I find it really annoying to hear men [and some women] complain when a baby is crying from hunger and the mother pulls over somewhere, unbuttons her top and lets the baby begin its meal. What's worse, hearing the baby keep crying or letting the mother feed it?
A child must eat, so if breastfeeding in public offends you, provide adequate areas for them to eat or don't complain when they eat in public. There ARE worse things done in public.
Breastfeeding is a natural function. Some people, mostly men, come back with a lame line such as, "You don't see me whipping it out in public to pee!" However, there is a BIG difference between the two cases.
The fact is in most public places you will have a far greater chance of finding a restroom than you will a nursing station. The child is eating for crying out loud! Would YOU want to eat in a bathroom with people urinating?
Many restrooms are not set up for nursing mothers. Thus the reason why those who are breastfeeding a baby when going out are often given no other choice than to do it in public. Would you rather the minor site of a mother covering up her child eating its meal or have that baby cry its head off because of hunger?
Breastfeeding should be done consistently. Switching from breast to bottle can confuses the baby. This is why mothers who opt for long term breastfeeding cannot just express the milk and whip it out for public outings. If a woman wished for the benefits of breastmilk, but wanted it to be convenient for everyone else, she would have to take extra time out of her day to pump and store her milk. If you were a new mother, you would understand what limitations it poses on you and your freedom.
Before the Victorian era when people became prudes about such things, often there was no other option but breastfeeding in public when the women had to rush into town to do errands, gather food, or travel. People didn't even think twice about it. If you had a child back then, there was no sterilization process to guarantee safety of a bottle, so most people breastfed a baby.
Bottle feeding is a relatively new concept. Formula is great, but breast milk is much better for the overall health of a child.
In today's society, the female breast is related to sex in the minds of many men. They do not want to equate their favourite sexual body part with the function it was meant to serve. This is why men especially find public breastfeeding offensive. You are letting an infant play around with their favourite sexual part and they can't touch it.
In my opinion, this is as bad as the Muslim countries who force women to cover up because the men cannot control their urges so it is the responsibility of the women to ward off their temptations.
What really iritates me about this subject are the other more vulgar things I see in public that people tend not to make rude comments like the following:
- Couples making out [straight or gay] - get a room!
- Nose pickers, belching, farting, crotch grabbing - at least say, "Excuse me."
- Profanity yelled out over the crowd
- Brawls
- Pets with or without a leash releasing bowel movements on a sidewalk or the grass - and leaving it there!
- Fat and hairy men without a shirt on
- Middle-aged women who think they look hot wearing the clothing of their teen daughters in public
- Loud music blasted from car speakers which feel like an earthquakes is coming by
- Groups of men who make inappropriate comments to women walking by minding their own business
- Rude children knocking people over without a parent in sight
- People dressed casually at a formal affair
- People eating like pigs, smacking their lips, sucking their fingers, picking their teeth...
- Aggressive acts on others - road rage, yelling at people, jumping the queue...
I could think of more examples, but these should suffice. The funny thing is, some people involved in those activities will complain about a woman breastfeeding in public.
If you are going to get squeamish about a woman breastfeeding then you have two options to avoid these situations. Help public places establish public nursing stations (not restrooms!) that would be a more appropriate and quiet place for a child to eat their meal. Or two, mind your own business and look the other way.
