Am I alone in finding that young mother(s) see nothing wrong with exposing their nipples when breastfeeding?

Question

I'm a young woman but not yet married or pregnant. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable when I see another woman breastfeeding in public. I asked a question about this last night and the opinions were about split down the middle. In New York, some mothers will whip out their breasts in the park while sitting on a bench or chair. There are always many passersby. They do not cover or even make an attempt to cover their breasts; and more than once I see women adjusting their nipples in full view of the passersby.
Sometimes I get the distinct impression that SOME mothers get a kick out of the fact that others may be watching.
(and btw the WORSE place to nurse a baby is in Central Park. Any and EVERYbody creeps through that park day and night.)
(I know babies get hungry. But it is the WAY mothers breastfeed that disturbs me. I can't imaging exposing my nipples to the general public. And they ARE watching.

oh please. I knew I'd read something about 'looking away' if I didn't like it. Okay.
Breastfeeding is fine. Proud mothers everywhere should expose their nipples. Fine. Women in Africa do it. In fact, they don't wear bras. Fine. Women in the US can march downtown or in malls, nursing their babies. Fine. Who cares that I've seen reactions from creeps and perverts in public places who watch these women. Fine, right? What does a man do when he is making love to a woman? Do you really believe that men see this WHOLLY as a mother/child bond? Fine. Is the 'beauty' associated with breastfeeding worth a perv's satisfaction?
Fine.
We're talking about big cities here ladies.
And someday I will be a mother, I hope. But I hope also that I will be discreet in breastfeeding in a safe secure locale.

Answer 1

I have breastfed 4 babies now and I can't imagine exposing my nipples/breasts in public. I do breastfeed in public but I cover up with a blanket or my daughter is in a sling. After baby is adjusted experienced breastfeeders will often uncover the baby's head while still keeping their breast covered and I think thats fine. People can't even tell you're nursing if you're discreet about it. Its the people that are not modest that give breastfeeding moms such a bad rep

Edit: and I think people are misunderstanding this. I think they mean when women pull their breast out and get the baby latched on with their breast fully exposed as they do so. I've seen women do that or even sit there with their breast exposed as an older child suckles a few times then goes back to breast.

Answer 2

Believe it or not it can be very difficult to breastfeed, sometimes getting a baby to latch on is very hard to do. It's hard enough to do it when you can see, but trying to do it under a blanket?
I agree that mothers should be discreet about it, but I don't think they should have to wear blankets all the time. If the baby is eating you can't see the nipple anyway and you probably see less breast then you would if you were to look at some of the other people passing by.
With very young infants you may be able to get away with covering them up, but not with the older ones, they will just rip the blanket off, and who can blame them? Would YOU want to eat with a blanket covering your head?
I think that if a mother is discreetly breastfeeding that is well within her rights (in fact, just plain breastfeeding, discreet or not, is protected by law) and that if someone has a problem with it they can cover THEIR head up with a blanket, that way they don't have to look.

Answer 3

Wow.
I'm sorry that you have a problem with this. As a nursing mother, I am one of those who just "whips things out"- though I try to be discreet. You try feeding a hungry, squirming baby discreetly while trying to dive through your clothes to locate the ever illusive nipple (without leaking on your clothing in the process).
As for not covering up, I've found that my son HATES to eat under cover. It's hard work to nurse and babies get hot and sweaty, covering them only makes it worse and can lead to grouchy baby (which means gassy and tummy ache) or not eating enough (which leads to underweight and health issues).
Personally, I find the idea of people watching me feed my son repulsive. It's FOOD, he's EATING. It's not a peep show!! My hubby has had to ask people to stop staring and leave us alone may times. I've been berated, asked to cover up or leave, told to feed him in the bathroom (the only place to sit is the toilet- EWW!!) or elsewhere, it's horrible!! How would you feel if someone/many people told you that you couldn't eat in public view??
So it's no wonder many women 1) don't breastfeed, 2) only breastfeed at home (no social life- which leads to depression and resentment and then early weaning), or 3) breastfeed in public whether others approve or not!!
Blessings to you.

Answer 4

1. I have and will breastfeed in public. Though I will be discreet, if something slips out, I don't care
2. I find it disturbing that it is generally other women who complain about seeing something as scary as a breast but guess what, we all have them and it is nothing you don't see in the mirror every day
3. I don't care if some pervert gets enjoyment from seeing a partial breast exposed, that's his issue, not mine
4. it can be VERY difficult at times to latch a baby while trying to juggle modesty, a blanket and other women's nasty, ignorant stares/opinions
5. you rarely hear men complaining about it, just the women - who by the way should be more supportive
6. most people who seem to take offence are women who do not even have children and sorry to be rude, but until you are in the position of having to feed, you really don't know
7. as someone said above, you see more nudity on tv, in advertising that a little bit of boob and oh my god, maybe a flash of nipple, really should not be a concern
8. In Australia, my right to breastfeed however/wherever I want is completely protected and from seeing so many people/women who get offended by a naked breast, I can see why these laws needed to be put in place

Answer 5

I am 19! I have a 18 month old. I breasfed her till she was 14 months old. I breastfed in public also. I wouldnt show my nipples and if i did it wasn't on purpose, but I don't believe that just cause my baby girl was hungry I needed to go private with it. I love to see women that aren't afraid to breastfeed. I would do it again. I was breasfeeding one day in a resturanat and got a lot of bad looks and people commenting on it. I always used a blanket so you couldn't see! What in the world is the problem with it. I don't see no wrong in breastfeeding in public, although I do think you should use a blanket or something and keep it covered a litle more.

