A Letter to the World about Public Breastfeeding.

Dear World,

I’ll keep this short and sweet.

Please stop sending mixed signals. We tell women that “breastfeeding is best“, we tell them to do it but then we ask them to hide like it is shameful, kick them out of places for breastfeeding and say stupid things like “I don’t want to see THAT” or “plan ahead and pump.” Cut it out.  Stop the double speak. Get over your fear/sexual obsession with breasts and let a mother care for her child as nature intended because, I’ve got to break it to you, feeding babies is what boobs are for and everything else is just a nice bonus. Just think about it, if you wouldn’t think it inappropriate for a woman to give a bottle then it isn’t inappropriate for her to be breastfeeding with or without a cover. Mothering is hard enough without you projecting your issues onto moms and their babies. 

Get over yourselves please.

Even Sesame Street gets that breastfeeding a baby isn’t a big deal, sometimes I feel like a lot of you need to go back to preschool.

Again, get over yourselves please and let a woman take care of her baby giving that “best” you’re so into.

That’s all I have to say about this. Today anyway.  I just had to get that off my chest.   Now I’m going to go whip my boob out and feed my baby.

Love,

The Leaky B@@b

P.S. Breastfeeding moms will not be bullied. We’re educated, fierce women that WILL protect our children and meet their needs. Thank you.

Comments

  1. September Love says

    I LOVE YOU Jessica, because while I'm busy blogging about parenting and leaving my breastfeeding blog posts in "draft" stage, you're right out there, saying exactly what I want to say 🙂

    You make my day. Stop sending mixed signals! "Yes, by all means, do what's best for your baby, but don't ever let me (or my children) see it because that's not your place to decide who sees your boob" – UGH. Cut it out already, mainstream! If you're going to support breast as "best", then you should applaud moms nursing, wherever they decide to do so. Not just when it's convenient for you.

  2. Well said! I've got baby #3 on the way, and I can't WAIT to breastfeed in public again. People need to see it.

  3. Two Little Bluebirds says

    Amen! This is why I always pass along a reassuring and accepting smile to any mom that I see breastfeeding in public. And you'd better believe that we are fierce! We will continue to fight for what is right. You can't stop us world!!

  4. I don't know you, but my sister is a big fan of your blog post here. So I read it, and to an extent I agree with your position, but frankly your arguments sound ridiculous and childish.

    How would you like it if I pulled out my dick in front of you to take a leak? Because, I've got to break it to you, urination is what penises are for and everything else is just a nice bonus.

    Saying "I should be able to feed my baby in public" isn't the same as saying "I'm going to damn well breastfeed right in front of you no matter how uncomfortable it makes you."

    Yes, people should respect you and your breastfeeding, but you should respect other people as well and not make a big deal out of it.

    Renee, maybe you'll read this. Don't be one of those annoying people who go too far the other way when trying to argue or fight against some injustice or double standard you don't like.

    • kearsten says

      Wow, obviously you haven’t got a clue about the laws in place in nearly all the states as well as in many other countries, PROTECTING the right to nurse in public! I currently live in the UK, where it is ILLEGAL TO STOP A BREASTFEEDING MOTHER OR ASK HER TO COVER UP OR LEAVE! YOU would be the one in the wrong. And if you feel uncomfortable upon seeing a woman nursing in public, just walk away. And don’t be one of those idiots who dares to compare taking a whiz in public (which IS illegal and not protected anywhere that I know of against indecent exposure laws, whereas bfing IS in many places!) to breastfeding. That just shows how ignorant you are!! I’ll bet you have no problem seeing a hot girl walking around with her goodies on show for sexual attention or looking at playboy or watching porn (even if you ARE doing those things on private, otherwise you could be arrested!) but heaven forbid anyone see a woman using her breasts for what God/nature intended them for!

      I feel sorry for your sister, having poor support on her side from her own family! SHAME ON YOU!!

      • Y Forster says

        Kearstin:

        I have news for you: Penises are for urinating and sex. Neither of which is acceptable to do in public, anywhere in the world.

