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Breastfeeding in public
I have
always defended
breastfeeding in public.If
you act confident and self-assured about nursing in public most people
will offer you positive support instead of criticism.
I am
already a grandmother of 58 years old, and have used breastfeeding in
public with my children and
now my eldest daughter has breastfed her baby boy. She is 29 years old,
and has followed my steps. I am giving you the ages so that you have an
idea when I started nursing in public.
 She
was days old when I had to go out with her because I could not leave her
behind. I was in the train when she felt hungry so out came my breast,
and
she latched on it.
There I was breastfeeding in public.I noticed some men watching me so I
gazed at them making them feel uncomfortable which made them look away.
Of course they were looking at my breast as a sexual object and not as
an object for feeding a child. That was
the only moment I felt embarrassed. I
can assure you that from then on I changed my attitude. I wasn't going
to close myself in doors, due to the other people´s way of thinking. No
one thinks twice to watch a mum, dig out a bottle from the bottom of her
overloaded diaper bag, to feed her baby. But a mum who discreetly
breastfeeds her child out of doors is somewhat frowned upon even though
in its nature, breastfeeding is the biological way to feed a baby. A
bottle is the artificial way.
 As
for breast feeding in public I have done it with my three children,
repeated times.
I have nursed them in many different
places; the beach, the mall, friend`s houses, family gatherings, on the
side of the road during roadtrips, restaurants, at football, hockey or
rugby matches...
I did this because it
was my privilege not just my right. I am a mum and I felt I would feed
my babies the way I chose, wherever that would be. No one would tell me
otherwise as there were no laws that could stop me. As mums we owe it to
our children to be assertive and stand up for the choices we make in
life. The basic ones being how we parent our children. Feeding the baby
is the most basic necessity there is; and it should be done when the
child is hungry, regardless of where mum and baby are.
Breastfeeding in public is often a big worry for first time mums.
No one likes to feel exposed or
embarrassed.
Nursing a baby is a
natural and beautiful relationship and while no one thinks twice about
 feeding a baby with a bottle in public, the thoughts of breast feeding
in public often creates strong opinions on both sides. If you sustain
the attitude that nursing is normal and healthy you wouldn't eat in the
bathroom or in the backroom; so your baby shouldn`t either.
Discreet nursing simply means you avoid
drawing attention to yourself and/or exposing yourself while
breastfeeding.
If you can master
this art; you will be able to nurse your baby everywhere and no one will
ever know what you are doing.
Eye to
eye contact with your baby is important, so try not to completely cover
up your baby under your clothing or a blanket while breastfeeding.
Stay in tune with your
baby`s needs and feed him as soon as you expect he is hungry.A confident
mum who meets the baby`s needs quickly is likely to have a successful
public breastfeeding experience.
Once breastfeeding becomes a natural and
expected part of everyday life,
breastfeeding in public will
cease to be an issue.
Girls and boys will grow up seeing
mothers breastfeed and think of it as the natural process it is. Rather
then giving bottles to their baby dolls while playing house, they will
offer to nurse instead.
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