Breast feeding in public... gross or okay?

[cdrn1]

I think the bolded part of MizTinks post was overlooked. I don't want to speak for her but I took her post to mean that it as just as childish to say breastfeeding is gross as it is to say something along the lines of what she did.

Thanks for pointing that out. I DID totally miss it.
I tried and tried to construe it as it was intended but just couldn't quite get there. I must have read it four or five times and never got past the "LOL".
Apologies to MizTink.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

You know what is really gross? Some complete stranger so engrossed at looking at you and your baby that they are oggling you while you are breastfeeding. If you really just walked past a person who had a baby in a sling and thought nothing of it you wouldn't see anything. If you made it a point to really look at the baby (which isn't easy when the baby is in the sling) then it's your problem.

 

[rparmfamily]

It really is posts like this that remind me to be proud of the fact I nurse my baby in public. I can't do it and walk at the same time but I would if I could LOL! I agree, more moms need to be out there (and not in cars or fitting rooms or bathrooms!) nursing so that it become the "norm" again. I promise you about 98% you can't tell what I'm doing. I even flew 28 hrs (yes 14 each way) in October with my baby and most of the time the person next to me didn't know I was nursing.

Oh and my "breastfeeding" kit bag from the hospital had formula in it and information on how to "suppliment" (aka how to wean your baby to formula so we make more money off you!)

Luckily the only person I've actually gotten a negative comment from is my FIL...but he's a jerk sometimes. He's made the "gross" and "doing THAT" type comments to me.

 

[maxiesmom]

You know what is really gross? Some complete stranger so engrossed at looking at you and your baby that they are oggling you while you are breastfeeding. If you really just walked past a person who had a baby in a sling and thought nothing of it you wouldn't see anything. If you made it a point to really look at the baby (which isn't easy when the baby is in the sling) then it's your problem.

Sometimes you can't help but oggle. I got on a Disney bus last year, and we sat in the seats that face the seats on the other side. I didn't notice at first, because I was talking to my nephew, but the lady directly across from me was breast feeding. And she made no attempt to be discreet at all. It was just baby attached, and no other part covered up. And she had rather large parts. I spent most of that bus trip talking to my nephew because I didn't want the lady to think I was oogling her.

My sister breast fed, and she did so during some trips to Disney World too. She had a very open weave blanket that I think our mom made that gave some sort of privacy while ensuring the baby was not hot. I don't see why covering up a bit is so hard to do. Breast feeding is natural, but I really don't want to see other women's breasts.

 

[rparmfamily]

My baby won't let me cover her. Once they hit a certain age it is very hard to cover them, as they grab/hit the cover or get mad at it. So I don't bother covering at all anymore. I do use a few blankets to wrap her in or bunch up around me so it looks like she's just cuddling on my lap. I've probably flashed a few people in the few seconds it takes to latch her on, I hope they aren't scarred too much!!

I find I draw more attention to myself trying to use a cover with a baby kicking/crying/pulling on it then if I just sit and latch her on.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Sometimes you can't help but oggle. I got on a Disney bus last year, and we sat in the seats that face the seats on the other side. I didn't notice at first, because I was talking to my nephew, but the lady directly across from me was breast feeding. And she made no attempt to be discreet at all. It was just baby attached, and no other part covered up. And she had rather large parts. I spent most of that bus trip talking to my nephew because I didn't want the lady to think I was oogling her.

My sister breast fed, and she did so during some trips to Disney World too. She had a very open weave blanket that I think our mom made that gave some sort of privacy while ensuring the baby was not hot. I don't see why covering up a bit is so hard to do. Breast feeding is natural, but I really don't want to see other women's breasts.

What if the woman had two noses? Would you be able to look away then? Of course you would because it would be rude to stare at someone.
I do not bf my kids with blankets over their heads. I am very discreet but I don't want to eat under the covers so I will not feed my kids that way.

