Should women cover-up while nursing in public?

Personally, I don't give a crap if they do or not. Fortunately, I'm not a repressed individual and I have had the good fortune to see a couple of boobs in my life. Some on chests, and one in the White House.

The reaction to an exposed boob by some in this country, is just plain weird. Bill Maher ranted the other night about boob sightings and made it sound uh---unnatural and inappropriate. I think the real story should be about people like him who get freaked out by it. These people get all worked up about a quick glance at a boob and a baby attached to it? Then again, maybe it isn't a quick glance, and the ones who are getting bent about this are the ones that stare the longest?

Pervs!

Before it erupts, I'd like to say that I'm with you. What is the big deal? I have no problems with women breast feeding their babies in public. I don't really get why so many people have problems with it.

That's a nice picture, btw. Thanks for sharing it.

but a little discretion is not a bad thing - it's not so much the boob factor to me as much as feeling as though I am intruding on a very intimate moment - but what do I know, maybe that is stupid too

should be done in a personal way and in private but for others it is up to them I guess. I do find I like people to cover their body and not put it in my face but it is a personal thing. This of course means that I put a personal tag on such people who do it, if my belief is such, can I say I do any thing else?

but if I'm walking along and see a women breast feeding, I look away. It's not really in my face, cause it's only a glancing second.

I must have some bad feeling for the people if I do that. I do not know if I am really back-wards in this or what. I was an art major and have spent hours looking at nude men and women and it never got me up tight but I knew I never would do it. I have been to clubs that had nude show girls and felt the same. Fine for them but hardly for me. I have even walked the streets in Holland looking at the women in the windows. So maybe I just do not care what others do as long as I need not do it. I have been called open minded about life and I am a pretty old women so grew up in a more up-tight time.

Nursing is a natural act and when a baby is hungary, they need to be fed.
It is just one more thing where people want to control other people. Little people get upset over this stuff because it is a way they can control others. It is the only power they have.

We are just too uptight over these things called breasts.

AND I've never seen a woman just sitting there totally exposed. Oh I'm sure it happens... but I betcha 9 out 10 times it doesn't.

Much to do about nothing from a crowd of puritans.

She lifted up her shirt, picked up her baby and nursed her while leaving her shirt pulled up with her breast exposed. First time I had ever seen a woman do that.

Throw a towel over the heads of the boobs who can't deal with it

threatened to be banned in Boston. There were conservative women and men on one side, and feminist and liberals on the other. The year was 1972-3. The conversation on this thread resembles the telephone calls I dealt with on this issue.

Now, It's 2007, and people still line up on one side or the other -- decades later. FYI, I was one of the first women who joined the La Leche League. I tried to nurse my newborn daughter who arrived in the labor room on 10/09/68. At the time, there were no breast pumps. All the movies in contention for Academy Awards are screened from October 1 to December 31. Eventually, timing issues KO'ed my attempts to nurse her. At age three months, I put my daughter on formula because of convenience.

I was the first female talk show host with a daily daytime radio show. We talked about all the "hot" issues: Sexuality including birth control, abortion (new clinics opened in NY), capital punishment, gun control, women as Catholic priests, and of course, politics, politics, POLITICS!

There's a phrase I use in describing my career -- it's VERBAL MASTURBATION.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." I don't know who said it, but I believe it.

Great response!

;-)

there was an article about a young mother who slipped on the stairs when she was going to a "private" area, when she and her family were enjoying a meal at a local restaurant. That would ruin a meal for me, had I been there. But her nursing her infant would not have.

of infant nutrition. And really I don't give a crap who gets upset.

...this weird assertion that breastfeeding moms are merely seeking an opportunity to "flash" people and expose themselves. :crazy: It's really insulting to women as a whole, but particularly to women that as you said, are merely trying to feed their baby.

let me edit that short answer.



they shouldn't have to if they don't want to. Considering the way a shirt is lifted up or if a nursing shirt is used, then you really don't see anything in the first place. You'd have to be in the same position as the BB in order to see anything.

People need to get over it.

How can you get away with that porn picture in your message :sarcasm:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

...attempt to cover herself or her child in some manner while breast feeding in public.
I'm serious, and I've encountered many women breastfeeding in public over the years. Because of this, I don't understand why people insist it should be required.

What I HAVE seen are infants sometimes getting wiggly and suddenly the mother is a tad exposed.
I don't know of many women that are interested in "exposing themselves" to the public at large. But for some reason, when it comes to breastfeeding, there is this overwhelming assertion that women become sneaky flashers after giving birth, and just can't wait to "show her breasts" to an unwilling public. :eyes:

If people don't want to see, why can't they merely look away?

