As a culture we give so much lip service to breastfeeding being “best,” “natural,” etcetera but the reality is that is still not the cultural norm. Sure, women are judged for not breastfeeding all the time but our culture isn’t actually supporting breastfeeding beyond using it as fodder for flaming mommy wars. This reality is never more tangible than when a breastfeeding mother gets asked to move, leave, or otherwise change how she’s breastfeeding her child in a public setting. When the media takes up the story before you know it further proof that understanding and support of breastfeeding is lacking culturally exhibits itself boldly with comparisons of bodily functions or sex acts done in public to breastfeeding in public. Their point being that breastfeeding in public is just as unacceptable in our culture (according to that individual anyway) as any of those other acts.
Right, because feeding your baby and pooping/peeing or any sex act are so alike.
While it may seem obvious to most that there isn’t really any social, cultural, or medical similarities between breastfeeding and defecating in public, urinating in public, masturbation or oral sex in public, or even sex in public, some individuals insist on drawing the comparison. A lot, actually. Why? I’m not sure but my best guess is shock value, as though they can prove their argument against breastfeeding in public merely by shocking people into silence.
I conducted a highly unscientific poll as to what people actually thought was more disgusting and shared the results here. It’s very biased, seeing as the participants polled were all from either The Leaky Boob Facebook page, Jessica The Leaky Boob Facebook page, or my own personal Facebook page. Still, the results are demonstrated in 2 fun little graphs.
But my site is called “The Leaky Boob,” I’m not exactly the type to be shocked or silenced. Just ask Facebook. Recently media attention on a variety of breastfeeding related stories (Target nurse-in, Kasey Kahne, etc.) seemed to have brought a rise of individuals that actually believe this is a valid argument. I decided I needed to see if they had a point.
I talked with a pediatrician friend of mine and learned that the only special handling instructions they were given about breastmilk when she was doing rotations in the NICU was to ensure the milk was not contaminated before it was fed to the fragile neonates in their care. It was considered a food and was treated as such, not as waste nor a biohazard. An RN friend echoed these same experiences. Hmmmmm, doesn’t sound like they thought of breastmilk as potentially dangerous body fluid or waste that needed to be carefully disposed of for health safety reasons. Pretty major distinction there.
To help anyone still confused, anyone who may be thinking breastfeeding in public is like defecating in public, urinating in public, masturbation/oral sex in public, or sex in public, I’ve put together a couple of tables to break it down.
Breastfeeding in public does not pose a public health threat. While breastmilk can carry HIV and hepatitis if the mother is infected, breastfeeding in public does not carry an increased risk of spread of the disease and the CDC even cites that a bottle of infected milk given on accident to the wrong baby is unlikely to lead to transmission of the disease in a healthy infant.
Breastfeeding a human infant is encouraged by recognized health organizations globally.
Breastfeeding in public is based on a mother responding to the need of her child for nourishment or comfort. A small infant or child’s hunger can not be postponed.
Breastfeeding is not a sex act, it is an act of nourishment and comfort for a child. A small portion of women may experience some level of sexual arousal by breastfeeding but that is secondary to the primary purpose of meeting her child’s nutritional and comfort needs and women are able to distinguish the difference.
Breastfeeding has been essential to the survival of the species for centuries and today is still the biologically normal way to feed a human infant. Further, public breastfeeding provides a model for future mother/baby dyads to be familiar with normal means of infant feeding, we learn by seeing.
Defecating in public:
In all 1st world countries public defecation is illegal.
Human feces is recognized as a very serious health hazard that can contaminate water and food sources.
With the exception of those with special needs, public elimination of feces is considered deviant.
*Yes- if the individual is unable to control their bowels due to physical or mental disabilities.
*No- if it is from a fully functioning healthy adult. The need can be postponed until a suitable toilet receptacle can be located.
Public defecation is a public health hazard and threatens the entire species including the young.
Urinating in public:
In all 1st world countries public urination without an acceptable receptacle is illegal.
Though sterile and not toxic in a healthy person, urine is known to carry pathogens and possible disease and can contaminate water and food sources as it is a human waste product.