        Western countries ie, the ones where bottlefeeding is the norm are the only places where women are expected to cover up when feeding in public, to pump and bottle feed in public or to stay home and breastfeed until a baby is weaned.

        How uncivilized.

        You have a problem with your sister or anyone else breast feeding when their baby is hungry then turn your head and look away. That is much easier for you to do than to expect a mother and child to restrict normal human behaviour because of society’s (and your) hangups.

    • Seth, I really suggest you give yourself some basic education before you go an comment on something you obviously know little about. Anatomically and biologically speaking your penis is for the purpose and waste removal and reproduction (however I suggest you do the world a favour and refrain from the latter). Anatomically and biologically speaking breasts are for feeding children. Please don’t be so misguided as to believe that the women on this website are naive enough to believe that you have never urinated in a public place, if you are anything like 99% of men then the world is your toilet and hey when you gotta go you gotta go right? And while we’re on the subject of natural bodily functions lets think about how many times you have passed gas in public, wether people can see you or not I can garuntee that your rectal stench would be far more offensive to many than the site of a women breastfeeding. It is not the mothers that feed that make a big deal of this, it is the narrow minded uneducated fools like yourself. The fact that you can’t even appropriately express yourself without the use of profanity and ignorance is proof enough that your opinion isn’t worth the time it took to read. If you don’t like what you see/read do yourself a favour and DON’T LOOK.

    • I see your point to an extent-but the way you are going about making it is bad. Whipping out your penis is not, and will never be, the same as someone BFing their baby. Sorry. Yes, maybe there are some women who think it is cool to shock others with their boob, but for the most part, we just don’t want to have to sit on a nasty toilet and feed our newborn who freaks every time the toilet flushes.

      The point is, seeing a woman nursing her child shouldn’t make you uncomfortable. Plain and simple. That was the real point of this letter. It making you uncomfortable is your problem. Not ours.

    • I also want to add-you don’t HAVE to whip your penis out and pee in public, do you? No, there is a place for you to go do that. Nursing mothers don’t always have that. Believe me, if everywhere I went had a nice little quiet place for me to sit and nurse my child, I’d be happy to go there and do it.

    • Melissa Chausse says

      Personally, I don’t care if you choose to urinate in public, however, urine smells bad and breastmilk doesn’t, plus we are not talking about exposing genitles here, there is a big difference, once more, some people find it hard to see the difference between sexual organs and breasts. Also important to note, your penis is not just for urination all else being a bonus, it’s other primary purpose is procreation. You might need to go back to sex ed. since that fact seems to have missed you somewhere along the way.

    • Brittney Sandi says

      Actually, your dick is not just for pissing. Your dick is a reproductive organ made for SEX. There is a huge issue between littering a public place with urine or pulling out a reproductive organ than using a breast made only for feeding a child. You are one ignorant prick.

    • Seth, you talk about taking a leak right in front of us… well im not “whipping” my breast out to start writing my name in the snow or hit some target or to just spray my milk around like im a frickin fire hose I am FEEDING my CHILD. Get over yourself thinking we all are having a blast to get a chance to flash a nip.
      Yes, because I am a mother and I want everyone to see my body so I’ve decided to breastfeed please, please, please watch me! Because ladies am I right? I mean isn’t this the reason we all decided to start breastfeeding? Not because (gasp) its what our breasts are made for or that its best for your child… no no I just want everyone to be uncomfortable and stare.

    • What a tool! i feel so sorry for your sister having such an unsupportive brother. there are restrooms to pee in. it is unsanitary to eat in a bathroom. and a need to eat comes before a need to pee. You are an idiot. you do however make me thankful for my kind supportive and loving brothers. poor renee. i will enjoy seeing you picked apart by the women on this site who know what it is like to meet their child’s basic survival needs. i also feel bad for your future or current wife. poor poor girl.