I don't mean to make anymore mad about my opinion either.

Answer 6

I can relate to what you are saying. I breastfed everywhere and anywhere but I covered up. I had a nursing shawl which was a blanket with a snap to go around the neck so it wouldn't fall down. I would put that on and let my baby nurse under the blanket. However, when it was really hot, I would have someone help me stay covered while my daughter latched on and then use a cloth or light blanket to keep me pretty much covered but give my daughter air to breathe. I think one time at Sea World I accidentally exposed myself but it was only to the other 10 moms sitting on the benches breastfeeding their babies so none of us cared. I used a sun hat to place over my daughter's head to keep the sun from beating down on her. Sometimes it slips but as long as a mom is trying to be modest, that should be appreciated. You can tell who's trying to cover and who's just letting it all hang out.

Answer 7

i dont do it but i wouldnt be offended if i saw someone doing it- its a tool dedsigend ONLY for feeding a bbay or small child so other people need to get over it- if you dodnt like it then dont look- you dont like but yet you look? i will tell you that my son HATES having a blanket over his head nursing and it gets very hot under there almost suffocating him. he wont tkae a bottle from me at all and i would not do that just for someone elses stupid idea of breastfeeding being indecent. they do it because it is there right to do it- jsut like it is someone elses right not to breastfeed wheather or not i like it. why is a nipple something to be ashamed of? if someone wants to look then so be it? i have breastfed in public although i cover up some people come up to me adn tell waht a wondderful job i am doing. my son also likes to mess with my shirt and and blanket and everything- im not going to stop my life or move jsut becausee someone like you is too imature to understand, repspect andd appreciate the woman's body adn the natural andd normal way to feed a baby
EDIT: i only cover up because I feel bashfull i dont do it for people like you
i breastfeed in front of my 22 10 andd 4 year old brothers without covering up and they dont pay any attention because it's a normal thing- i also breastfedd in front of my sister's husband and he didnt even notice
AND soon when you're a mother you'll see how difficult it is. im from boston and i still dont care

Answer 8

I wont do that when my baby gets here but when I am in my home I dont care who is there I will say I am going to breast feed if you feel uncomfortable leave the room and whoever stays stays and if they go in another room they go I am an open person if they dont care I dont care. Even at my familys home I will do it they dont care and I dont either. But I also live in a small country city and no one really cares much.

I think that it depends I mean I can see where you are coming from but do you realize how hard it is to breastfeed a baby and keep it covered up it takes practice, its probly easier to them and quicker to just not even bother trying. Also I dont care I mean I dont think that its a big deal.

Answer 9

if their nipples are exposed while they're breastfeeding, then they're doing it wrong!!

the nipple should be at the back of the baby's mouth.

and to a breastfeeding mother adjusting their nipple is no different than adjusting a baby's bottle. what the rest of the passersby think of her is their problem, not hers.

and to get a kick out of it... yeah, I sort of did. but NOT in a perverted sexual tone (which is what I assume you mean), but in a "yeah, so I'm breastfeeding my kid, it's better than giving her a bottle, so you gonna dare say something to me about it?" for me it was not about exhibitionism, but more like proudly standing my ground on a social issue.

and of course you can't imagine it... you don't know what it's like to feed your own baby, you don't know what it is like to first grow a baby in your body, then grow one out of it... so don't be so closed minded, be open, be in awe of a woman's body and it's ability to SOLELY SUSTAIN THE LIFE of a young human, and be proud to be among us who have functional mammary glands. I hope some day you'll use yours for what God, or Mother Nature or whatever you believe in, intended them to be used for.

ETA... big ciy, small town... perverts don't have a preferred location... I live in the Dallas area, at the beginning of the hour you can be in a major city and end the hour in a tiny farm town - I've nursed in every location imaginable... yes, there are men who look in a perverted manner... but so what? I have a big JLo butt too, am I supposed to wear a long coat in Dallas when it's 110 degrees in July? I'm not going to hide because there are some stupid, immature, perverts out there... again it is their problem, not mine.

Answer 10

I breastfeed in public all the time, but I do cover up, and I am very discreet. It doesn't bother me when I see another mom feeding her baby, but I know some people, like yourself, are uncomfortable with it so I'm always careful to stay covered.