Nursing Baby

i did not know where to put this but would like the opinion of both men and women, about nursing baby in publc with no covering of breasts

[jo929]

i was talking to a young woman this morning and the subject came up about nursing baby in public, she said her dad had a xmas dinner for about 20 people and her sister in law baby started to cry and the woman whipped out the ole breast and started feeding Baby with no covering and she said i was just sick every one stared and my dad just hated it anyway i had read somewhere that a woman was in a nice restaurant with huband and baby ant the place was full the baby cried the woman whipped out the ole breast and was feeding baby no covering and one woman walked up to her and told her she was indecent to cover her breast that men women and children were there anyway words were exchanged   my questions are this
what would you do just stare ignore it or tell her to cover what would your husband or boyfriend think also how would this affect teens and chidren also do you think that it would be improper for a waiter to bring her a linen napkin to cover herself?
Myself i am old senough to have seen every thing but back when moms fed baby they used a small blanket if company was around i would ignore it, but i would feel that teens and others may be sort of shall i say distracted  what is your opinion there are no right or wrong answers i just would like to know how others feel about this   jo

[mami1323]

I still think using a blanket is appropriate.  I wouldn't understand how a woman isn't embarrassed to just whip her boob out in public.  Even if it's for something as beautiful as breastfeeding.  In public is fine as long as you can be discrete about it.

[Judy246]

I'm going to be honest with you, I think you should be able to breast feed your child anywhere, BUT find a private, quite spot where the baby and you will not be disturbed and not have the breast exposed for all to see. Breast feeding is necessaryand bonding with your infant,  but if done outside of the home, it should be done privately, tastefully and appropriately and not have a breast exposed. Many places, store, etc, have rest rooms, nursing area, etc. I pesonally don't want to view someone's breast as they feed their infant, but I'm sensitive to the need and a mother should also be sensitive that she is in full view of everything that is out there.

[megochick101]

I agree with all the other posters. It is completely unacceptable to me for a woman to show her boob in public, regardless of the reason. There are specially made covers for it, or you can use a blanket!

I was actually in a family restaurant once and a woman just whipped out her boob and started breastfeeding, while there were probably 25 other families around with children. That is completely inappropriate! I was also breastfeeding at the time(with a blanket because i do not want anyone to see my boob!) and after my daughter was finished I went over and offered the woman my receiving blanket(praying that she maybe just forgot one) Well she says to me, no i don't need it, I'm fine. I couldn't believe it. Well I asked her(very politely i might add) to please cover up as I didn't want my 2 year old seeing her breast. And then SHE made a complaint to the manager saying that I was harassing her, for asking her ONCE to cover up her boob!

Let me just restate, it's fine to breastfeed in public, but please cover yourself! No one should unwillingly to subjected to someones private parts. Regardless of which ones they are and why they are being exposed.

[Beargizmo]

Let's face it...that is the function for which those particular portions of the female anatomy were created and to me there is nothing more wonderful that a woman breast feeding her baby..I do believe covering up is a good idea, but I don't believe in sending them off to the rest room or some place....in a gathering of 25 family members a good idea might be to excuse one self and move to another room if they have no cover, or cover up.

I don't find myself staring at a woman's breast/s should I encounter a woman nursing her baby in a public place, I truly find it a wonderful beautiful thing and get quite upset when people get all uppity over it...again..that is what they were created for and I don't think the rest of us cover ourselves up while we eat.

Jim

[peggy64]

Modesty should be in style and is called for, is proper and respectful to oneself and to others. But in todays society you don't see much of modesty or properness or respect.

(I guess it is not taught very much anymore.)

Nakedness is nakedness whether it is one breast or the whole of the anatomy.

[Beargizmo]

how much of a woman's breast is visible during nursing...my ex nursed our kids and all I saw was what one would see in a typical swim suit bikini and the same today whether in a mall, grocery store, whatever...I wouldn't consider using one's breasts to feed one's baby to be nakedness, but a beatiful act of nature....what can be more loving that a woman feeding her baby naturally?  And again, I don't go around staring at the act either.


