Few topics are more divisive than whether or not a mother should breastfeed her baby in public. Really, you're more likely to get Democrats and Republicans to agree on health care reform or Ryan Gosling fans to admit to preferring Bradley Cooper than get people on opposite sides of the breastfeeding in public issue to see eye to, uh...you're just going to whip 'em out and start feeding, huh? Okay, baby needs to eat. Fair enough.
Whoa! Back off, Big Bird. He's really sticking his beak in there. There's nothing wrong with teaching kids about how the human body works, but something about the way Big Bird is leering down from his nest makes that clip a little unsettling. A while back, people reacted negatively to the doll that taught girl's about nursing. Now, folks are taking issue with the idea of kids learning about breastfeeding on the same show that teaches them how to count.
Frankly, I don't care either way. You know who else doesn't care? A baby. They don't know they're in the back of a Starbucks. They just know that an amount of time that they can't yet quantify has passed since they had nourishment. So they make that fact known by screaming.
But plenty of people have a real problem with public breastfeeding. It's a topic that comes up frequently on blogs. A few weeks back, tons of moms staged a mass "nurse in" at Target to protest how the chain store treated a nursing mother who was asked to refrain from feeding her baby in the women's clothing section. And recently, it's been a hot button issue among viewers of Sesame Street, who started a petition to get breastfeeding back on the home of Elmo and Oscar the Grouch. (No doubt Bert and Ernie fall on opposite sides of this debate.)
Apparently, teaching kids about breastfeeding was once commonplace on Sesame Street. But since I'm not yet 1,000,000 years old, I can't recall a time when ladies were whipping their ta-tas out in front of Muppets. But thanks to YouTube, you all get to enjoy this vintage clip of Big Bird learning all about the natural act of breastfeeding courtesy of '70s singer-songwriter/onetime Sesame Street cast member Buffy Sainte-Marie. (Did you know she wrote the Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes classic "Up Where We Belong," aka the theme song from An Officer and a Gentlemen? No? Well, now you do.) Let's watch it, shall we?
What do you think? Does breastfeeding and children's television mix? Does breastfeeding in public offend you, or do you just look the other way and mind your own business?
I feel that a mother should be able to feed her babe where ever and when ever.
For many moms breastfeeding is hard. It is a challenge to learn how and even then it is hard to stay the course for several months. All the more power to them. Let's not make it harder by creating obstacles. If some chuckle head is offended by the typical mom feeding her babe, they can suck wind.
Breastfeeding on children's' programming is is fine with me. It is a normal function so it should be normalized on tv.
I forgot to mention that I find the video with Big Bird and Buffy Sainte-Marie so precious and so well done.
I was a young mother, and my babies' father made me feel extremely self-conscious about breast-feeding. He seemed so embarrassed and uncomfortable and annoyed about it that I felt I must be wrong somehow. I ended up doing a lot of nursing in public toilet cubicles when we were out and about. Not fun! I honestly can't believe I put up with it.
I am fully supportive of women nursing wherever they feel comfortable doing so. It's really a non-issue to me. I didn't understand why it was embarrassing or somehow improper when I was 20; I certainly don't now.
It's what breasts are for! Just because as a society we ashamed of our bodies while simultaneously overly sexualizing them, doesn't change that they exist to feed babies and there is nothing shameful or wrong about a woman doing it anywhere. Out of curtesy for those who might be uncomfortable a mother should maybe be in the habit of bringing a blanket of cover made for public feeding, but that's the largest concession they should ever have to make.
I do think that women should be allowed to breastfeed in public. Truth be told, I would get a bit uncomfortable if I saw it, but that's my own personal reaction, and no fault of the mother's.
It's not like mothers are whipping their breasts out for the world to see or anything. XD I imagine most try to be fairly discreet, which is very nice of them, 'cause they're thinking of awkward people like me. Haha.
We should all just try to calm down about it, I think.
Never let a prude stop you from doing what is best for your baby! Honestly I think this stems from our traditionally patriarchal society in which women and "women's work" (such as things that ONLY women can do - like breastfeeding) are seen as lesser than men's work, and even seen as shameful - something that needs to be hidden. Pah-lease! One a side note: how many of the *men* (i.e. boys) who complain about breast feeding in public have whipped out their member and peed in an alley or the side of a building or something? ..... Yeah.
I don't understand why anyone would think breast feeding was somehow wrong for a child to see. They *did* it, for heaven's sake--some of them for long enough that a three or four year old might even still remember doing it. And any kid with younger sibs has probably seen them at the breast. Little girls (and sometimes little boys XD) nurse their dolls--I've seen my baby sister do it. It's just part of parenting to them.
I agree that maybe a cover is to be expected, but if she doesn't have one she doesn't have one, and to shun a nursing mother and her infant to a public restroom is shameful. And I have no problem with teaching kids about how it works.
When you need a screwdriver for a job, do you always go for the coin? Didn't think so.
As a lot of commenters have already mentioned, boobs are *for* breastfeeding. If you don't like the lady breastfeeding in public, don't look at her doing it.
Studies show that breastfed babies are 10% more intelligent.
