didn't we just talk about this?-
I'm feeling that dejavu feeling all over again....
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I thought it was just a bad piece of beef. I guess that was just gas.
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Yeah, that was kinda my point about the fight brewin'...
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We just did this and I'm too tired to restate my opinions. -
@AnnieRob that is a good point about clevage being shown in public..I actually believe you see a lot more breast that way than you do when a woman is breast feeding..though I don't believe that women need be discrete when they are breast feeding...telling them to go into a bathroom is gross...why should a baby have a meal in bathroom would you want to eat in one?
@DM When I think of all of the disgusting things that occur in the world, breast feeding or changing a bum hardly seems obscene..maybe I have a bias as a mother when I state that.
@DRJAY breathe easy women can disagree without it turning into a cat fight.-
Yeah, I'm sure the fact that I'm childless probably has a lot to do with it. My ick factor is pretty low when it comes to kids and stuff, LOL.
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I wasn't making a sexist comment--just remarking that things looked like they were going to get unpleasant, like they did when this same issue was argued two days ago (and as they often do here, among women and men).
Didn't I say I was outta here. Okay, now I really am.
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I don't think so. I'm very against women exposing their cleavage and wearing really short skirts and skirts, and although breastfeeding isn't the same as the exposure I just mentioned, it's still exposure, and I don't think it should be acceptable to do so in public.-
Are you also against the idea that men can go topless? or is it just women who need to be modest?
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Yeah, much better to have a woman feed her child in a BATHROOM than out in public.-
Would you eat in a toilet? -
I've breast fed my child in the bathroom stall so that I would not accidently expose anything and what not... Never again! It was too crammed and my son could not "latch" properly. The thing is that it is hard to also stand in the main part of the bathroom and breast feed because you don't want to offend the women in the bathroom either and your legs tend to get tiard from standing in one place for a half hour. >_
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I vote we cease discussing public breast feeding and move on to a bigger plague on society.
"mandals"
For the head scratchers - mandals are man sandals.
There's no reason for that - ever. Leave the Jesus slippers at home No one needs to see that madness. -
LOL Better than MANtyhose.
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How about manorexia?
That's the new plague on the block... -
oh dear god. Mantyhose??? I don't even want to know.
Manorexia? That should be when you drink too much Jack and yack your guts out on someone's sofa. It's only acceptable when massed quantities of alcohol are being expelled. -
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I'm with DrowseyMonkey here... I don't want to watch strangers "bond with their children", I'm sorry. I've seen this sometimes, in restaurants of all places. I wouldn't mind it so much in parks or at the mall or something, but at a restaurant where I'm trying to eat, and I PAID for my food too! Some women use a towel or some light cloth to hide "the feeding area" from public view, and I think they are being polite to those who are not as child friendly as the average woman. I'm pretty fine with that. But I seriously do not need to see a fat boob with a kid hanging onto it when I'm trying to eat. There's nothing poetic about the view the way I see it.
As for breast feeding itself, I'm all for it, but it's not an excuse to grose people out, is it? Sweating is a natural thing too, but we still try not to do it because it grosses people out, apart from gyms where it is completely acceptable. Get my point?-
I'm in a trouble making mood tonight so forgive me, but by chance are you eating a chicken breast at this same meal?
I'm just foolin', but wouldn't it be funny if at the same table a chicken breast was edible and a human breast was a repulsive, eye gouging sight? Just seems humorously ironic doesn't it? -
How is that ironic? That's my point. Humans aren't to be eaten. (And no...don't make a sexual comment on that one, lol).
I understand how mothers find it beautiful and all that ... but ... I'm not a mother ... and I don't. Everyone's different and I guess we gotta find a way for everyone to be somewhat uncomfortable and yet happy. -
I don't see the irony either. Chicken breast isn't actually the same thing as woman's breast, because the woman is a mammal and the chicken is not, and there for, technically a chicken doesn't have a breast, what we eat is its chest. Some people would have a problem with a dog licking it's balls while they are eating. Again, the most natural thing in the world... (I personally don't mind that.)