Do I believe women SHOULD cover up while nursing in public? No, I do not.


Why can't people assert a tad bit of understanding and compassion?

Anyone that has had a child or studied the development of infants knows that at certain points in the growth cycle, an infant may or may not be tolerant of a variety of things. They can get fussy, sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. Babies don't come with instruction manuals and sometimes it's a total "go with the flow" process--the mom learning as she goes, what her baby likes and dislikes.

Why doesn't anyone ever consider that some infants/children simply don't tolerate being covered while nursing? That some simply don't like the feeling of being confined. On a warm day, some may not like feeling hot next to their mother's body AND being covered.

In such cases, it's frequently easier to just do whatever the infant/child will best tolerate. Otherwise, something that could be finished in minutes, turns into a much longer upsetting chore for her child.

It's interesting that a society that is so obsessed with women giving birth, has very little understanding or respect for infants and children once they are actually here. :shrug:

Heck, I think it's a beautiful thing and necessary as anybody who has had kids knows be it with a bottle or breast, they want it when they want it. Don't get me wrong here, but as a guy I like boobs too and if a woman wishes to show them in public I will look. That brings me to your statement:
"If people don't want to see, why can't they merely look away?"
So if they are shown in public and I being JohnQ Public want to look, then am I to be branded a pervert to look when it is in public? We aren't talking of peering into somebody's window here which I won't do, so where is the acceptability line drawn here being it's ok for the woman to expose herself?

Two very different issues. No one is talking about anyone LOOKING and how they would be labeled. The issue is breastfeeding--not whether or not someone that looks is a pervert.

Your question doesn't really make sense in relation to the context of my comments, or to this thread.

.

and the nature of the subject. That is the reason why most don't want breastfeeding in public is because it will cause some to stare just as long as she exposes herself and has everything to do with the subject matter.

Link to that data, please? :hi:

but looking at exposed breasts is not. :shrug:

I don't understand it either.

the wholesome picture of a mother feeding her baby in the most natural way possible, geez, let me thing on this for a bit.

Why take away a 15-year-old boy's reason to live?

You know, it's very VERY easy to bf'd in public without exposing much if any breast AND without suffocating your kid under a blanket. Here's how you do it - you pull your blouse up from the bottom, latch the baby on, and then let go of your blouse. Voila! You can see baby's face perfectly well and no one can see your breast. I nursed both of my children exclusively and nursed them everywhere and anywhere (including on airplanes, in professional meetings, and in the mall to name just a few) and this how I did it. It's also how 99.99% of women who bf'd in public do it. Now, I don't know if the woman Maher was referring to had opened her shirt from the top, but if that's the case, I really don't see why it's such a big deal to do it the other way and minimize making others uncomfortable. Why is that so hard?

The fact is that 99.99% of the time, when public bf'ing is objected to, the person objecting can't see much of anything. The baby could be sleeping for all s/he knows. It's not what they see, it's what they *know* is happening that bothers them - that a baby is *gasp* suckling on a woman's breast. Those are the ones who need to get over it.

MOST women bf'd exactly as you describe. The only time I've SEEN anything, is the rare occasion when the child is fussy or wiggly and "oops" poor mom is exposed. But it was far from intentional.

This is why I don't understand the critics of bf-ing in public. I have yet to see anyone say they found a woman totally topless in the middle of a mall foodcourt with a child breastfeeding--both breasts exposed, blouse down around her ankles. Most of the people opposed seem to object just because as you said, they know that the child is feeding from the breast.

:shrug:

She did just that -- would hike her shirt up around her collarbone, pop open both her cups and let'em hang out for the entire, very public session. :D On more than one ocassion she was asked to be more discreet and was very offended when it happened. Honestly, seeing her engorged, leeky tits did really put me off my food a couple of times, I can imagine what it was doing to the folks at the table next to us! Now she looks back and is a bit mortified at how she handled it.

As said, the vast majority of women I have seen do bf discreetly, and I don't see why anyone would have a problem with it.

:rofl:

I'm not laughing at your sister, but your description is pretty funny. Honestly when I said what I did, I couldn't imagine it occuring that way. But I'll definitely take you at your word in terms of the visual impact. lol.

