One of my favorite topics of late is breastfeeding in public. There are some strong feelings and opinions when it comes to this practice. Personally, I'm very liberal here (shocker, I know). When Tyler needs to eat, I feed him. I wouldn't say I'm an exhibitionist, but I'm certainly not modest either, so if I don't have to cover up, I don't. My feeling is that if it makes others uncomfortable, they can get over it.
Mark, on the other hand, feels that if the sight of my breastfeeding will make others uncomfortable, I should cover up out of respect to them. I try to do this, but Tyler knows what he likes and he does NOT like to be covered while eating.
It is a law in Oklahoma that women are allowed to breastfeed anywhere in public and that it cannot be considered indecent exposure. Laws like these are meant to encourage women to breastfeed, but the social stigma that follows the practice only make mommies feel as if they are a freak show.
I just feel like we live in a society in which there are explicit sexual images everywhere. If I went to the mall and fed Tyler outside of a Victoria's Secret store, people would be more upset my my actions than by the pictures of nearly nude women behind me. Boobs are meant to feed babies!
What are your thoughts? Does it embarrass you to see a woman breastfeeding in public, covered or not? When in a private social setting (such as a friend's house) should she have to leave the room to feed the baby? Do you have any personal experiences to share?
By the way, I feel that I should also mention that I respect another woman's right to disagree with me. Not every mommy feels as comfortable breastfeeding in public as I do and I get that.
Here is a link to a GREAT essay by a woman who echoes what I feel! http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/bashful-brazen.html
1 comment:
Oh oh you picked something I am EXTREMELY passionate about! I believe in feeding our children the way God provided for us;-) Did you know Jesus was breastfed too? lol I am what some might call a lactivist;-)...I am more interested in the comfort of the baby than in an ADULT who can look away if there is an issue...I say feed your baby when he is hungry and don't worry about anything else...plus you can tell Mark that NOTHING screams BREASTFEEDING BABY than a blanket on top of it! You can discreetly breastfeed by pulling up your shirt rather than pulling out your boob lol BTW I go to church with your Dad in case you were wondering who I was;-)
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