I too understand that mothers see it as a beautiful thing. Of course they do. They have the experience and the mothering gene in them. I, on the other hand, woke up today thinking if I should get my tubes tied finally so that I wouldn't have to worry about kids being born.
All I ask is not to force as look at your boob. How much is that to ask? Cover it. Or is it an exhibition? "Look at me, I'm a natural mother and I don't have a problem with breast feeding my child in public!" That's the thought I get when mothers do that without trying to hide their breasts. I understand that sometimes it is a necessity, the kid needs it's food, and the bottled stuff isn't the same, so do it, but with consideration. -
Wow. So it's un-ironic that someone could gorge themselves on a tasty chicken breast while at the same time saying "eww, oh my god, that lady has her breast out."
Wow. Just wow. -
I so don't get that comparison. It's a very odd one to me. I don't consider myself food. Or a vessel for food.
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The irony is simply breast to breast. One is a desired food object, the other unthinkably disgusting to the viewer.
Also, for the baby, the breast is a food vessel. I could see if the child were trying to drink from your nipple as a 3rd party - certainly that's outrageous, but for the mother and child that is the function, yes?
For the record, when my wife breast fed in public, she covered up, and that would be my preference. Having been around that I guess I"m just oblivious to it now. It wouldn't bother me if someone else were doing it. Now if they squirt me or something like that we're gonna fight. -
How is that ironic? That's my point. Humans aren't to be eaten. (And no...don't make a sexual comment on that one, lol).
Well actually, it's the milk that is being eaten, and that is exactly what it it designed for - to be consumed by humans.
I've seen this sometimes, in restaurants of all places. I wouldn't mind it so much in parks or at the mall or something, but at a restaurant where I'm trying to eat,
Oh my, we wouldn't want YOUR meal disturbed by something arbitraily deemd offensive!
I sure hope the perfume you wear doesn't bother the people at the table next to you, or perhaps your outfit causes another diner to lose their appetite - or that you disturb the meal of a child by forcing them to eat in a dirty bathroom.....
Get a grip people. Seriously.
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deja vu?
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definetly
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[sticky clicker]
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oops, wrong spot.
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I think it should be acceptable. How would you like if when you were a baby and you were hungry but your mommy couldn't feed you simply because other adults around your mom have been conditioned to find your moms "natural feeding bottles" offensive or unfashionable in public. It's BS. If somebody has a problem with it then don't look. We all have boobies, get over it. They serve a natural purpose, you got a problem with it, it's because of your own disposition.-
It's not about boobies, LOL. Anyway, ya always have to find a happy medium in these situations. That's just the way the world is.
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If it's not about how people view female boobies, then what is it about? The milk? Simply just feeding a child in public?
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Yeah, I said it above, it's an ick factor for me. Bodily fluids leaking from body parts ... no thanks. Hey, I'm not saying people shouldn't do it I'm just saying I don't wanna know about it. Just being honest, no need to get hostile.
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It is very easy to put a towel or a cloth over your shoulder and over the baby's head, so people don't have to watch it if they don't want to. There's no reason to let it all hang out.
To me it is about the leaking boob with a baby's sloppy mouth latched to it. The milk is running across his slimy cheeks... It's not surely not a sexual thing, but let's face it, after giving birth, the boob isn't at it's most beautiful state. Most mothers are not at their most beautiful state. Sure they're glowing, what ever. Physically they are not the most pleasant thing to watch if you're blind to the beauty of a new life and all. -
That's an ignorant statement. Not every woman looks bad after giving birth. I agree with covering up, although I do it because I don't want others looking at my exposed breast, not the other way around.
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That is your experience on it. In my experience, they don't look that pretty. I suppose I have seen a pretty mom out there somewhere, but naah. And even if they were pretty, the act of breast feeding isn't given the circumstances.
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Yeah -- this is 3 weeks after #7:
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Ahhh...what a cutie. And you look lovely. You have 7 kids? WOW.
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What do you expect me to say? You realize of course, that there is no way in hell I can stand my ground against a photo of you, no matter what I thought of it, don't you?