  5. Seth, Where did I say that I was going to "damn well breastfeed right in front of you no matter how uncomfortable it makes you?" And you do realize you just tried to compare urinating with feeding a child? There is a huge difference there, don't you think? That said I'm not asking for permission to feed my baby in public, there is no "I should be able to…" I am able to and I will. Further more, there is no legal prohibitive reason why I wouldn't. Unlike urinating in public. The truth is I will meet my child's needs before I worry about someone else's hang-ups in understanding the biology of mammals. If I were to worry that a bottle were to offend someone and not pull it out right away to feed my hungry child when they were crying for food, everyone would consider that neglect and possibly report me to the authorities. Why would it be any different when the mammary glands are the means of distributing the child's food?

    In case you didn't realize it, this piece isn't just a rant, it's a bit of humor from someone tired of the multiple accounts of women harassed for feeding their child. Read further on this site and you will realize that. The "whip my boob out" comment is totally tongue in cheek, a remark often heard referring to women that don't duck into the toilet to feed their babies.

    By the way, the anatomy of the penis indicates that urination is not it's only or primary purpose.

  6. Oh, I love this blog! Thankfully I have never had someone tell me something so crazy…not sure how I would handle it if I did. Hopefully I will have a lot of appropriate comebacks/facts when/if the time comes. Thanks for all you do! 🙂

    and Seth…get over yourself!

  7. Seth, first off, feeding a baby is a sanitary act that doesn't leave any bodily fluids around – the same cannot be said of public urination. In addition breasts are not considered "private parts" in many other cultures. Topless beaches, topless women on TV, etc. are common place in South America and Europe. In fact, before formula was available in this country, when breastfeeding was the norm, women did not cover themselves while nursing their babies. Even though standards of modesty were much higher then, a baby's needs were recognized as more important. Even in Muslim countries where women are still held to higher standards of modesty, public nursing is usually permitted because it is necessary to meet the baby's needs. In Iran, a doctor's prescription is required to get formula so nursing in public is commonplace. A breast is definitely not the same as a penis! Get a grip and a clue!

  8. Urinating in public means there's urine somewhere it shouldn't be. If everyone were to start emptying their bowels and bladders wherever they may be…guess what? Then there's untreated sewage running through the streets. And that spreads disease and is the very reason toilets and sewage treatments were developed.

    You pissing wherever you please is a public health issue.

    Ironically, so is breatfeeding.

    Your urine causes disease. My milk prevents it.

    Of course, I would expect that a 15 year old boy trapped in a man's body WOULD be unable to see the world through an adult's perspective and would equate nourishment to urination.

  9. Seth – considering the fact that procreation is the way that species continue, I would argue that sex is the primary intention/function of the penis. The fact that you can also urinate through it is secondary to keeping the species around.

    It seems kind of like you have a chip on your shoulder. Because, seriously – you're on the defense for no reason. This piece, like Jessica said, is humor. And while I get that humor doesn't always translate properly over the interwebs, she was pretty obvious about it.

    I want to add – and this has nothing to do with Seth – breasts aren't sexualized until we make them so. My three year old thinks boobs are like bottles you transport everywhere. And mine happen to be bigger than hers, but, hey, that makes sense, because I have a baby to feed and she doesn't. She tells me sometimes that "when I have a baby, I'll have giant boobies like you, Mommy!" (And then you won't want them, lol…)

    • Acrophile says

      Agree. My 4yo says “I have to get my baby’s water bottle” (meaning the toy bottle she came with). I said to her “Don’t you want to nurse her instead?” and the reply was “Well, when she needs milk, I’ll nurse her and she gets it from my breasts. When she needs water, she gets that from the bottle.” Proud mama moment. 🙂

  10. Seth- If you cannot see the difference between eating and expelling bodily waste, you shouldn't have dinner guests. Ick. My child has the same right as anyone else to his food supply, no matter where it may come from, more so because he is an infant and cannot wait the way an adult can for his or her meal. And no, given the choice between caring what others feel or feeding my hungry child, I don't really care what your hangup is, only that maybe you should seek some counseling if seeing breasts doing something other than sexual bothers you.

  11. I like this Seth. I wanna see the penis. Whip it out buddy. Scared?

    I've nursed ALL 6 of my biological children in public over the last 15 years and never once have I been offered to see someone's penis. Darnit! You want to objectify my breasts then I'll objectify your penis. Bring it.

