Breastfeeding in Public

As motherhood fast approaches, I find myself thinking about the different things I have to look forward to. As my due date draws near I find myself thinking about breastfeeding more, as this is how I have chosen to feed my child. As I have thought more about this, I have become more aware of the public debate that exists regarding public breastfeeding.

My first clue that breastfeeding in public might be an issue came when I was shopping at a Motherhood Maternity store. In the fitting room was a sign stating that breastfeeding was welcome in their store. It had never occurred to me that some stores might have an issue with a woman nursing her baby. In the debate on public breastfeeding it seems there are two warring factions. One side is supportive of women breastfeeding their children wherever and whenever they need to. The other half says this should be kept private and out of the public eye. Having never thought about this very much in the past, I decided to survey some people to get their viewpoints on this issue.

Most of those I surveyed were fine with a woman breastfeeding her child in public. Most just said they thought it should be done discretely, using a blanket to cover up. One person I surveyed pointed out that often times she has done this in the past and, "people do not have any idea if the baby is sleeping under the blanket or what's going on."

Another person pointed out that the age of the child also played a role in how appropriate they felt public breastfeeding is. They felt more comfortable with public nursing if the child was under a certain age. She said, "If someone is nursing an 18 month old in public it is a lot different than nursing a newborn or baby up to about 8 months."

Another person surveyed said the following in support of public breastfeeding: "I feel that if a mother needs to nurse her baby in public, she should do so. However, I feel it is modest for her to cover herself up with a blanket so that her breast is not exposed. It irks me when people freak out about it. It is a natural thing and you can't control when babies need to eat. We shouldn't discriminate against mommies who are trying to keep their babies healthy."

While I did find many supporters of public breastfeeding, I also received some comments that were more in favor of breastfeeding in private. One respondent said, "A mother can always plan ahead and feed the baby beforehand, if she knows that she will be out. She can choose to bottle feed, whether she is nursing or supplementing and take a bottle along. If she is out and there is a great urgency, I think she can find a place where she is not out in the open for all to see what she is doing (even if she covers herself and the baby with a blanket.)"

Another respondent said the following: "I didn't think I had a problem with people breast feeding in public but it has always made me feel uncomfortable. I never really had an opinion until I had my own child. It is a special time and a special moment for a mother to hold her baby close, realizing that it is truly a miracle from God. It is a precious time given to all mothers who have that opportunity to breast feed, to bond with her baby. My opinion is that you don't share that with the world. I also believe that you, the nursing mother, put people in an uncomfortable position when you whip out your breast to feed your child. If a baby needs fed immediately, there are ways to be discrete about nursing. Cover up. Honestly I feel that it is another gift from God that isn't meant to be shared for all the world to see."

After receiving responses to my survey, I realized just how divided people are on this issue. It caused me to pause and think about where I stand on this issue, as this is something I will be facing down the road. Personally, I do not think that breastfeeding in public is a big no-no, but I do agree that the mother should cover up with a blanket, so as not to expose herself to the public.

Many may argue and say that breastfeeding is natural and therefore, why should a woman have to cover up the object offering nutrition to her child. I think the problem with exposing oneself in public is that we live in a very sexualized society. In the world we live in, women's bodies are often objects of desire. We see women plastered on the covers of magazines wearing next to nothing and being advertised in many other tantalizing ways, often in order to sell a product. Because of this I believe that it is almost impossible for some people to separate that sexualized image of a woman's body and look at it in a non-sexual, nutritive way. Because of this, I think our society has created a need for women to cover themselves unless they want to be a public spectacle.

The public breastfeeding debate will likely continue for years to come. Already, laws have been passed in many states allowing breastfeeding in any public or private place. In the end it seems that the choice to breastfeed in public or not must ultimately be made by the mother.