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So what if you think it isn't in it's most beautiful state. Should we make people who we think are ugly cover their faces too? When a person sneezes without covering their mouth in pubic it is easily worse the a mother feeding her child. Milk never hurt anyone in public. All the milk is going in the babies mouth. When someone sneezes, the fluids and germs explode into the air and we breathe that in.
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Ugly faces have never grossed me out. In fact, I've never seen an ugly face. I'm talking about the neck down part that is being exposed.
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You can't stand your ground even without the photo. Someone not being "pretty" after birth is a lousy excuse for not wanting to see them breastfeed.
EDIT--I really don't care what you think of the photo - I wasn't ugly-- still not. -
Ewww...sneezing without covering your mouth is gross. But you're comparing that to feeding a child? LOL Weird.
And here's a shocker ... I don't think ugly people should cover their faces in public. duh -
Is it? Maybe you understand the word "pretty" differently. I'm not talking about anyone's face, mind you.
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I go back to my "junk in the trunk" statement from the previous thread. Agree totally that if we start down the "ugly" path, I've a few folks that are ahead in line well before most new moms. And these people don't have the "excuse" of having been pregnant.
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Nor do they have an excuse to make us look at them either.
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They make us look at them? I didn't think anyone besides Uncle Sam or Anok (when she has a riding whip) made me do anything?
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Some people may see the very same thing as being beautiful. Natures art in action if you will. Everyone has a different opinion on what they like and dislike. The saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." We used to wear cloths simply for their function, to protect us from weather and such, it was necessary for survival. Now, its about fashion, hiding forbidden parts, etc... as determined by the current standards of society. Breastfeeding is optimal for the survival and health of our species. It should be allowed anywhere and at anytime as needed.
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For any age? How about the example I gave of a woman breast feeding her toddler. Not so beautiful & natural now huh?
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morgantj, completely agree. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and therefore I might see something that other people see gorgeous as disgusting and the other way around. We KNOW that breastfeeding is seen both ways, so why not just respect those who find it disgusting and not show off while doing it..?
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I get it. Ugliness not allowed. The problem is there is always someone that can find another ugly. Then nobody would be allowed to go out or do anything.
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So you think it's perfectly acceptable for a 3 year old to wander up to it's mother in a public place and breast feed? I dare say, most don't. Event the die-hards who are for breast feeding in public. And it wasn't ugly, it was actually kinda disturbing, IMHO.
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why is unacceptable?
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Why is it acceptable? Who's the mother really breast feeding for her or the kid? At what age do you stop breastfeeding? Age 5? 8? 12? When? At what point does it move from being a perfectly natural thing to do to something kinda weird? I guess that's for each individual to decide. But, I think if you did a survey, most people would find it odd to be in public and have a 3 or 4 year old latch on to a woman's nipple for some lunch.
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"I guess that's for each individual to decide"
There you have it. -
Exactly, and I decide it's creepy.
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If you decide it is creepy, that is a problem of your own, you must deal with it, not that in which you find creepy.
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Physically they are not the most pleasant thing to watch
I think I'm going to consider covering my face next time I go to the U.S.
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I understand how mothers find it beautiful and all that ... but ... I'm not a mother ... and I don't. Everyone's different and I guess we gotta find a way for everyone to be somewhat uncomfortable and yet happy.
There is such a thing as the tyranny of the majority. Compromise should not mean that the minority is the one that bends and that is usually what happens in this society. Sometimes we need to put aside our discomfort so that others are not oppressed. It is not always possible to have a happy medium in life.-
My suggestion: Cover it while you do it in public. All I'm asking. Not too much, I think?
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I don't think that is too much to ask, but you can also just not look.
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If they sit right in front of you, it's pretty hard not to.
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okay, but how often do bare breast feeing mothers plop themselves right in front of you in a restaraunt, with you totally uncapable of either avoiding sight if it so bothers you or moving? Before we get the "why should I move" replies, you'd give up your seat to a mother with a child, right? Same thing really.
Is this really a plague on society that we must hammer away at? Where are the stats. I can't think without links to sites with stats. -
kdawg - it's happened to me more times then I care to remember! And yes it's legal here ... but seriously, some modesty paleeze! And these women who whip it out without any cover don't do their cause any good. Let's face it, that makes most people uncomfy. Just a fact.