In some cultures it is considered acceptable to urinate in public, while others have find it socially unacceptable. However, all public health organizations warn of the dangers related to urinating in public.
*Yes- if the individual is unable to control their bladder due to physical or mental disabilities.
* No- if it is from a fully functioning healthy adult. The need can be postponed until a suitable toilet receptacle can be located.
Public urination without proper sewage disposal is a potential public health hazard and as it is a human waste product threatens the entire species including the young.
In all 1st world countries public masturbation and oral sex is illegal.
Semen and vaginal fluid can carry known pathogens though the spread would likely be contained, casual and unprotected sex is recognized in furthering the spread of disease.
Masturbation and oral sex are not acceptable public acts in most cultures and public display of them is consider sexual deviancy and is punishable by law.
*If it is from a fully functioning healthy adult, the need for sexual gratification can be postponed until a suitably private area is located.
Public masturbation and oral sex do not protect or care for the young of the species.
Public sex:
In all 1st world countries public sex is illegal.
Semen and vaginal fluid can carry known pathogens though the spread would likely be contained, casual and unprotected sex is recognized in furthering the spread of disease.
Sex is not considered an acceptable public act in most cultures and public display of sex is consider sexual deviancy and is punishable by law.
The need for sexual gratification can be postponed until a suitably private area is located.
While sex is necessary for the procreation of the species, public sex acts are not essential for caring or protecting the young of the species.
Our cultural preferences are often born out of deeply held beliefs whether they be religious, anecdotal, circumstantial, a belief about health and bodies, scientific, and more. A few examples come to mind: the belief that the world was flat, the story of the woman that cut the ends off the roast simply because her mother always did so it would fit in her pan, and the practice of blood letting to name a few. As our understanding grows we change our practices. There was a time when washing hands wasn’t standard practice in health care and today we know that basic hand washing reduces illness and the spread of disease. Culturally we accept hand washing because science has shown that the practice can save lives. I can’t help but hope that some day the science behind breastfeeding will open our culture to accepting, even welcoming it in public. Since there are these comparisons made I decided to look at breastmilk, human urine, human feces, vaginal fluid, and semen from more of a health perspective. I did as much research as I could before my pregnant pukey self had to stop reading simply to spare my stomach any more churning. As much as possible I included links where I found information. I wanted to look at a historical and anthropological perspective as well but you know, I had to draw the line somewhere and get to the other things I have to do.
My conclusion is that these comparisons are little more than culturally accepted beliefs rooted in gross misunderstandings of biology and ignorance of normal, healthy human infant feeding. That and a desire to control women by telling them what they can and can not do with their bodies and shaming them into believing there is something inappropriate with using their body to feed their child. These issues have nothing to do with whether or not a woman is covered to breastfeed, a personal choice nobody has the right to insist for another person. It’s time we as a culture trust women with their bodies and their children and leave our ignorant prejudices out of it.
I am doing research right now about the emotion of disgust. One popular stream of research posits that disgust is partially linked to behaviors evens that blur the line between animal and human – and that our humanity is not disgusting, but our animality is. From that perspective, we can see the basis of why some think breastfeeding is disgusting – as it is exactly what an animal would do.
This is not to say that I agree with this, but only to present some research that could be used to explain people’s unfavorable reactions to BFing. You can find more information here: http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/disgustscale.html
* no idea why “evens” was in my post – I blame 1-handed typing while BFing
Wow! You really worked on those. Great job! Thank you for compiling all that in one place
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When I come across the asinine comparison of breastfeeding to urinating in public I lose all sense of respect for the person I am speaking with. It is such an ignorant thing to say to a breastfeeding mother and it shows how little compassion or understanding they have about healthy parenthood. I find it demonstrates the ridiculous lengths some people will go ‘win’ an argument despite lack of logic or sense. Thank you for writing this, laying at last to rest just how silly this ‘point’ is when used in discussions about nursing.
There are times where poo is fed to individuals with GI disorders, they are usually BF preemies in the NICU. The purpose is to allow them to get more out of the nutrition. This is NOT a common practice and is very rarely done for very spesific situations. We were told about it by a NICU nurse while in the NICU, and no my son did not require it.