  12. Earth Angel Mumma says

    HEY SETH!!
    I AM going to damn well breastfeed right in front of you no matter how uncomfortable it makes you.
    You know why? because YOUR problem of sexualsing the breast is YOUR PROBLEM, not mine.

  13. Just as an aside, there's another video of Buffy St. Marie nursing her son Cody and telling Big Bird about it.

    Oh neat! I just went to search for the next one and it seems Maria "nursed" Gabriella (I think it may have been her real baby, but I'm not sure)!

    Also, "You're My Baby!" This is the one I saw in my youth, but they made a new one with exclusively bottle fed babies since.

    Wow, it was even on Mr. Rogers! 🙂

  14. @CaperGrrl: That is Maria's real baby and she really is breastfeeding her! I love that clip. I had no idea there was a Mr. Rogers one though, very cool, thank you!

  15. Seth,
    I think it's sad that you decided to come across as such a jerk. You are saying that you see her point, but then you argue that we should only feed our babies if we get permission? I am confused. Do you expect us to ask people if they are comfortable with us feeding our children? How are we to judge your level of comfort? And also why should your comfort come before my infant's? You can rationalize why I am feeding in public, but my three month old only knows she's hungry.

  16. Seth,
    I know very few woman who nurse in public with the degree of indiscretion that would be equal to a penis being exposed. A woman nursing her babe may inadvertently let a little nip peep out but most are very discreet (and if they aren't so what but that's another post) A man urinating in a restaurant or at the playground or in the mall is not at all the same as a woman quietly feeding her child. Do you actually think that a woman nurses in public to spite those of delicate sensibilities? "Hahaha I have an excuse to reveal my breasts and will use it to make you uncomfortable!!!!" Get real! As a mom of three I have many more important things to do with my time than worry about what seeing me nurse my child does to someones sensibilities! Would you ask a skantily clad voluptuous co-ed to please put on a sweater because you can see her nipples and it's making you uncomfortable? Hmmm? No, because she has the right to adorn her body as she sees fit just as I have the right to use my body as nature intended for the nourishment of my child.

  17. Stephanie Mahoney says

    I am teary eyed watching these SS clips. They are just so beautiful and simple. Thanks for the post Jessica!

  18. Too funny. If a guy said that to me while I was nursing I would pose this challenge to him: If public urination is the same as breastfeeding in public then prove it. Pee in a cup and drink it in front of me or, better yet, get it straight from the source. Prove to me that it's the same thing. LOL.

  19. Actually that was me, Stephanie. And you're welcome, Jessica! 😀

  20. Seth, it is far easier – and causes less harm – for anyone who is uncomfortable with breastfeeding to just look away and move on, than it is for the mother to censor herself for the benefit of others, and to put the needs of everyone else around her before her baby, who should be her primary concern.

    Nipples are not genitals. Do you have ANY idea what it's like when your baby is crying and hungry but you're THAT embarrassed and ashamed about FEEDING it? And you are ok with this harmful cultural bias to continue?

    Sexual images of breasts bombard us daily, along with exaggerated beauty and so-called perfection of the female form are everywhere. Yet the moment you try to give what's touted as "best" to your baby, it's "yuk, put it away, use a bottle, we don't want to see, stay at home…". Girls are weirded out by breastfeeding or too embarrassed to do it in public, BECAUSE of attitudes like yours, yet they're happy to go out, get drunk, end up drunk, upside down and knickerless in a gutter and you think this is ok? You want your daughters to grow up with that mindset? You want them to live in w world with such a lopsided view if the human body? You want them to br embarrassed about feeding their babies, and objectified by everyone else?

    I don't set out to make anyone feel uncomfortable. But if breastfeeding is to be normal and accepted, then it's their comfort zone that needs to change, not how, when or where i feed my child. By telling mothers to cover, hide,, stay home…. You make the act dirty, shameful, weird,taboo, mysterious… And the stigma continues.