In my book, it's not especially rational to attach shock value to an action which is demonstrably beneficial to society.
In a great irony, Saudi Arabia, for all their lacking in other rights for women, were fanatics in protecting mothers who breastfed their children. There were few quicker ways to get yourself in trouble than to harrass, interfere, or gawk at a breastfeeding woman. The prophet Mohammed did strongly believed in breastfeeding, thus this protection is reflected in Saudi society today. A husband can slap his wife in public and face no consequence, but god forbid he try and stop her from breastfeeding their kid, he'll be in serious trouble. A mother is expected to exercise modesty about it, but otherwise in Saudi Arabia they can breastfeed their children in public with little problems.
Guess growing up in that country influenced my view, because I don't see anything wrong with public breastfeeding. Unfortunately in the West (but more so in America. Yes I said America get over it jingoists!) breasts have become highly sexualized, to the point where any exposure is considered obscene, so that now we have to discuss if a baby can be breastfed.
Nothing wrong with public feeding, an easy solution if they feel harassed is to have a baby blanket to draped over your arm and child, thats what most mums I see do anyway, never seen a single prude get snippety at them when they do that.
also, I am ridiculously pleased to see so many people for breast-feeding, so refreshing ^___^
So pleased to see all these proud BF supporters!
Breast is best and being shamed into bathroom stalls is not going to promote the health of children. When breastfeeding becomes normal again more women will be successful. Breastfeeding is recommended for at least the first 2 years, but there are so many booby traps (yup, I said that) that pediatricians are thrilled if mothers make it to 6 months.
I nursed my first until she was 27 months old. My second will nurse as long as he wants, where ever he needs to be fed.
Good read:
http://www.bestforbabes.org/what-are-the-booby-traps
my roomy went till about 18 months, which seemed unusually long to me, boy was I surprised when I looked up the appropriate time (about what you said). I plan to aim for 2 yearsish now.
I'm more likely to be offended by seeing someone spitting or picking their nose in public than seeing a woman breastfeeding!
I understand how people feel uncomfortable with it, especially if they don't have one special pair of breasts in their life. they're used to breasts as being something to either stimulate people sexually or being covered up modestly in public so it's easy to forget their primary function.
I think educating children is a brilliant step towards getting back to that. If children learn about it amongst other facts of life then they're less likely to be squeamish or alarmed when someday they do see a mother feeding her child or need to do so themselves.
Because when it comes down to it, we are human beings, sure we have i-phones and Facebook but we still have basic needs and functions. And why, if it isn't inconveniencing other people by doing it in public, should we need to hide that?
the only issue I've ever had with BFing in public is when I had to feed my daughter (in the back corner of a McDs), she kept shifting and moving the blanket and I had three 14/15 year old boys STARING at me. I have NO issue with people breast feeding in public. what i do have an issue with is people staring at me.
so many young moms I've met refer to it as "gross" so I do think education on it is needed. people thinking its gross or pervy is horrible... its 100% natural.
I guess this behavior might be prevented by all people having a healthy exposure to breastfeeding as youngsters.
Sadly, three of us, when I was 12, stared at a woman breastfeeding, while we were in Saudi. A cop saw what we were doing and really went off on us. Spoke good English so we understood too. Then, to make sure we "learned", he made us turn around, and smacked his nightstick hard, I mean hard smack on our butts! Hurt like hell! Our dads came over and ask WTH was going on, why were we hit? The cop said we were gawking at that woman who was nursing her kid. All three of the dads then got pissed off at us, my dad said to me just wait until you get home. Dragged me to the car, told my mom what I did. My mom got angry and slapped me in the face. As soon as we got home my dad took off his belt and said bend over on the bed. As he proceeded to beat my butt with his belt, he went off on his own rant on how only a pathetic, rude loser gawks at a nursing woman and if I ever do it again I'll seriously be punished. Oh, I was grounded for a month and this was during summer vacation. Later learned my friends also received corporal punishment and groundings.
I never stared at a breastfeeding woman again. Even now, I doubt I would even as much as look at my wife if she nurses lol.
Ouch, by contrast I was nursing my newborn daughter and I looked up to see my eight year old son and a group of his little neighborhood friends looking at me through an open window. My son said, "See, told you, it's milk, just like a cow." One little guys said "Well duh, that's how babies eat" They watched for a minute made innocent comments and ran off to play.
It made for good laughs for us parents at our neighborhood bbq.
LOL aw don't feel too sorry for us, we were ogling and gawking, acting like crude adolescent boys thinking "BOOBIES!!!". Our parents were right so to punish us and in those days that's how boys were disciplined.
Ha I was like 7 when my brother was born so I saw my mom nursing him often. In that case it was obvious me and my friend were merely curious (he was with me in the gawking case too lol) about what was happening. My dad simply knelt to us, and explained in normal tones about what happens after a baby is born, how it can't eat the same foods as us, and its mother's breast produce milk, similar but not the same as the milk we drink, and the baby needs this milk for the first couple of years, though after six months, the baby will start on other foods. He went on to explain to us the mom's milk also has "stuff" (meaning antibodies) that helps the baby learn how to fight germs.