Covering up is not hard to do at all. I would suggest half the people I see in WDW could use that advice and they are not BF. I don't think you should have to wax so you can wear your shorts, I think that if you choose to wear white or light colored shorts you should wear underwear. If you don't want to wear a bra that's fine but at least wear a shirt where the armholes aren't so large that your tatas are hanging out the side and wear it in a color where I cannot see your nips. If you are a man your shorts should not be so tight that I can see what your wife sees in your private moments.
People's bodies are natural but that doesn't mean that I want to see everyone's.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

My baby won't let me cover her. Once they hit a certain age it is very hard to cover them, as they grab/hit the cover or get mad at it. So I don't bother covering at all anymore. I do use a few blankets to wrap her in or bunch up around me so it looks like she's just cuddling on my lap. I've probably flashed a few people in the few seconds it takes to latch her on, I hope they aren't scarred too much!!

I find I draw more attention to myself trying to use a cover with a baby kicking/crying/pulling on it then if I just sit and latch her on.

I find if I take off my pants first then my bf is the least of concerns to those around me.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I find if I take off my pants first then my bf is the least of concerns to those around me.

I can just carry extra blankets in the diaperbag and if someone can't help but stare like I'm some sort of peep show, I will be prepared to offer them a cover so that I don't have to be witness to their natural act of staring.

 

[GEM]

My baby won't let me cover her. Once they hit a certain age it is very hard to cover them, as they grab/hit the cover or get mad at it. So I don't bother covering at all anymore. I do use a few blankets to wrap her in or bunch up around me so it looks like she's just cuddling on my lap. I've probably flashed a few people in the few seconds it takes to latch her on, I hope they aren't scarred too much!!

I find I draw more attention to myself trying to use a cover with a baby kicking/crying/pulling on it then if I just sit and latch her on.

True about not being able to cover them up easily once they are old enough to grab and pull! Plus, on the opposite end of that spectrum, when they are very tiny (especially if the mom is new to breastfeeding) she will often need to be able to see the baby to make sure he or she is latched on and feeding correctly.

Like I said, I never used a cover up and nobody ever saw anything that should have left them traumatized for life. I can't say the same about some of the old men in speedos I've seen at Typhoon Lagoon.....

 

[tzolkin]

Educated women may know they have an option; however, there are a lot of uneducated women out there that trust what folks tell them. I've heard countless stories of women being influenced by nurses in the hospital to formula feed because the baby is having issues latching immediately. Some babies just have a problem and you have to persist. Breastfeeding is hard work.

This is true. I was a teen when I had my first child. She was born at noon. By that night, after 47 hours of labor and almost bleeding to death (I have a blood disorder) I was fairly exhausted. I attempted to feed her numerous times, but ultimately wound up pacing the room with a screaming baby all night long. Not once did a nurse offer to help me bf or give me any suggestions on how to soothe her. They did, however, come in several times throughout the night annoyed with the crying and say, "Why don't you just give her a bottle?" "If you would just give her a bottle she would stop crying", etc. I had to wait until right before I checked out to meet with a lactation consultant.

When I had some issues with mastitis and bleeding in the following weeks my doctor just told me to not bf. I had to contact LLL myself and have some one come to my house.

 

[Planogirl]

You sound more militant than any breastfeeding advocate I've ever encountered. And you've obviously misinterpreted the goal of people like the poster you quoted. You see a bf advocate and automatically assume that they're trying to take away your right to bottle feed. If you're reading her post, she clearly states that the work that needs to be done is to make breastfeeding more acceptable. Nothing is said about bottle feeding. She's simply saying that, for the sake of the women who choose to bf, we as a society should be more understanding and accepting. This thread shows that there is still a long way to go to get to the point of acceptance.

Me militant? That's pretty funny.

I just get annoyed by statements that only end up making those who choose or have to bottle feed feel more guilty than they probably already do. I've seen the snide comments often enough to know where some people are coming from.

Maybe this poster didn't mean what I thought. And trust me, I'm well beyond being a part of this. I just feel bad for women who are just doing what they have to and then have to deal with comments and looks. And THAT is true of both sides not just those who bottle feed.