  21. Ps. By the way:

    Urinating in public is illegal. Feeding in public his protected by law

    Urinating in public is unhygienic. Feeding in public is healthy.

    Urinating in public exposes a sexual organ. Feeding in public does not.

    You can (hopefully) wait and fond a designated are to urinate. My baby canNOT wait.

    Urinating should take only a few minutes. Feeding can take anything up to an hour. Feeding can happen 12 times a day or more, depending on the baby. (Newborns should feed a minimum of 8 times in 24hrs. Schedules are not recommended, and often impossible.) It's therefore really not feasible to exclude women from normal activities every time the baby needs to eat.

    Urination is EXCRETION. Feeding is SECRETION. Pay attention in Biology class, please.

  22. Jessica: The entire tone of your post said ""damn well breastfeed right in front of you no matter how uncomfortable it makes you"

    Susan: Who said anything about drinking urine? That's clearly not part of this conversation, noone's comparing drinking pee to drinking milk, the comparison is 2 different socially stigmatic yet natural processes which involve bearing "private parts." I put that in quotes because, according to Sarah's reply up there, breasts are not considered "private parts" in many other cultures.

    I suspect it's not in those other cultures that public breastfeeding is an issue that causes anyone consternation. It turns out though that the society in question is one in which it IS an issue.

    Whether public urination or breastfeeding leaves bodily fluids around is irrelevant – the point is that they're similar in certain ways, ways which could be objectionable to people.

    And MY point is, if you're going to breastfeed in public then you should be respectful of the people around you – you don't need to draw attention to it, which is what all of these types of posts and articles sound like they're saying to me (and I've read several, as my sister keeps linking them). They sound like people who are upset (maybe rightly) at having been chastised for something they feel they shouldn't be chastised for and would like to tell those people "damn well breastfeed right in front of you no matter how uncomfortable it makes you."

    And for the pedants: Yes, of course urination isn't the ONLY purpose for a penis, though as for PRIMARY purpose – ask your husbands and boyfriends which they do more often, urinate or procreate. I was drawing a quick comparison, and decided that using the same sentence structure as the original post would be more powerful than changing it to say "primary purpose" or anything else.

    For the record, replace 'urination' with anything else one could do with that organ and the argument holds – I suspect it would be unsettling for you to see it in public.

    • Well then Seth, you have just made up my mind about using a cover while breastfeeding. I think it draws more attention to what I am doing when I put a blanket over my baby and myself while I am feeding on a warm day. If there were no cover, she could just be cuddling with me. Thank you.

  23. Seriously, you see more on the beach and with half the young girls nowadays then you do when you breast feed. It's just a boob…we all have them…sorry if some are more prominent then others. I can't believe someone could be that immature… as to say "it's just a penis…" The difference is buddy that what comes out of my boob nurtures a child, keep him/her healthy, and helps to make for an intelligent child that won't turn out ignorant like you. Yeah, pee from a penis is a natural function….of WASTE….just like your extra.

  24. jnsalger@aol.com says

    Seth… Most breastfeeding women do not yell "LOOK AT ME I'M BREASTFEEDING!!!" They usually sit on a bench or whatever is closest and then get the ogling eyes of passer-bys and sometimes the evil "ew" or "Oh my God". On rare occasions you will get the adult that will walk up to you (while you are minding your own business) and tell you that you are "disgusting" and things like that "shouldn't be done in public". These words and actions are unprovoked by simply sitting down and feeding your child.

    I believe this was the premise of the post. Not to be defiant and piss people off my saying "WATCH THIS!!!"

  25. That's the cool thing about art forms, there is a lot that is subjective and not everyone sees the artist's original intent or vision. Often when we don't it just speaks more to where we are personally when experiencing the piece.

