Breast feeding in public... gross or okay?

[PatsMom]

I nursed my daughter wherever we happened to be when she got hungry. And she usually didn't want a blanket over her head and I don't blame her. I have no problem with women breastfeeding in public.

 

[MulanUSAF]

How did you know she wasn't wearing a bra? (HINT HINT--just b/c you saw some portion of her breast exposed while she was nursing, you cannot say she wasn't wearing a bra...)

Perhaps because her other breast is just hanging out? Not trying to get too graphic here, but that was probably what prompted me to wonder about the whole breast feeding thing. If I hadn't seen anything like that, I wouldn't have given her a second thought. I understand babies need to eat, that's totally fine. But is it really necessary to expose yourself to the whole world? Anyways, I'm surprised by some of the answers and I do have to say it's rather enlightening.

 

[goofy!]

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?

Nope, not gross at all.

I find masticating noisily with one's mouth open far grosser. Yet, I do not feel it necessary that these diners place their napkins over their heads in a public place while they eat.

 

[RadioNate]

We are such prudes in the country. It is a breast, who cares? Breastfeeding is a completely natural part of life so I say go right ahead. Nudity doesn't always have sexuality attached to it. Most of the world isn't nearly as caught up on nudity as we are, especially in Europe.

The only time I am annoyed by it is when it is obvious that the mother is trying to make a point. At that point it stops being about feeding the baby and starts being about making some kind of public stance and those are generally annoying in any situation.

Once they can jsut walk up and help themselves I think it might be a problem.

No joke! Really. A breast. Shocking.

America is so uptight.

Totally normal! Not gross at all.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Perhaps because her other breast is just hanging out? Not trying to get too graphic here, but that was probably what prompted me to wonder about the whole breast feeding thing. If I hadn't seen anything like that, I wouldn't have given her a second thought. I understand babies need to eat, that's totally fine. But is it really necessary to expose yourself to the whole world? Anyways, I'm surprised by some of the answers and I do have to say it's rather enlightening.

Maybe I am oblivious in my 9+ years of being a mom and my 6.5 years of bfing (we extend feed in our household though usually I stop NIP at a certain point due to the offensive stares of others who can't handle a toddler being NIPed).

But I have NEVER seen such a display as what you describe in my entire life. Except once--in someone's house..but hey it was her home, she had a new born and she was exhausted and it wasn't public.

I actually only hear about it from staunch opposers of NIP.

I doubt she was walking with the kid on one breast with the other breast flopping about as you seem to be describing. With nipple and areola exposed? On the non-nursing side? Really?

I apologize for doubting you--but that isn't even what pro-bfing supporters advocate and not what laws are intended to cover.

Yet the ONLY time I hear about it is from people who seem to be overall disgusted with the notion of NIP.

I've nursed in a Moby and a sling and the only breast that is not in the cup of the bra is the one that the baby is nursing on as is the case for pretty much anyone I have personally noticed to be nursing.

 

[BeenHereB4]

Just for fun...since everyone has remained calm... Does anyone think there is a certain age a child reaches where public breastfeeding may be starting to get innappropriate.... What if it were a 3 year old child instead of an infant?

I nursed both of mine until they were about 2. After about a year though, it was only needed maybe in the AM, nap time and in the PM so less likely I'd have to do it outside of my own home.

 

[robinb]

Perhaps because her other breast is just hanging out? Not trying to get too graphic here, but that was probably what prompted me to wonder about the whole breast feeding thing. If I hadn't seen anything like that, I wouldn't have given her a second thought. I understand babies need to eat, that's totally fine. But is it really necessary to expose yourself to the whole world? Anyways, I'm surprised by some of the answers and I do have to say it's rather enlightening.

What I find enlightening is when the thread doesn't seem to be going your way you come up with more "details" like her other breast swinging in the breeze .

 

[hucifer]

I nursed in public many times. Never got a second glance from anyone (that I noticed).

 

[disney1990]

I have no problem with BFing in public - covered or uncovered. Some babies just don't like to be covered. What really bugs me is seeing a woman BFing in the bathroom - yuck! Nobody should have to eat in the bathroom.

 

[Darsa]

LOL, the way people dress (or don't dress ) nowadays, I could never be sickened by something as natural as a mom nursing a baby. I've seen plenty of people with a shirt fully on that I wish I could throw a blanket over! There was this one woman whose child attended the preschool I was office manager for; she came in with a thin T-shirt and no bra, and she REEEAAALLLLY needed a bra... it was disturbing.

 

[bubie2.5]

I don't see why would anyone think is gross to bf a baby, even is the breast is showing.

 

[MerMom60_94]

Maybe I am oblivious in my 9+ years of being a mom and my 6.5 years of bfing (we extend feed in our household though usually I stop NIP at a certain point due to the offensive stares of others who can't handle a toddler being NIPed).

But I have NEVER seen such a display as what you describe in my entire life. Except once--in someone's house..but hey it was her home, she had a new born and she was exhausted and it wasn't public.

I actually only hear about it from staunch opposers of NIP.

I doubt she was walking with the kid on one breast with the other breast flopping about as you seem to be describing. With nipple and areola exposed? On the non-nursing side? Really?

I apologize for doubting you--but that isn't even what pro-bfing supporters advocate and not what laws are intended to cover.