Thanks for the fantastic gathering of info!! I will be sharing it!
There is nooooooooooo way anyone with half a brain would feed something bacteria-laden like feces to an immune system compromised patient like a preemie. My mother is a nurse practitioner, my brother is a doctor, and I’m in school to earn my DNP, and none of us have ever heard of this, or can think of any possible advantage feces would provide over breastmilk to a nicu baby. Sorry, but I hope you never go back to that hospital-they clearly are either psychotic or very poorly educated…
As to the original blog post, thank you!
I replied to Krysta’s comment with an explanation of what her nurse was most likely talking about (albeit with VERY unfortunate paraphrasing!). I think they’re probably not psychotic…
Lol, anyone who feeds poop to a newborn is psychotic in my book!! But you’re right, your explanation makes much more sense, and as you suggested, I would venture a guess that any caregiver who has a patient (or parent of a patient) walk away from a consult thinking that is is feces being fed back to the patient is in DIRE need of some better communication skills! Yikes!
It is possible they were referring to Fecal Bacteriotherapy where the colon is re-colonised with healthy bacteria from donor …um… material
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_bacteriotherapy
Krysta, your nurse was probably paraphrasing quite a bit. Actual poop (fully-digested intestinal contents) is not fed back to any patient. I think I can shed a little light on what she was actually talking about. Preemies on tube feeding have their stomach contents aspirated (sucked out) before every feeding, so the team can make sure things are moving on through (as preemies are at high risk for intestinal complications). Whatever partially-digested milk/formula is removed is also replaced (via tube) along with the next feeding, since the baby does still need that nutrition. In patients with various GI issues/surgeries, stomach fluids (via tube) have to be removed because they will not pass on through normally; these fluids are high in a few different minerals and have to be replaced in the GI tract (through a tube further down in the intestine), so the person does not develop chemical imbalances due to the loss of stomach fluid. So, no poop is fed to babies, the hospital is probably a perfectly safe place to receive care, just an unfortunate lack of clarity in communication.
Thanks for the clarification, this is MUCH more logical!
Nicely done, now I know where to point the uneducated and those just too ignorant to see breastfeeding for what it is – natural and healthy.
i commend any woman who even aepmttts to bf for a day. i had a lactation consultant make me feel guilty as we were never able to latch without a shield and she basically told me i am lucky to be living now because 100 years ago without pumps and shields my baby would be dead. needless to say i didn’t use her services anymore. i pumped for 14 weeks before my second battle with mastisis which landed me in the hospital at which point i decided to wean from the machine. congrats to you for making it as long as you did.
Finally, somewhere to link to when i see the comment “X is natural but we don’t do THAT in public”
Thanks you TLB!
Wow! Thank you for a concise, well-researched piece. This is exactly where I’ll send the next ignoramus who equates breastfeeding with elimination.
You should add spitting in public to your list. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-hollander/spitting-in-public-is-rea_b_706852.html
OH MY GOSH! No kidding, that’s disgusting. *shudder* ~Jessica
I totally agree. When I was in training for the military, men would spit in our training area all the time. Then we’d have to do push-ups in the same area, and people wondered why everyone was always sick. Spitting, hocking, all the grossness that goes with it, literally makes me gag. My husband has to go to another room when he’s sick and coughing and needs to spit, because if I hear it I’ll almost throw up, every time. I can’t stand it. *ugh*
Ugh – this sucks. I hate when peolpe do that to other peolpe. They don’t think you went through some sort of though process on your decision? There were no emotions involved? I had a lot of problems with breastfeeding. It is a long story but the thrust is I stopped when LM was 3 months old because he couldn’t latch, my milk suplly sucked, and I was pumping every 2 hours with a hospital grade rented pump just to keep up. Even then, the most I could produce in a day was 10-12 ounces, and LM was drinking 20 ounces a day. I could not continue the pumping schedule when I went back to work.The decision for me to stop was gut wrenching and there was a ton of guilt involved. Luckily, no one gave me any shit for it, not even strangers. But I still think how incosiderate it is that someone should comment on it as if this isn’t an emotionally charged topic.