I've also been in a waiting room when a women's toddler walked up to her and went for the breast. And she fed her. Oh yes, that was a long wait for the doctor's nurse to call my freaking name, I tell you. -
Well, if she requires politeness from me, me to move, that is, why won't she cover up? If the baby and the breast is covered, I'm fine. But if someone whips out the boob and sticks it into the baby's mouth before I even realize, it's too late to move. I saw it. Didn't want to. Damage done.
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Fine, I'll no longer unsheath my man breasts in Canadian restaruants.
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Thank you.
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Breast feeding mothers have the backing of the Law in Scotland. They can breast feed where and when they like.
Breast feeding is best for mother and baby. That is the most important thing to remember. So like it or lump it.-
Yeah--what he said!
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Bottom line is, in many states, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks - it's legal.
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Farting is legal. Burping is legal. Smelling bad is legal. Picking our noses and eating what we found is legal. We still don't do it in public. Most of us that is, and those who do, are not too well received.
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I do all those things. In fact, those are some of my favorite things. I like to use them conversationally. You learn a lot about folks when you see how they respond to you cutting cheese mid sentence.
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Tell it to the judge.
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@kdawg--I dunno, this family finds farting pretty funny.
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I edited my post before kdawg made his confession. He might not do ALL those things.
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Some people may find the moderate hair on my arms disgusting, should I cover them up? How is anyone supposed to know what others find disgusting? If we always have to worry about every possible thing someone finds disgusting, nobody can go out in public.
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@ Sebastyne- Anyhoo--I'm not going to argue the point- I already said I cover up. I only took issue with your "I suppose I have seen a pretty mom out there somewhere, but naah." I guess Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts are ugly.
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@Sebastyne Remarkable. Nothing you have said in this discussion has anything to do with breast feeding at all.
If you have such a huge problem with the human species I suggest you do us all, and yourself, a favour by locking yourself in a room and never going out. -
morgantj, I think it's a bit different. You can't really help your hairy arms, and it's too much to ask you to shave them or wear long sleeves forever. Breastfeeders do have options, and it's not too much to ask for them to cover up the part of their body that they already have learned to hide.
Anniepooh, yes, I know what is your issue, and I understand not thinking everyone is pretty is so very uncool, but I can't help it.
And yeah... I actually have never liked Angelina Jolie to be honest. Julia though, I haven't seen her breast feeding photos. -
Yeah - I don't think everyone is pretty either.
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Sebastyne, Surely there is someone that finds something about you unpleasant, perhaps it could be your views on this subject. So why did you speak? Why didn't you conform?
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morgantj, good point. Why I said what I said, was because I thought this was the time and the place to expose my unpleasant thoughts. Would I do that in front of a mother who is doing what I don't like her to do, no. I would probably move. I would turn my back on her, but that is not to say it didn't bother me even though I wasn't watching.
Time and a place. Someone asks, I'll answer. -
Again, let's say you've said things I find disgusting, why did you say those things in front of me? Why didn't you just stay silent or go talk about it in another thread? Why should I have to listen to such disgusting views?
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morgantj, Because this is a discussion board, and people who come here should expect to find a point of view they don't agree with. It has no point if everyone agree on everything apart from ego stroking. For example I don't like smoking either. But if I go sit in a smoking area, I won't complain no matter how much I hate it there, because it was my choice. Watching someone breast feed in public isn't my choice nor do I expect to see that, so I find it objectionable. Of course I see things I don't like all the time, whether or not they were avoidable I make my judgement whether or not I find it OKAY that I saw them or not.
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And the public is just that, the public, not private, you should expect things to happen in the public you don't like or agree with. Perhaps she is just as disgusted with you that you find her breastfeeding disgusting, why don't you conform to her and go be disgusted in a private zone that is dedicated for those that feel disgusted?
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Wrong spot again.