    You didn't understand my post here Seth. Perhaps you should explore why this would be such a hang up for you that you see something other than my intent. Other than my tongue and cheek comment about whipping my boob out to feed my baby, which is poking fun at the comments people say to women nursing in public, that is not the tone of my post at all. Rather, I'm asking the world to get over it's hang-ups and let women everywhere feed their babies without a fuss. I'm not jumping up and down shaking my naked breasts with a baby hanging off one telling everyone that if they don't like it they can kiss my butt. I and other breastfeeding moms simply put our child on our breast often not exposing anything- trust me, we're too tired to do much more than get the kid on the boob. The point here is that as a society we all know and tout that breast is best but then we somehow find ourselves asking women to leave places they legally have every right to be or in the comments of blogs debating the rights of all those poor people that have to suffer being uncomfortable when a woman puts a child to her breast to feed. Breast may be best but when we're having debates like this it certainly isn't what is accepted as normal. Our biology would beg to differ, breastfeeding is normal we've just perverted it.

    And yes, I consider it perverted to be more worried about the adults that may be uncomfortable with seeing a woman breastfeed her child than we are about supporting and encouraging women to care for their babies and meet their needs.

    I don't make a scene, none of the women I've ever seen breastfeed in public do and neither have the women I've read about being harassed while nursing in public. It's the other people that turn it into a scene, people that have a problem with a mother caring for her child in the most natural way. Most don't even show any boob. But even if they do they legally can.

    I want to respond to more but my time is short. Thank you for taking the time to read all this Seth. I am curious are you speaking for you personally or are you defending someone else uncomfortable with BFing in public?

  26. Seth,

    Listen buddy, this is the thing. You are on a blog regarding breastfeeding. You are going to read things you might not agree with. It is fine to voice that opinion, but you will not find much support for your opinion here.

    Breastfeeding IS natural. I don't get hassled about it, I cover for my own personal preference, my baby is healthy. If anyone EVER would complain about it, I would politely reply that their face is offensive to me and I don't ask them to turn around. If something is offensive to yuo in society there are two things that you can do: deal with it, or become a recluse.

    Oh, I lied I DID get hassled about breastfeeding once. It was when I used a cover and my former roommate was hoping to get a view of some bood

  27. Seth, women urinate too….unfortunately there is nothing comparable to breastfeeding that men do, so it might be a little beyond you to grasp why urinating and breastfeeding are not comparable….. in simpler terms perhaps would be I'm not asking for my baby to pee in public, but rather to eat in public – if you can eat out, then there is no reason why baby can't. And just to note, what you eat and the type of plate/lunchbox you use are not dictated by society, so why should my baby's be?

  28. Where does Seth live? I wanna have a nurse-in!! How many days would Seth have to be around nursing mothers and adorable babies before he'd get over his breast phobia? What if we all walked about topless, would that hasten the change?

  29. The more women are able to breastfeed in public without being "hidden" away, then we will hear less comments like Seth's about our breasts being compared to penises.

    I was in a childrens museum and was able to find a quiet place to nurse and I had one of the workers there tell me that she keeps suggesting they add a nursing room. While that is a fine suggestion, its just perpetuates the idea that its something that others shouldn't have to see, much less think about. And how am I supposed to watch my other children play while I'm hiding away in a nursing room? One of the perks of breastfeeding is its convenience and nursing rooms take that away, as well as making the mom feel left out.

    • Acrophile says

      I agree. Our local science museum has a nursing room. I’ve used it, but I felt kind of odd, and kept wanting to get up and go check on the 4yo playing in the kids’ area just outside it. I *think* they thought they were being nice, giving moms a quiet, out-of-the-way place, ot somewhere to hide or be exiled. I may be giving them too much credit, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. There is one advantage to such a room: it’s a good place for nursing baby to be undistracted by activity. I know both of my LOs started at about 7 months, to need the most boring, featureless space in the house to nurse, or they’d just let go and watch the world around them! Frustrating.

  30. "Respectful of those around you"

    Firstly, "respectful" is subjective. Every other person nearby could well have a different definition of what would be "respectful". Which one should she defer to? The one who expects her to cover? Sit in the corner? Face the wall? Leane the area? Stay home toll the kid is weaned? Use a bottle? Why cant she just get on with it in the way SHE is most comfortable, and everyone else get on with their lives? Isnt that much sompler?