GREAT work, Thanks!!!
Thanks for this!
You are a rock star! This post is amazing.
This is amazing. Great work pulling it all together.
Great post! It is very sad that we continually have to defend ourselves and others for simply nourishing our children naturally!
I have an abnormal work situation and due to this, I put my milk in freezer bags and then place the bags in a normal kunch cooler in the fridge. I had to work with a different person the other day. Annoying and dumb to say the least. In addition to havingto listen to himfreak outeach time he saw my black medela bag, he later wantedto argue: if my milk could bein the fridge,then so could his semen. I was the ‘shocked to silence’ person. I am now a little better prepared to have a rebutle. Any other suggestions??
Report him. That behavior was sexual harassment. Also, print out this post with the tables and give it to him and your superiors. You deserve an apology, that was completely inappropriate. I’m so sorry you endured this, he was completely wrong.
Is your milk safe there with sick individuals like him around. Can you lock the cool bag, he doesn’t sound quite together in the head.
Great post! It’s very sad that we continually have to defend ourselves and others for simply nourishing our children naturally!
Great research! Whenever I am faced with this argument, I just point out that my baby is eating, and we are all legally allowed to eat in public. Comparing it to any of these other things doesn’t even make sense. It’s apples to oranges.
Great post! All of those comparisons are so irritating and disgusting – and everywhere! One thing I’ve noticed is that they all seem to be made in response to our “it’s natural” argument. And, I have to admit, they make a valid point – not everything that’s natural should be done in public. So, I’m leaving off the “natural” part of my argument to avoid giving them the opportunity to “shock” with these comparisons… although I’m no longer shocked since I’ve heard them so often. Thanks for all this ammunition if I hear them again anyway.
I’m amazed at the research you put into this – fabulous! And don’t forget this other point: we DO tolerate babies urinating and defecating in public because we all realize that babies have immediate, uncontrollable biological needs that they can’t postpone like adults can! Same rationale applies to breastfeeding in public – and who wouldn’t rather sit next to a breastfeeding baby than a pooping baby, LOL!
In the second paragraph of the “breastfeeding” table note, you used the word “sites” where the context implies you wanted the word “cites”.
Just trying to help keep it “scholarly” so any potential detractors have nothing to use.
Thank you! Made the correction, I appreciate the note. ~Jessica
OMG. I love this. LOVE IT! Thank you so much for doing all that work and posting it. I read an article today by this woman who was saying how offended she was by public breastfeeding and equated it with public urination and sex, blah blah blah. The sad thing is, that article is connected to my very pro-breastfeeding article “How to Breastfeed Discreetly in Public.” I feel like I should add something to my article now to rebut hers! May I paraphrase some of the data from your tables if I credit this post? This is just what I was looking for!!!
I never use the ‘it’s natural’ argument because the word has become completely devalued by business and their ‘natural’ products anyway. I always acknowledge that people can find it uncomfortable because we are conditioned that it’s not the done thing to show breasts or deliberately look at someone’s breasts in public (men can feel very uncomfortable because, of course, a cute baby draws the eye). You can’t blame people for feeling that way, I think it’s good to validate how they feel and put it in context. Then I compare breast feeding in public to eating and drinking in public – whacky, I know! Instead of ‘natural’ I do sometimes refer to breast feeding as very ‘ordinary’. The other phrase I have found useful is ‘old fashioned’. For some reason being an old fashioned parent is very (ahem) fashionable right now, and when I can see people’s faces begin to look concerned and about to say something annoying because I co-sleep, breast feed etc I quickly say “I’m just very old fashioned in my parenting”. I don’t know exactly why, but it does pull the rug out from people’s feet. They still ask questions about their fears connected with these things but are a bit more polite about it.
As for the ludicrosity of comparing breast feeding with defaecating, I wonder if people are trying to cope with how uncomfortable and conflicted they feel by attacking someone else quite violently. I would hope none of them actually think pooing in a baby’s mouth is ‘the same’ as breast feeding it.