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Female nudity offends my sense of good taste. Should be banned. -
Personally I cannot see how anything so natural ought to be disallowed. -
Yes it is acceptable as it is just one mother feeding her baby. And we all had been fed when we were small. And those people who thinks of something absurd in it are looking it at other way around. Because they have nothing else then green grass filled in their heads. So they will always look towards this kind of things with other perspective rather then the positive one.
Those who think it should be disallowed can think why? Is it nudity? If yes then what about when you were young and had been breast fed by your mother. You can't run away from truth.-
I wasn't breast fed. I was brought up in a society where that was not the norm. Everyone's different.
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Ah, so breastfeeders should bend over to your rules.
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I wasn't breast fed either, but I'm quickly recovering the time I've lost
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@am - LOL
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Why can't a woman breast feed and still have a way to cover herself and the baby? i seen this when i was a kid.. all the women sitting in a room and they just covered themselves cause it was in a area where the doors were always opening in the church. they had their space and to make it better they also covered with a light cloth that did not hurt the baby at all.
Maybe some women are just weird that way and want to fling it out in public!
Imagine some snarling, heated up nursing woman with fangs and a red face staring at you as if she knows you want to tell her to stop doing this in public... Some of them are just inconsiderate dogs lmao-
Or maybe you are being inconsiderate of them and their baby. Just as they could cover themselves, you can just as easily not look.
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I personally don't like it, in fact it makes me see red when someone breastfeeds in public..that said, I am big enough to realise that that's only how 'I' feel. Fortunately..over here in the UK it's pretty much not acceptable because the population is generally pretty uptight still. So I get a chance to be enraged only once in a Blue moon.
What gets me is that Breast milk can be expressed, stored and even warmed up later..so why cant a bottle or two of Breast milk be taken out with Mum and baby to avoid the whole Breast-leeching display that so turns my stomach. (And the noises...sweet jesus) I do know what I am talking about...Im a dad myself times two.-
Milk can be bottled, certainly. But breastfeeding is an essential part of the link between mother and baby at the early stages of our lives. It's not only an act of feeding, it's also a bonding act which creates an emotional link which is supposed to reflect later on our mental health as adults.
I wasn't breastfeeding (not jocking here), probably that's the reason I am the way I am now -
Breast milk can only be stored for so long before it goes bad - so that's not really a great argument. (For so long meaning not very long at all).
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Definitely -
I think people who have a problem with seeing a breastfed baby have some serious issues. I'm not sure if those issues are rooted in culture, in the psyche or what, but I'm fortunate to never have encountered any of these people IRL while nursing my *GASP* 17 month old son in public.
(Either that or they are at least smart enough to keep their big pie-holes shut.)
And *of course* the people most disgusted by it are the same ones that talk loudly on cell phones, sneeze and snot loudly and wear next-to-nothing in the same restaurants where I "should be covering" myself and my son. Puh-lease.
If you don't like it, fair enough. You are absolutely welcome to look the fuck away.-
I've never had anyone say anything to me, either. Ever. I'm pretty adept at covering up, though.
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As am I, but shit happens (like my toddler hating blankets of any kind, particularly anywhere near his face - hey I don't blame him, I'm sorta irritated by blankets covering my face while I'm trying to eat, too).
It's a helluva lot easier for s/he who would otherwise be offended to look away (albeit a lot less, erm... fun?) than to spout off in ignorant-sounding rants about how disgusting it is to see a baby nursing at a table in a restaurant where people are *EATING!!!* -
Oh, I didn't mean that I was better than you or anything like that. I just find it weird (thinking out loud) that, after 7 kids, I've never had anyone approach me or even look at me odd when I was BF in public, so it must have been that I was covered well enough.
Who knows-my kids hate blankets over their heads and I hate them in the heat. Especially now. My BIL is living with us for a few weeks and he keeps TRYING to see me breastfeeding the baby--he's making ME sick! It can definitely go both ways.
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Nice sweeping statement..but massively inacurate. I also hate the use of cellphones in restaurants, people who talk loudly on them, people who sneeze wrong (little half arsed squeeks) or people who sneeze more than twice...people who text whilst walking...I could go on.