Jim

[Judy246]

The breast should not be exposed to public view at all.  There is a tasteful and proper and necessary way to feed and bond with infant in public without it become a side show for people to point or perverts to gawk. A light blanket or whatever means of cloth will take care of the feeding and keeps the baby warm while receiving necessary food

[Lisi251]

I also think breastfeeding is a good thing, I was at the doctors office not to long ago with my husband when a very young women whipped out her boob right in front of us & began feeding.We where so embarrassed we just looked the other way which was hard being that she was sitting directly in front of us.So in my opinion I think its great but cover up so you dont make people uncomfortable.

[heatherlynn22]

i'm with beargizmo. i don't find anything offensive about a woman breastfeeding her baby in public. i've seen plenty of women feeding in public and never thought twice about it. i've seen women more exposed in bathing suits and regular clothes than breast feeding...if anything i find those women more offensive than a breastfeeding mother.

[Beargizmo]

Yes, Judy...I can agree with that (who am I a man talking about this stuff..) anything but telling her to go to the rest room or out to the car or something...


Jim

[heatherlynn22]

i hate it when people tell a breast feeding mother to go the bathroom...i had someone tell me that (and yes i used a nursing cover...i don't have the balls to just whip out my boobie for all to see...). this guy walked up to me and told me how disgusting it was to let a kid (my boys were 2 months old at the time) suck on my t** (his words not mine) in public and to take it to the bathroom because i was being disgusting and that is not something to be done in public. what i told him was to take his fu#%*$^ lunch to the bathroom and sit on a toilet and eat. see if he likes it and that i was not making my infant sons eat in a disgusting, smelly bathroom. if he didn't like it he didn't have to look. (and no nothing was showing except for their little feet. (and i fed one at a time not at the same time...i wasn't that talented. lol)

[imanaddict]

You go girl!!!! I would've said the EXACT same thing if that had happened to me.

I have never found it disgusting that women breastfeed her children in public. There are no laws against it and if I'm correct, there are laws protecting it. If a woman is comfortable whipping her boob out for all to see, whatever.... I wouldn't do it without some sort of cover up, but that's me and my opinion and who am I to judge another mother for feeding her baby? The kids gotta eat  and I'd rather watch a breast feeding session than hearing the baby scream bloody murder from  hunger! LOL!!!

[heatherlynn22]

i remember when i worked at mcdonalds way back when one of the managers got a complaint from a WOMAN about another woman breastfeeding and not covering  up her breast, he went out and told her she either had to go to the restroom, stop breastfeeding or leave. she sued mcdonalds. she won. they had to put stickers next to all the doors that said "BREASTFEEDING IS WELCOMED IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT". i'm not sure if the woman also received a monetary gain or not but yup there are laws that protect breastfeeding mothers.

[Judy246]

Jim, your opinion is always welcome and appreciated and you know that :). I think it's natural and necessary to breast feed where ever you want, BUT put a baby blanket or whatever.  I personally don't want to see someone's boobs exposed in front my face or fiance or a child to view in an inappropriate way. I also believe its the law to be able to feed anywere (I think?), but cover up. Also, bikini's are where they belong, the beach. I'm sure if someone walking around in a bikini shopping mall would bring awkward looks, but there is no need for the public to view the breast, bringing stares and good forbid perverts so enjoy the view.

[heatherlynn22]

if someone is staring at a woman who is breast feeding in an inappropriate way that person needs serious psychiatric help. it's one thing for a kid to be curious, someone to look in disgust (which baffles me how someone can view breastfeeding disgusting) and someone staring..to see boobie or being perverted about it. there is nothing sexual or "desirable" about a breast feeding mom and anyone who sees it like that is so gross. so so gross.

[Judy246]

I personally find offensive anyone who finds breast feeding discugusting, because it's natural and a beautiful way of mother and child bonding between and necessary as the source of food for the baby and when a baby is hungry, he or she, doesnt care where the are and will scream at the top of their precious little lungs desperately for their milk, and a mother has every natural right to breast fee her baby anywhere she wants, but we are living in a very insensitive world and I personally find offensive anyone approaching a mother to cover up her breast, so it's a personal choice, but an exposed breast will definately result in public discomfort, unwanted stairs and unecessary, possibly offensive reactions or comments....that's just the type of world we are living in.