But I'll stand by my comments. Even with a blouse up around her collarbone and cups hanging I will continue to advocate for a woman's right to choose how and where they nurse their babies. ;)

I don't have the right to tell the jack ass with his pants riding below his hips to pull them up, so that I don't have to view his hairy buttcrack. Why should the world at large get to tell women how they bf?

saying we have to cover up. Your head would have to be in the same position as the BB's in order to see anything at all.

Sometimes, bb will lift my shirt up with her hand, and you may get a quick peek of my boob. All people have to do is not freakin' stare! I'm feeding a baby what is the big deal?

People should understand, you're feeding a living entity--not pretending to feed a doll. Living entities move sometimes, they have minds of their own. If they wiggle even a bit, maybe a top comes up or a shoulder diaper falls. So what?

Why should women be banished to dark corners, smelly bathroom stalls or cars to feed their children?

But i did know one that just flopped it out whenever the Baby was hungry and no one I knew cared at all. She was an attractive young lady but I never remembered getting aroused by it nor was I offended in any way. It just seemed natural to me and my friends. She took here baby everywhere with her even at parties where there were a lot of people and no one cared at all. Although some of us referred to here as our earth mother and we all knew here baby was well cared for.
And that child now is probably a healthy adult thanks to a mother who cared.

Oh oh oh ... "bf" = BreastFeeding ... my bad ... :evilgrin:

OMG! Hysterical! :rofl:

as a former bf mother of 4, you said a mouthful (pun intended)!

Feeding a child is the oldest thing. If i see it it mostly causes me to smile. I find it to be one of the most basic and peaceful scenes. Cover, cover not i don't care.

Obnoxious crying children are getting on my nerves though ;-)

with me BF'ing the BB at the table, uncovered. They know what I am doing is the best thing for the BB, and have highly encouraged it. When we get the whole family together, there is usually three or four of us at the same time BF'ing a bb. I can't believe how prudish some people are here.

:shrug:

Nope. If I'm eavesdropping or listening that closely, I get what's coming to me. And if I'm gawking at and offended by a nursing mom, I also get what's coming to me.

Cover or no cover, doesn't matter to me. I'd much rather have a mom feed her baby in a restaurant than have the baby go hungry or get fussy. :hi:

they are hoarse? Hoarse whispering really annoys me.

That's always good for hoarseness. :P

if someone else is offended by their bare breast if they are not being discreet. Maybe it IS the other person's problem, but it isn't hard or that big a deal to be discreet or throw a receiving blanket over your shoulder.

Just kiddin'. I think a woman breast feeding is beautiful sight.

People (mostly men) just drool over a bare breast unless there's a baby attached to it. We relly have our priorities straight don't we?

uproar against breast feeding. Womens parts are for mens enjoyment only! stick a baby on a breast and some guys get all confused regarding all their mommy madonna/whore issue hangups.

or It's like a tomcat thing - making babies is fun but taking care of them not so much.

I think we should be way more concerned about politicians and corporations sucking at the public teat. now That's Gross!

Let the baby starve...I mean, everyone knows that tits serve no function other than men's playthings.

People need to get a grip.

they are meant to feed babies not to be objectified.

just because they are objectified in the media perpetually doesnt make it their true purpose.

if pre literate tribes can handle their women walking around without shirts, i dont see why a literate, supposedly evolved society cant handle a breastfeeding mother.

this whole outrage over it is irritating.

But I tell you what I--as a woman--find offensive.
Men going without shirts.
Totally disgusting....unless of course they look like Brad Pitt or someone equally as buff...but there should be an independent panel of women somewhere approving the men that are allowed to go topless. They should have to have a license or something.

:rofl:

I find that sooooooo revolting - stranger men's chests all exposed and sweaty and hairy. and some have bigger boobies than I do.

...you know, the guys that just CAN'T be bothered to wear pants on their hips. So the world has to see their "great divide" on display. If he bends over, forgetaboutit. Really gross to see. But I have yet to see any national campaigns against this visual disturbance. Nor comedians on tv declaring it a public disgrace.

Just. so. wrong.

I saw one once, jogging at the beach in those lycra shorts, the REALLY loose ones. Every now and then the snake came out of the pit, if you know what I mean. :scared:

sex, sex, sex, 24/7, and people are worked up about mothers nursing their babies?

:wtf:

I personally think the mothers should all, those who can that is, breast feed their babies as I feel there is some real good health benefits to the baby.

why do some people get all worked up at the sight of a little skin on the breast of a woman while she is breast feeding, I just don't get it. weirdo's or wacko's my guess

shouldn't complain when someone looks.

Yes, something like that. If you flop it out, men will look.

women's bodies.

We are not just about sex, get over it.

