If you disagree w/ public breast feeding, are a mother, and have breast fed, have you every breast fed your child while someone in the next stall is peeing? PLUS a 3 month old isn't exactly fast at eating, so this usually takes a while. And not only did one person next to me pee, but several. A few even pooped next to me. As a mother you want and are trying to do the best for your child, and I disagree w/ the argument "would YOU want to eat your food in a bathroom stall?" ONLY because my daughter at 3 months had no idea where she was eating. I agree w/ that argument BECAUSE *I* know where my daughter was eating, and that I was sitting in a bathroom stall (yes sitting down on the toilet because trying to squat AND breast feed was too much multi tasking for me...) where others poop, pee, and change their Aunt Flow products... (eeeew!!!!)
So. Would you take your dinner in a bathroom stall? Would you want to sit there, and read the gross text written across the walls of the stall? Would YOU want to keep munching on that nice juicy steak while someone was squirting the remains of their last meal that had been recently digested into the toilet? I can answer that question for you. You would say NO!!! So why would you want to force an infant in those circumstances? Another point is the woman can remove herself to the car and feed her infant there. Passersby will obviously see her breast feeding, and still be appalled by the act. Not only that, but I don't know about your car, but my car's air conditioning SUCKS while it is idling. It gets muggy, and hot, and I get all sweaty and sticky. Which I think is disgusting for that poor child to have a mother breast feeding her child and occasionally getting a sip or two in of it's mothers dripping sweat. SICK!!!
So what's my motivation for writing this post? I read an article recently where a waitress rewarded a woman for breast feeding her child by buying one of their families pizza's. Then wrote on the receipt "I bought one of your pizza's. Please thank your wife for breast feeding." The short end of the story is the family went to a pizza joint for dinner, their youngest child was fussy. The waitress noticed the child stopped crying and knew instantly why. The woman was covered, and nursing her child. Once she was done, (because of previous negative comments she had received) she excused herself and waited for her family in the car. Her husband went to pay for the food, and the note on the receipt plus they were minus a charge for one of their pizzas is what he was surprised with.
Then came the comments on the article:
"This is gross. I think it offensive and horrible that women nurse in public! It’s indecent! Go to you car or in the restroom. Some woman have no manners or class. This disgusts me."
"Pigs in a blanket."
"Breast feeding in the middle of a Restaurant is a complete lack of Manners and lack of respect to The Meal!
These people probably also support yapping on a cellphone at the Restaurant Table, which is another lack of Manners and disrespect to the Meal."
"In today’s society it’s just not appropriate to breastfeed in public and it’s certainly not needed – there are plenty of ways you can provide for your children without having to expose yourself."
"I realize that for most of human history – the last five thousand years since the Beginning — that people did stuff like breast feeding and whatever in public. Just look at all those tribal photos in National Geographic. Those people simply did what humans to do, in public for all the world to see. They only covered themselves for warmth or protection of sensitive areas if you know what I mean. And they don’t even care. They aren’t even ashamed.
But we’re more sophisticated now and are rightfully disturbed by such things. Like from the Garden of Eden we’re now ashamed of being naked although those tribal aboriginal people aren’t because they never heard about the Christian God and how your supposed to be ashamed to show your stuff like your were proud of nursing and felt like you had to do it instead of going to the women’s bathroom and doing this stuff in private rather than not being ashamed like Eve in the Bible."
PERSONALLY I am offended that breast feeding is such a "controversial" topic, and that people are offended by the act when there are PLENTY of women showing off their "stuff" just walking through the grocery store!! I see more boob action walking through wal*mart than I have ever seen from a nursing woman. Also to compare a breast feeding baby to a barbaric act that only those women who are in "tribes" do because they don't know any better is appalling and disgusting, and quite frankly I want to punch that person in the throat!
Breast feeding is a natural, beautiful, NECESSARY act for the health of an infant. I felt so self conscious about breast feeding that I would often subject my daughter to a hot sweaty car to save the "feelings" of others. UNTIL I went to my family reunion in San Diego, and 2 of my sisters in-law who also had children who were nursing, and weren't (or at least didn't appear to be) bothered by the possibility of people at Sea World, or at Disney Land giving them dirty looks, or saying something to them. I had a moment where my daughter needed to eat, and I excused myself from the group. I couldn't find ANYWHERE in Sea World that would be discreet to nurse, so I plopped myself down by the dolphin tank outside, and tried to awkwardly cover myself up w/ my jacket (which trying to hold your jacket w/ your teeth and maneuver your child is a difficult task... I don't care who you are.
So I gave up, and decided to not worry about it, and just nurse my hungry child. I decided I didn't care what others thought, my daughter was hungry, and tired, and needed to eat! Screw everyone else and being uncomfortable. My daughters health and well being comes before ANYONE'S "feelings". My next child will be breast fed, and I won't care where I am. If my child is hungry... my child will get food. If you don't like it... shut your eyes. We need to teach our children that boobs are not sexual. Boobs are ACTUALLY meant for the nourishment of infants/toddlers. They are meant for the growing needs of children. They provide benefits from a long list of illnesses, protect baby from developing allergies, boost intelligence, protect from obesity, lower the risk of SIDS among MANY other benefits. And that's just for the baby!! There are a few benefits for the mother too. Like lowering the risk SIGNIFICANTLY of breast cancer!!
I'm glad that I was able to breast feed because there are women who physically can't, and WANT to. I so wish every woman who could breast feed would. The benefits out weigh any uncomfortableness. BUT I understand when a woman doesn't want to. I don't "like" to breast feed. It's not something I looked forward to when my child was hungry. It was more of a task than something enjoyable for me. BUT I'm so glad I stuck with it. My daughter pretty much weaned herself around 12 months which is what my goal for length of breast feeding was. Next time it may be longer. But regardless... I'm glad that I chose to breast feed, and I will for sure be less sensitive about others when my child is hungry.
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