    Remember when you see a breastfeeding mother that she IS being "respectful" and "discreet" as defined by HER. Do you honestly expect the rest of the world to march to YOUR moral tune and comfort level?

    What, exactly, is disrespectful about the sight of breastfeeding, breasts and nipples? It won't traimTise, corrupt or hurt anyone. It doesn't cause cancer of the eyeballs. In fact, it is positive. The more people see it, the more normal it will be.

    I don't want breast to be best. I want it to be boring. A non issue.

  31. Hip Mountain Mama says

    Well said!!!!
    Suzy

  32. simplyrebekah says

    You have become my new favorite blogger. I loved your post that you wrote about realizing that you are a lactavist. I think just reading that post made ME realize the same thing about myself!! This post inparticular really inspired me. I've become quite passionate about the need for more mothers to NIP so that it can become the socially accept norm that I believe it should be. If breast is best then why do it in the bathroom? Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I just shared your link on Twitter & Facebook. Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading more.

  33. Ok- I have no read through the comments yet… but I will and then follow up.

    Just wanted to say that I was sitting here nursing my 1 year old and showed the YouTube video to my 2 year old (who also still nurses) and she loved it. in fact she is begging to watch it again!

  34. Seth, you just don't get it and never will. The same as White supremacists dont get why minorities want equal rights or homophobic people don't understand why gay people want to live in peace.
    It's about RIGHTS and FREEDOMS not about exhibitionism. It's about sustaining life, not about protest. Breastfeeding is as natural as skin color and sexual orientation, it just IS and we are standing up for our RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS as nursing mothers, because if we don't NOONE ELSE WILL!

  35. Yeah, I don’t really care what the Seths of the world think. Give me a dirty look. Whatever. I don’t even know you. I’m right and you are wrong, so be a dick. I don’t care.

  36. Seth reminds me of the guy that I told to take a pic and go home and jerk off as he stared at my wife feeding our child. Thankfully, in Canada the law is on the moms side even to the point that a boss can’t tell you to go to the washroom because in Canadian labour law that isn’t an acceptable accomodation.

    No breastfeeding mom sits there wanting attention. They all cover up with a blanket or as well as they can with their shirt as our kids hated anything over their head while eating. I mean strippers get paid alot to show off their milk jugs. If moms were in it to show off, they should probably charge money to view.

  37. Jasmine V. says

    People like “Seth” are the reason we have issues.Get over it.You sexualized the breasts.Think of them as “bottles” and get over it.Your never going to win.You harrass a woman feeding her baby,guess what buddy?Your in trouble.Our children have the right to be fed dammit,without us being condemned as perverts.Or gawked at!Do you glare at the woman who is feeding her baby formula?Then you shouldn’t hesitate to walk past a mom breastfeeding.Your an ass.

  38. Wow. Seth’s comments show exactly why this post was needed. There are still many that are ignorant of the importance of breastfeeding in public. While out with my child I nurse her in public w/o a cover. I don’t do this to draw attention to myself! My daughter hates to be covered and will pull it off and stop nursing and reveal my whole breast! When i nurse her there really isn’t that much exposed. I believe some v neck form fitting shirts leave less to the imagination than what I do! So lets not pretend like the breast is the issue. In this society where playmates achieve fame , breasxts are worshipped. What people have a problem with is that breast is being used for food! And this issue is absurd. For reasons already mentioned here. The primary purpose is for nourishing our offspring. It is not waste! So i for one am saying screw what anyone thinks! I will nurse my child when she is hungry. And if that is when I’m eating in a food court then that is where i will feed her. Really, how hard is it to just not look? I’m sure there is a scantilly clad chick you can ogle at instead 🙂

  39. Ryan Merrifield says

    @seth in most other places in the world, topless is something that BOTH sexes do to get a nice tan, breasts are no BIG deal, and if you had a foreskin, it probably wouldn’t offend anyone if you just had a leak in public 😛

  40. vanessa r says

    Uh…Seth, I assume you ask for permission from those around you before you eat in public! After all, you might make others uncomfortable…

    I WILL feed my child when he is hungry, whether it be at home, the zoo, a restaurant, an office or store! YOU eat when YOU’RE hungry regardless of location, why should an infant do any different?!