There is no reliable scientific proof that any bond is formed in the early years between mother and baby by breastfeeding, given that the neural pathways required for memory have yet to be established, there is no retention of the act, therefore no bond can be formed...but that's not really important.
IMHO I think people who have the attitude of 'turn the fuck away if you don't like it' are fairly typical of the kind of people who 'whop them out in public' hence the distaste for the act.
This may well be portrayed as an 'antagonistic' post by me..but I would ask you to look at the sweeping generalisation above and realise that it was initially designed to offend prior to this mild retaliatory post.
Those of you who would rather not read the post that this is in response to can feel free to just commence slagging me off.
Oh...and that 'Puh-lease' thing....hate that too.-
IMHO I think people who have the attitude of 'turn the fuck away if you don't like it' are fairly typical of the kind of people who 'whop them out in public' hence the distaste for the act.
Nope, I didn't breast feed at all, and i still have that opinion - if you don't like something DON'T LOOK at it! -
That's hard to do when you've already seen it. Like the chick nursing her 3 year old in the doctor's waiting room. A little hard to erase that memory, lol.
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Hey, I see a lot of things I would rather have not seen. Particularly when I lived in very hot tourist areas....
Even then, I never advocated to create a ban or asked others to cover up because of my personal ick factors. I simply don't continue to look. (much like others have implied - but not so much you).
There are too many arbitrary things out there to be offended about - and a something that is actually necessary for human survival should not be an issue.
Honestly, if formula companies stopped making formula it would seem that society would have a collective meltdown - just at the thought of having to see breast feeding mothers everywhere!
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@DM age should not be a factor in whether or not the act is disgusting...a child needs to be nursed. The longer they are breastfed the better it is for them. In fact in cultures that are not as "restrained" breast feeding often goes on until the child is 3
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ugh ... just one more reason I don't have kids, LOL.
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Formula? Blech. I prefer "artificial infant milk."
It still baffles me that it's "normal" to consume the milk from an entirely different species of mammal long after puberty (which, might I add, no other species on Earth - save for the occasional cat - does), but it's "indecent," "disgusting," and "offensive" to feed a *human* baby *human* milk.-
Truth be told, Punky didn't have any of that - and had soy instead.
Anything with lactose was not happenin' -
I dont often see adults suckling at the udder of a cow though..to be honest. (Unless i'm in Wales)
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Meanwhile.... even this "culture" (meaning the BlogCatalog website) is okay with things like this
(the avatar of one user www.blogcatalog.com/user/1lear1)
and that causes no uproar of outrage and disgust....
ETA: (FTR, the image here doesn't bother me... just pointing out the double standard)-
Well, of course not...there's no baby attached to those sexy breasts
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I don't see a problem with it; and (aside for sanitary reasons), I don't have a problem with nudity. -
I was in a restaurant the other day and a woman was breastfeeding at the next table. She covered up the baby, so it didn't bother me. However, if she had not, it would've made me uncomfortable. I'm not anti-breastfeeding, it just makes me uncomfortable. I'm sure it's freudian - I was bottle fed. My mother had no milk. [I'm not looking for pity - I was incredibly healthy and robust and grew like a weed. I never got any of the normal childhood diseases, either.]
I do NOT, however, want anyone to change a diaper in public where I have to see it. Ick.-
I think we can all agree on that.
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What if the one being breastfed is an adult man?-
Do men produce milk? If not, there is no biological purpose in the act.
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While I'm fairly certain that men can *sometimes* produce milk (www.unassistedchildbirth.com/miscarticles/milkmen.html), I believe baldeagle is asking about the one who is eating, not the one who is feeding (which strikes me as a strictly sexual-thing and therefore not worth responding to).
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Lol. You may be right.
It's natural for all other animals to defecate and urinate aswell...should it be ok to just squat and drop when you feel the need? What about spitting..or picking your nose too? all those things are pretty much natural...we all agree that they shouldnt be done in public. Hell..the SEX that made the baby is natural..so why cant people just get it on whenever they feel like it..if we don't like it we could look the fuck away.-
Because urine and feces in the streets cause health hazards. Humans learned that the hard way.
