Excuse me for a second. Gotta grab my soapbox…
I’m back. Here we go.
I nurse Austin in public. If he’s hungry, he’s going to eat.
There are tons of people on Twitter that will say “OMG this woman is breastfeeding her baby in public SO GROSS” or “go in the bathroom!” or “at least cover with a blanket!” or other similar ignorant comments. Just yesterday, may be the day before, a blogger from Better Homes and Gardens wrote a post on the 10 Commandments on Taking Kids Out To Eat and one of them was “Thou shalt not breastfeed at the table.” She then continued on by saying “if at all possible, go to the ladies room.” The editor removed the breastfeeding commandment after 1000 of us bombarded her with comments, and she apologized. (Natalie however, copied and pasted the entire article on her blog. You can read it here, and I do not take responsibility for her language bahahaha). I even had one of Christopher’s friends tell me I couldn’t feed Austin in public, covering me with a napkin. His girlfriend had more breast showing than I did. Facebook continually deletes pictures of mothers breastfeeding and suspends numerous accounts for it.
Really.
1. Breasts were made for babies. Breasts make milk. That milk is to feed babies so that they grow and HOPEFULLY not turn out to be rude and ignorant. End of story.
2. You can’t tell that I am feeding Austin. If you can tell, you’re looking way too hard, and you have a problem, and need to stop staring. If you have a problem with my breastfeeding in public, then DON’T LOOK. Don’t want to see my boobs? DON’T LOOK. Turn your head, continue on with your dinner and let my baby enjoy his without your eyes buring holes into the back of his head.
3. Pull up Facebook. Pull up People.com. Drive down the interstate and look at the billboards. I bet you ONE MILLION IMAGINARY INTERNET DOLLARS that there will be more cleavage shown than you can EVER see on a breastfeeding mother. I also bet you that you will see pictures of woman in bikinis that barely cover their orifices. But DEAR GOD feeding a baby with NO SKIN showing is so absolutely offensive.
This is completely acceptable.
And this absolutely not?
America- You are over-sexed. Get your head out of the gutter and stop looking at boobs on the internet and stop looking at mine.
4. Jesus was breastfed. Moses was breastfed by a wet nurse. There are thousands of images & sculptures of Mary nursing Him, and even a couple with a saint nursing from her as well (I think that is supposed to be metaphorical). So she MUST have breastfed in public, right?! This painting hands in the VAITCAN. I mean, how much more public can you get?
Look at fat breastfed baby Jesus lolol so chunky ;)
And check this out. You’d never know she was breastfeeding if little Jesus wasn’t being so mischievous, looking around… Boys are so easily distracted… ;) BTW nice nursing top Virgin Mary! I bet she didn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for that at Motherhood either…
There are numerous references to breastfeeding in the Bible. This website is a very interesting read if you are in the mood!
5. I would like for you to take your plate, go to the bathroom, sit down on the floor, put the plate on the toilet seat, and eat your meal. Oh and look, the person who used this toilet before you sprinkled on the seat. Someone in the stall next to you had bad Taco Bell last night and someone on the other side is pregnant and experiencing her morning sickness in the evening. YUMMY! Sounds appetizing right?! Bathrooms are made for stool, urine, and vomit. It is not a place to eat. I would never expect you to eat in a bathroom and you should never expect my baby to either.
6. I don’t use a cover. I don’t like them. They’re too hot and they’re SUCH a pain. They get in the way and I can’t see the baby, and honestly, I think I’ve shown more using one than not. Some babies WON’T nurse with a cover on. Austin doesn’t really care because he is his father’s son and will eat anywhere and anything (EXCEPT a toilet, I won’t have it ;)), but I don’t like it. If you want to use one, that’s fine, if you’re more comfortable doing it that way, but I’m just not. I have covered up before (like I’ve explained before, in front of teen boys at church, etc) but that’s it.
7. Would you rather hear my screaming hungry baby? Or may be something like this is better?
8. I am protected by law. Most states have a law protecting breastfeeding mothers, stating breastfeeding is legal wherever mother and baby are allowed to be. And if you say I can’t, you’re breaking the law. I don’t think there is anything else that I need to say about that.
Most comments I see are from men who have the wrong impression of breasts (for sex only) or young ignorant teens/young adults. I know because I was there once, and thankfully I changed. We need to make sure that breastfeeding in public is done more. It obviously isn’t seen as the norm, and it is absolutely 100% the normal way to feed a baby! It is the way that God intended it! Women’s bodies automatically do it no matter what. Nothing is wrong with it, and we need to re-normalize it so that I shouldn’t have to make up words like “lact-haters”, much less they exist ;)
Anyone need to borrow this soap box? I think I’m done…
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Nice post. I nursed both of my children – in public, thank you – and I make a point to make eye contact and smile at nursing mothers that I see now.
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