"hawt" and therefore are meant to be sexual, not functional.

Can you point to one post that says "I hate women's bodies"? How about "I hate boobs"?

The same people who don't think that women should cover themselves when breast feeding will be screaming the loudest if someone looks at them while they do it.

Men hating women's bodies is inherent? Looking at boobs is inherent? I don't follow the meaning of your reply.

I don't get the big deal.

I wouldn't watch, but if I saw it happening, I would be able to turn my attention back to what I was doing.

but that's just me

It doesn't matter what you believe, if you've got your tit out for any reason, it's going to stir the natives. If you don't want that, cover up. Otherwise, you are using your baby as a prop for your protest.

Poor psycho-sexually traumatized Americans!

The puritanical and Victorian ages never really ended, did they?

because he thinks breasts are just for men to ogle at and play with. How dare an infant monopolize them!

Most Americans have forgotten the reason breasts exist.

It's a dichotomy that MEN will have to work out, in their own psyches.

I nursed both of my babies and was able to sit with them anyplace and feed them au natural so to speak --- I just didn't make a big deal out of it and I wore tops and bras designed for nursing mothers. If I offended anyone, well... fuck them. I certainly wasn't jumping up on a table and cranking up striptease music while accepting tips....

What is it with the American's and breasts? Jeesh....

Not everybody believes in free love & nursing in public.

It is very possible for women to BF rather discreetly.

Of all the things one can worry about in today's world, being concerned about women taking care of their baby in a natural way is not one of them.

i don't want to see kissy facing in public or other women's boobies. cover it up please or go somewhere private to nurse (like the restroom), or better yet, plan your activities so you won't offend someone else in public. you know when your child eats, so plan on going to the restaurant when its not their time to eat.

Didn't think so.

Don't want to see em, don't look.

OR GET A SITTER.

That's just one of the reasons why people don't eat in restrooms. Children aren't immune.

And breastfed children eat more often sometimes than others. Breastfeeding is about supply and demand, so when a baby goes through a growth spurt and needs more food, he/she will breastfeed more often so that the breasts are stimulated enough to make more milk.

I believe it is polite for them to cover up.

where the hell are all these people hanging out that they see boobies everywhere?

Unless they want to. But they should do what is comfortable for them and their babies. Babies don't generally like blankets over their faces, and babies like to gaze at their mommies while they eat. If it's polite to feed a baby a bottle at any given place, it's polite to breastfeed.

If it bothers you seeing a perfectly natural act of a mother feeding her baby and the bonding that is happening, don't look.

...but that's just me. I'm a modest soul.

It's disgusting and unnatural. It's a subtle form of child abuse. I'm NOT being sarcastic.

nor do they have to if they don't want to.

get over it.

or the mom, for that matter?

You obviously haven't thought this through.

Any bystander who is uncomfortable with the nursing process can easily mind his own business.

I've never even seen a woman nurse in public, much less one who doesn't cover up. Maybe I just live in a reserved area?

In any case, I don't personally have a problem with nursing. It's a boob, big whoop. That said, there are plenty of people out there who have opinions differing from my own. It may be easier in certain settings to have a blanket on-hand, just to keep from having an awkward situation with those folks.

Seriously, most of the time, a baby nursing in public looks about the same as a baby sleeping in his mother's arms. Unless you looked hard, you probably couldn't tell the mom's blouse was subtly pulled up.

I was nursing my daughter once, and this older woman came over and wanted to sneak a peak at her, and said she looked darling asleep in her mama's arms. And she got close enough to try to see her face and only then did she see I was breastfeeding her. And she recoiled and said, "Ewwww you're doing THAT!" I was traumatized for a little bit - I was careful and still this woman made the act of feeding my baby seem shameful. When you're full of post-partum hormones and unsure about how you're handling motherhood, that is the last thing you need. And that's why I am so supportive of mothers' rights to breastfeed in public. Babies need to eat and women shouldn't be shamed over doing something so natural.

I think you can get the inference.

To answer your question, no. Breast feeding is a natural act and people who are offended by it need to get over the eternal sexualization of women's breasts.

press is beyond me. He is a comedian who has strong views on alot of things. I love the people who are so "offended".

You want to make this NO BIG DEAL? Stop making one person's opinion a big deal.

Jeez you'd think all y'all where bottle fed by the way you seem to forget this.

I do suspect that the people freaking out over it, especially the men, might have some strange hang-ups, you're right.

Babies need to be fed, and there's nothing obscene or dangerous about them eating what nature intended.

Is that too much to fucking ask?