Yet the ONLY time I hear about it is from people who seem to be overall disgusted with the notion of NIP.

I've nursed in a Moby and a sling and the only breast that is not in the cup of the bra is the one that the baby is nursing on as is the case for pretty much anyone I have personally noticed to be nursing.

I wasn't there to see what the OP saw so who knows, but I tend to agree with Lisa on the part I bolded. The reason is that when I BF'd my breasts were much larger than usual and needed the support. Also, they tended to leak on occasion and wearing a bra allowed me to use one of those little pad thingies to minimize leakage through my shirt. Going without a bra would have been very uncomfortable. Since OP was embarrassed by what she saw, I am assuming she looked away fairly quickly and didn't stare the woman down. Perhaps she didn't see what she thought she saw?

I BF'd in public. If I didn't I would have been a shut in since my DD had to be fed every few hours and was a lazy nurser in her early months so she was on my breast more often than she was off. (Lazy nursers fall asleep and have to be woken up to continue their feeding). My DD had hip dysplasia and I'll never forget one time when we went to the hospital for an appointment for her to have an x-ray. While we were there it was feeding time. I took her into the ladies room so I could be discreet. I always unbuttoned from the bottom up so nobody could see any more than they had to. Apparently I was being successfully discreet because a couple of old ladies saw me with a baby and didn't realize I was nursing until they came close to look at the baby. At that point their jaws dropped and they acted very embarrassed and gave me "looks" for breast feeding in public. OP, if you had been in my shoes and had a medical appointment and the baby had to be fed, what would you have done differently?????

 

[ginna74]

I don't find it gross at all... but I do think it is not appropriate to be having breasts in full show. I feel like it is the same as me going topless down the street or hubby with no pants. breast feeding is the most natural thing that can happen but doesn't mean I want to see your full breast hanging away with nipple showing too. I haven't seen many of those at all and sometimes I wonder if it is a "for show" thing. And I did breastfeed for a short time, I just didn't bare all to the world.

 

[Disney Doll]

It doesn't bother me. Half the time I don't even notice. I think the average woman is generally pretty discreet and covered up when nursing.

There are always some nuts who are going to try and "make a statement" about nursing and be very obvious and so forth (my crazy SIL being one of them...used to pull her breast completely out of her shirt and hold it in her hand...and she wasn't small...for the "look at me I'm breastfeeding" attention!), but there are nuts in every group.

 

[paintnolish]

I have no problem with BFing in public - covered or uncovered. Some babies just don't like to be covered. What really bugs me is seeing a woman BFing in the bathroom - yuck! Nobody should have to eat in the bathroom.

 

[AntePrincess]

Nothing wrong, gross, or inappropriate about nursing a child in public. It's less a manners issue than a human rights one. Babies have a right to be nursed, it's their natural food, it's the best food for them, and it's a public health issue besides. I'd go so far as to say that accepting nursing mothers in public is a civil rights issue, since the alternatives are to not meet their baby's needs or to be shunted out of public almost entirely. (No, there isn't a schedule you can plan around. Yes, pumped or expressed milk in a bottle has added costs and problems associated with it.)

As far as courtesy goes, it's mother's job to not make a scene of it insofar as she can avoid it, it's the bystander's job to assume good faith and try not to notice. Perceptions vary, one person's discretion is another's striptease, which is why we rely on social fictions and courtesies to bridge the gap ("Oh? She took her shirt off on stage and breastfed her teen in a yoga pose? I didn't notice, look is that a sale?")

 

[MarilIncredible]

If a woman is discrete about it, I don't see the big deal. Most women I have notced breastfeeding in public did not expose themselves in order to feed their babies. And you really didn't see anything other than cleavage.

Now, the woman I saw a few months ago on the bench in the front of Kmart, with her shirt wide open and no bra, breastfeeding her toddler did kind of gross me out.
Yes, she really had no bra on, and yes, the entire front of her button-down shirt was open. I thought it was offensive. At least she could have found a bench off to the side, or only opened the side of the shirt where the kid was feeding.

 

[Missy1961]

Well, I guess that IS the norm then. I was just a bit unsettled to encounter a woman who has her shirt wide open coming down the grocery isle with no bra on... the baby sling didn't really hide much. Perhaps I was just raised to be quite a bit more conservative.

Actually, this was the norm. Then someone somewhere decided that is isn't nice to do what is natural, and the 'norm' became covering up a natural act. Breastfeeding isn't gross at all, it's more than OK.

 

[OceanAnnie]

LOL, the way people dress (or don't dress ) nowadays, I could never be sickened by something as natural as a mom nursing a baby. I've seen plenty of people with a shirt fully on that I wish I could throw a blanket over! There was this one woman whose child attended the preschool I was office manager for; she came in with a thin T-shirt and no bra, and she REEEAAALLLLY needed a bra... it was disturbing.

Isn't that the truth!

BF doesn't bother me in the least.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I guess if you can walk down the store aisle and bottle-feed your baby, then you can walk down the aisle and breast-feed the baby. Not much difference as far as I'm concerned. I'm a woman and know what breasts look like. Not a big deal to me.

What I'm trying to get past is how comfortable that kind of a meal would be for the baby trying to eat while he/she is being jostled around. I can't imagine that being too easy on the baby's digestive system, but I guess I could be wrong.