Do you think that women should be able to breast feed in public?

Question

I have seen women wearing next to nothing with everything hanging out and that is acceptable, but if a woman wants to feed her baby everyone makes a big deal. I nurse and I don't do it in public, but I think that women who want to should be able to.

Answer 1

yes, a mother should be able to breast feed in public. i all ways did it in public. what people don't understand is that nursing takes a lot of time to do, you shouldn't stop what your doing and hide just because some idiot is going to get offended. when i went shopping and my daughter was hungry i nursed her while i walked and looked around. i didn't have time to hide in a corner, go back to the car or go to the bathroom, that is disgusting and unsanitary. breastfeeding is a natural thing, a women that breast feeds should not have to live like quasimodo and then come out of hiding when she weens her baby.

Answer 2

Well, first of all, women cannot legally be prevented from breastfeeding in public in they wish to. Personally I always did it discreetly, either in a private place or with a light covering, but that was for my own feelings of modesty and I never looked down on any other mother for doing it more openly. (I would never, however, do it in a public bathroom as one person suggested! A nursing mother has a right to nurse in a place that is clean and pleasant, not hide in a filthy stinking bathroom like she's doing something dirty).

Breastfeeding is truly the one of the most natural things possible, and absolutely the best thing for the baby, and it boggles my mind that anyone would be offended by such a lovely sight as a mother feeding her child the way God/nature intended! Everyone should just do it if they want to, whenever they want to, and everyone else will just get used to seeing it! And if some guys giggle at maybe seeing a boob.... just grow up please......

Answer 3

I think it's ridiculous if someone gets offended by public breastfeeding. If anyone gets offended, I just tell them, "next time you eat, go in the bathroom and put a blanket over your head...then see how you feel"Breasts wouldn't form on women if it didn't serve a purpose, and if a mouth can serve the purpose to take food, then it's just as well a breast can serve the purpose to feed...so...noone gets offended if a baby is hungry, why should they be offended if the baby is eating? By the way, I don't know how old your baby is, but my sister works with the American Academy of Pediatrics & I happened to be breastfeeding at the time I asked about the new food guide pyramid for children so she mentioned that even though the current reccomendation of exclusive breastfeeding is 6 mo.s,they're planning on publishing new reccomendations in or around May 07' that babies should be exclusively breastfed until at least 1 yr. Sorry if I talk too much..hehe...I'll shut up now, have a good day.

Answer 4

I am a breastfeeder, I am also a mother to a 3 yr old boy and 10 mth old girl. I, like every other person out there has to run errands and keep my 3 year old active and socialized. When you are a breastfeeder, a baby has to eat between 2-4 hrs. It is impossible to be home all day long. I cant use a restroom to breastfeed and keep my son from flushing toilets or pulling all the toilet paper off the roll. My daughter has to eat and when she needs the breast, I will find a quiet spot and feed her. I used to cover up but it gets so warm at times that some babies will not eat. When a baby breastfeeds, the head covers most of the breast including the nipple. Women have every right to feed their baby any way they choose, whether its breast or bottle, in the bathroom or sitting in the middle of a crowded mall. Most people see scantily clad women walking around with the tops of their breast showing and cleavage but cant glance at a breastfeeding woman without feeling disgust. Thats whats wrong with this world, there arent enough people with minds open enough to see the difference.

Answer 5

The problem is not so much the women feeding, but the males that want to make a big deal because they are too immature to realize that she is doing something totally natural. Some men get excited any time they see a breast.
On the reverse end of things, I hope that women will take to feeding their babies with as much discretion as possible, because just as there are some men that can't control themselves, there are some women that can't help but flaunting what they have (just like what you have described). However, I mainly see men acting the fool more so than women. Americans as a whole have a lot less maturity when it comes to the human anatomy.

Answer 6

Women ARE allowed to breastfeed in public. I am a mom of 6 and the last four are 3,2,1 and 5 mo., I have been breastfeeding since 2002. I nurse my babies any time they need to be. In the store, at dr. offices, park, in the mall, the main thing is .....is to cover yourself up and not to hide!! I don't go sit in the corner, or in the back of the room, BUT at the same time I don't do it right in the middle of the room to make a big scene of myself to say to everyone "Hey look at me!! I am Breastfeeding right here and right now!!" I do it in restaraunts all the time. I just cover with a blanket and nurse I have NEVER had anyone ask me to leave or stop. Breastfeeding is a great thing for babies (and moms) and I think moms who choose to nurse their babies should also be given help on nursing in public at the hospital along with all the other info you get when the nurse helps you learn how to breastfeed. I think the main thing is to just cover up. Learn how to do it with out your eyes......Cover, lift shirt , latch on. Easy.

(side bar, My daughter used to get embarassed when I nurse in public cuz some times people would stare or as she said "try to take a peek", I said if they want to look at a mom's shrivled up old boob then I guess I just made two people's day, my baby and the pervs!! lol)

Answer 7

No, she shouldn't. I personally don't agree with the law against indecent exposure. I think if people want to be naked, it's their business, and ONLY their business. But since there IS such a stupid law, Breast feeding in public should be illegal, too. It is distracting, and some women have their breasts hanging out, and make it WAY too obvious that they are breast feeding.
Not that i'm shallow, or mean, but the really ugly and/or fat ladies shouldn't be doing it...They are TOO noticeable, and it's not a pretty sight. Hell, no one should be doing it, but if it HAS to be done, only good looking girls should do it.
Anyway, I still don't understand why women have to do it. It's almost as if they are bragging and want EVERYONE to see. It's so annoying with some women and their bullsh*t. They're all like "omg, this is so beautiful. its a beautiful bond. i have to show everyone". NO, it's NOT beautiful, and nobody cares. Go inside and do it, or use a breast pump and pump it into a bottle and feed them! Jesus!

Answer 8

Of course they should be able to breastfeed in public. There are laws protecting the rights of breastfeeding moms to breastfeed wherever they choose.

That said, when I breastfeed I tried to be as discreet as possible, given the age of the baby (some older babies and especially toddlers over one year do *not* like to be covered up and will whip the blanket off at inopportune moments and yell loudly). When this happened, I switched to feeding them in a darkened area, the car, or the bathroom. Just because I felt uncomfortable with both my breasts exposed and my baby grabbing and twiddling my nipples while he nurses (they like to do that as they get older).

So yes, breastfed in public but be mindful of people's feelings and make a reasonable effort to be discreet. I think as the child gets older, you should be more diligent about being unobtrusive when in public.

Answer 9

If a baby needs to eat then by all means feed him/her, but do it tactfully. I am currently breastfeeding my six week old son and have just not had the guts to do it in public, I always bring a bottle of pumped with me when we go out. To the women that can though I say bravo.

To the woman who suggested feeding the baby in the bathroom, why don't you take your lunch in there and see if you feel differently afterward.

Answer 10

I think that's a bunch of bull that people look down on women who nurse in public I have a 10 year old and 6 month old twins I nursed all of them in public and never had any problems!