[heatherlynn22]

it's a shame we live in this sort of world where something so wonderful, beautiful and natural as breastfeeding can be twisted into something offensive, disgusting and perverted. just a pure shame.

[kylani]

I have to agree that this world has turned corrupt when a breastfeeding mother that doesn't cover up is deemed gross or inappropriate. I see way too many women dressing in revealing tops or really short skirts that show more then these mothers would, since the areola is covered from the baby, and the rest that's being shown is just skin like the stuff on your arm. Every women who gets bugged for doing this in public from people who find it wrong deserves to yell their heart out at them. It's funny how people can make a big deal about this, but by law where I am women can walk around topless, but I bet nobody would think that's gross...

[treazzure007]

i breastfed my son for 2 years and honestly was too uncomfortable to ever breastfeed in public.  men are sooooooooooo (can i stress the 'o' enough?) perverted.  they were trying to look at my breasts!  
i remember attempting to breastfeed while in the car before we ever went into the mall and 3 men came and congregated near our car, one was security!  i was likely being watched on those surveillance cameras on the parking lot light poles.  there were other instances too before i gave up altogether including some creepy guy at church.  i wouldn't dream of giving them the sexual satisfaction so it was the restrooms for me or staying home nearly the whole 2 years

[Judy246]

You are a perfect example of what I was trying to point out "they were trying to look at my breast!)...point made about the world we live in with perverts and breast feeding in public.  Judy

[Beargizmo]

please remember that not all men are like this..I hope you weren't by yourself in your car (besides the baby)...If it were me that stumbled across such a thing I'd clobber the guys
(assuming your boy friend/husband wasn't there) and then stand WITH MY BACK TO YOU and keep any eye out for these jerks.

What a shame you had to wind up in the restroom.


Jim

[heatherlynn22]

it's a shame there aren't many guys like you out there jim. i'm thankful i never had anyone stare pervertedly at me while i was breastfeeding...just ignorant people thinking i was gross and inappropriate.

[megochick101]

Ok i'm just going to comment here again. The woman i saw in teh restaurant popped out her breast, left it hanging out for at least a minute THEN put her child to her breast, then while burping her child, STILL had her entire breast exposed the entire burp time, then took out her other breast BEFORE putting the first one away, had her other breast out for at least a minute also, then put the baby on that breast, then again left her entire breast out for the duration of the burping(which was about 3 minutes i'd say) THAT to me is extremely offensive, especially since3 everytime I looked up from my meal to talk to my husband I saw this woman's breast right in my line of vision! and my son was sitting right next to me, he two and he kept asking me in a loud voice why that lady was showing her privie parts(his word for private parts at the time).

That to me is extremely offensive and completely inappropriate. Now if you can whip out your boob and then immediately cover it with the baby and not have anyone see anything, then go ahead, but otherwise, have some consideration for other people who are eating and don't expose your breasts for at least 5 minutes to me and my family!

And I am not some pervert who just stares at other woman's breasts. This woman was sitting at a center table in the middle of the restaurant, and she was directly in front of me, so every time i looked up, there she was. And for 45 minutes, almost every time I looked up, there was her boob right in front of me, not even 6 feet away.

Now I am FULLY in support of breastfeeding, I did it myself. But even though breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, and is necessary, i still don't find it excusable to just whip out your boobs for 5 minutes in full view of a room full of strangers, with children, and think that's just fine and dandy. Because it isn't, use a blanket!


I'll probably get yelled at for posting that, but come on! Those are your boobs, your private parts and they should NOT be exposed in public.

[megochick101]

I just had to add, while i agree with you that there is nothing sexual about breastfeeding, HOWEVER a woman's breast is a sexual thing and is a private part and has no business being exposed in public.

[peggy64]

i agree with you. It has to do with respect for oneself and for others. It is natural, heck, so is urinating and defecating, but I don't want to see anyone dropping drawers to perform that natural act, either.

   i repeat.....Modesty should be in style and is called for, is proper and respectful to oneself and to others. But in todays society you don't see much of modesty or properness or respect.

(I guess it is not taught very much anymore.)

Nakedness is nakedness whether it is one breast or the whole of the anatomy.