 

[rparmfamily]

I find if I take off my pants first then my bf is the least of concerns to those around me.

Now that's a distraction technique I haven't tried!!! My 7 yr old saying baby wants "b o o b juice" really loud is bad enough!!! (he heard daddy or me say it to the baby a few times at home LOL!)

(I had to put spaces because b o o b is a bad word on DIS!)

 

[maxiesmom]

What if the woman had two noses? Would you be able to look away then? Of course you would because it would be rude to stare at someone.
I do not bf my kids with blankets over their heads. I am very discreet but I don't want to eat under the covers so I will not feed my kids that way.

I wouldn't want to stare at the person in either case. But this lady was directly in my line of vision, right acoss the aisle from me. So that is where my eyes wanted to go, which I think is quite normal. It did suprise me to see her with her parts out, and it did make me uncomfortable. I know breast feeding is natural, but the breast is still a part with a sexual connotation. It is not ok for women to walk around shirtless, yet when a baby is attached it is all of a sudden not supposed to make people uncomfortable. I would be uncomfortable if someone decided to take their top off and sit across from me. Just attaching a baby to the same part does not make that feeling go away. I still think breasts should be covered when possible, even if you are breast feeding at the time.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Now that's a distraction technique I haven't tried!!! My 7 yr old saying baby wants "b o o b juice" really loud is bad enough!!! (he heard daddy or me say it to the baby a few times at home LOL!)

(I had to put spaces because b o o b is a bad word on DIS!)

Trust me- It works every time!

 

[HelenePA]

I wouldn't want to stare at the person in either case. But this lady was directly in my line of vision, right acoss the aisle from me. So that is where my eyes wanted to go, which I think is quite normal. It did suprise me to see her with her parts out, and it did make me uncomfortable. I know breast feeding is natural, but the breast is still a part with a sexual connotation. It is not ok for women to walk around shirtless, yet when a baby is attached it is all of a sudden not supposed to make people uncomfortable. I would be uncomfortable if someone decided to take their top off and sit across from me. Just attaching a baby to the same part does not make that feeling go away. I still think breasts should be covered when possible, even if you are breast feeding at the time.

I think women should be able to go around shirt less if they want.. heck some men out there have bigger breasts than I do and mine aren't small! what's the difference?

 

[Freyja]

I breastfed all my children. If they were hungry I let them eat. Be it on the monorail at Disney, in a bus, at the mall, on a bench in the park, at the kids school, at the store, in the car while waiting for someone...you get the picture

 

[Tasmen]

I think women should be able to go around shirt less if they want.. heck some men out there have bigger breasts than I do and mine aren't small! what's the difference?

Now /that/ is a topic for another thread if I ever saw one -->

Moobs in public...gross or okay?

 

[a1tinkfans]

I don't have kids so I really don't know why some women expose themselves in public to breast feed their baby. Yesterday, I was at the grocery store and this woman was wearing one of those baby slings, one of those hammock type things. As she walked past me, I was shocked to see that she had her shirt open and the baby was having his/her supper. I'm okay with mothers breast feeding their kid with a blanket tent over the shoulder thing, but I've seen more cases of women breast feeding in full view with no cover ups. Is that the new norm now?

Not sure if it is the "new norm:" as you say....
I breastfed, I think it is a wonderful bonding and Healthy experience.
IMHO,
I also think it is RUDE and UN-necessary to force ones "feedings" on the public at large. There are more than enough accommodations for privacy! As much as one likes to "feed" their child, everyone else should not have to be exposed to it. What happened to "modesty?" In this day of all things showing: thongs, butts and breasts , it does not surprise me though....just much less modesty than years ago.... Just MHO...!

 

[cepmom]

Now /that/ is a topic for another thread if I ever saw one -->

Moobs in public...gross or okay?

Moobs!!! Definitely gross!

 

[Stacerita]

Now /that/ is a topic for another thread if I ever saw one -->

Moobs in public...gross or okay?

Especially if they are hairy.