I wouldn't be against nudity in the streets either, or even sex, really. It doesn't bother me, although I know that's too far for most people. Then again, people don't need to have sex every three hours or so to survive, babies on the other hand need to feed that often every day, every night.
People spit in the street all the time, spit their gum out on the street, pick their noses and wipe their boogers where they please, sneeze, cough, swear where socks with sandals - all health hazards...as it includes a bodily fluid that may or may not be contaminated with a virus (cold, flu or worse) that has been left around for anyone to step in, touch, or otherwise get on themselves unknowingly and unsuspectingly.
Except the socks and sandals, which are only a hazard because it's so gosh darn bad it causes accidents
Seriously though, breast milk goes from it's source to it's intended target, and no where else. -
No, it shouldn't be okay (Sheese, I can't believe I'm even answering that stupid-ass question!).
*Everyone* eats. Often in public! It is a widely-accepted process that people not only eat in the presence of others, but often celebrate with food, gather together for meals, etc.
How you (and others like you) jump from eating in public to defecating, urinating, etc. in public is beyond me. Apples and swingsets.
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If breatfeeding is done discreetly I have no problem with it.
Blessings! JJ -
I live in a latin country, and breast feeding in public is very normal here. I have seen women cover themselves properly, and other not. I guess it depends on the culture. -
I don't think so..but if it is good for the baby then go ahead! But I think the mother should not over expose their breasts..
In the Philippines; when I was still studying and having my hospital exposure at one of its public hospital in the province, they are requiring the student nurses male or female to personally extract the milk from the mother's breast. The mother would not be discharged and the student won't be cleared if the number of oz. will not be completed.
The milk is used to feed the abandoned babies and babies of the mothers who can't produce milk. -
I agree that you do see more bare flesh with certain types of tops and few people think that is a problem.
Most mums do try to be discrete if they need to nurse in public. I know you get the exhibitionist types who practically strip to the waist, but that isn't necessary. I often fed my sons in cafes and restaurants, no one ever said anything because I didn't draw attention to myself. I'm not sure what I would have done if any one had though. Probably left (and not gone back). I certainly wouldn't have gone into the toilet. I mean, who wants to eat their dinner on the loo, however old or young they are. -
Yes, I think breastfeeding in public is acceptable, with a blanket.
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Milky milky :-)
Of course breast feeding should be allowed. We live in this anal world where we are scared to offend anyone's sensibilities. A child knows no better, and they should be given their fix as and when needed.
We live in this dumbed down world, please don't make it any dumber, by oppressing a natural thing such as breast feeding.-
I know, I'm practically shocked by how many people are against it. It just skin and milk, puuuuuleeeese.
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it should be publicly accepted. nothing is wrong with breast feeding. its a natural thing where people should see it and not be disgusted by it. most women just put a blanked over im pretty sure if you were the women giving the breast milk its probably difficult because its embarassing to do such an act in public but i think people should be supportive about this. -
"morgantj
Or maybe you are being inconsiderate of them and their baby. Just as they could cover themselves, you can just as easily not look."
how can u not see a woman breastfeeding, when walking out of a store in a Mall, and she is sitting on a bench facing you and your family?
Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing for a new mommy and baby, but for a breastfeeding mother to do it like it is done at home is something she needs to just re think.
I have seen women breastfeed their babies all my life.. and I am a female also... I breastfed every Doll I had as a kid -
"Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing for a new mommy and baby, but for a breastfeeding mother to do it like it is done at home is something she needs to just re think."
So you think mothers should stay at home until their babies are weaned?
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What's wrong, it shows only the mother baby relation...
~Bala
balaatcount@gmail.com
imagesever.blogspot.com -
Hmm...i'm 19, and i'd rather not have to see that in public. I have witnessed my girlfriend's aunt beastfeeding in her home, and i gotta tell you, it was awkward. And i consider myself fairly mature. It is a beautiful, natural thing, i would just ask those mothers who feel the urgency coming on to use some discretion. The fact is, most men (and probably some women) just aren't as comfortable with it as the mother who is actually breastfeeding. Just be careful, thats all :]
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