  41. As I have said before, I am gonig to wear shoes no matter what people with shoe fetishes think. You can’t define your lives by what other (sometimes stupid) people THINK you should do. I have logic on my side. I have the Lord on my side (he made boobs and milk, after all)… what more do I need?

  42. Amanda R says

    So perfectly said!! Thank you for getting it out there!

  43. I LOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEE YYOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~
    Also, please forward a copy of this to my MIL! PEEEEEEACE! lol

  44. I have read through all the comments. I have 4 girls, all of whom I have breastfed. I still breastfeed my 3 year old and 11 month old. I will nurse my 11 month old in public. I don’t use a cover because none of my girls like anything over their heads. They think it is a game of peekaboo when I do that, and then they end up not eating…instead choosing to play. When I breastfeed in public, you dont see any part of my breast at all. You might see a little bit of my side, but thats about it. My daughter covers the nipple…and usually has her hand right there as well so that part is also covered, but I pull my shirt down close to her face. I have been asked to leave a restaurant, to go into the bathroom (which I absolutely refuse to do) and have been told that what I am doing is dirty. When I was asked to go into the bathroom to feed my daughter, I told them I wouldn’t. For one, asking me to feed my baby where people go to excrete WASTE from their body is disgusting. I countered then with asking them if they would go and buy their lunch…and go and sit on the toilet to eat. Second, the noise from the toilets flushing is quite distracting to a baby, and also can be very scary. Public bathrooms usually have an echo, making any sound louder. To a little one, that can be very unsettling. The ONLY time you may see a little bit of nipple is when she pulls off and I am in the process of refastening my nursing bra.
    Breastfeeding in public should be accepted as normal. Im sorry. If it makes you uncomfortable….WALK AWAY~! My baby has a right to be fed when she is hungry, and not MADE TO WAIT because it might be an inconvenience to you, or make you uncomfortable. As a mother, my MAIN priority is the health and well being of my children.

  45. I love the PS.

    I love breastfeeding my children and I am glad that I can do it, successfully. It makes me sad to think that there are so many people like Seth out there who have horrible misconceptions about nursing in public…especially comparing the act of nursing to the act of urinating. *eyeroll* They aren’t even remotely in the same category. But I’m saddened by this because they don’t “get it”. I don’t nurse my child in public to make anyone uncomfortable. In fact, the only people I hope I DO make uncomfortable, are people like Seth, who need a reality check. If I WANTED people to see my naked breasts, I would have been a stripper. I don’t go out thinking “Ohhhh who can I make uncomfortable today with my nursing?!” I go out thinking “Now, what errands do I need to run so I can get home at a decent time?!”

    I will continue to nurse any babies that I have, in public, and without a cover…because that’s how my babies and I are comfortable. Thank you for being so supportive of women. It does make it easier and it makes me happy knowing there are TONS of people in our corner.

    FWIW Seth, I’ve nursed my baby walking down the main drag in Waikiki in Hawaii. Do you want to know how many people I got make rude remarks to me? Not a single one. That was including the two or three drunk 20-something year old GENTLEMEN who, instead of making snide comments about me nursing my baby, they made comment on her head of amazingly red hair and made small talk with me about her all with big, NON-PERVY smiles on their faces. Their mother’s did a fantastic job of raising them.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Of course we would.  However, I’m refusing to accept being told to hide to feed my babies, virtually or otherwise.  The easy access on Facebook makes it such a simple step for women and those that support breastfeeding to participate in The Leaky B@@b community, providing a wealth of information and resources in a place where they are already active and connected.  Beyond that though having an active presence on Facebook does something else:  normalize breastfeeding.  Shunning breastfeeding moms to “discreet” (read: obscure) corners of the internet does nothing to encourage accepting breastfeeding as a normal and beneficial piece of family life.  We have to stop communicating one thing (i.e. “breast is best”) and doing another (i.e “but I don’t want to see it“). […]