QUOTE
much better to have a breast feeding baby than one who is hungry
Who said not to feed the baby? There's a time and a place for everything:
When the baby is hungry, it is the time.
A public dinner table is not the place for a stranger's breast, no matter what is at the end of it.
That is my argument, that is my opinion. No where did I argue against breastfeeding or bash it. I didn't read swimmer say breastfeeding was bad-just breastfeeding in plain sight at a restuarant where others might be so uncomfortable they lost their appetite was way uncomfortable and led to an unpleasant dining experience for him and his mother.
Swimmer saw and was uncomfortable, therefore I deduce, there must not have been much of an attempt on the mother's part to limit the exposure of her breast and/or consider the feelings of the entire restaurant around her -folks she didn't not know, some whom do not have children therefore are most likely to lack an appreciation of breastfeeding a child for good health. Without a baby sucking on that nipple, it'd be indecent exposure.
In the right context, in the right environment, it is a-okay...even without a blankie across the front...but not in a restaurant. The baby could be fed elsewhere-it's not like the mother's going to loose her seat or have her dinner not served to her if she goes somewhere else.
It is not to say I have never fed in a public place, but NOT public view. Most women's restrooms in nicer places have grand waiting rooms w/couchs & seats that you can remove yourself to so you can feed your baby. There is no need to boob it all the way for strangers to watch. Had she been discreet, there would be no subject because it would not have knowingly been observed by others. It is not hard at all to be so discreet that no one knows what is going, for the breastfeeding mother, there are many, many options and items on the market to help her be sure to feed her baby no matter the situation.
On another note-most breastfeeding moms will tell you, you KNOW when you're going to need to be feeding your baby-your breasts have their own schedule, and it's usually quite regular-so are your baby's feeding habits...unless they're sick...to which they shouldn't be out at all. The vast majority of the time, you know when you will be needing to feed your baby...it's not like it's a huge surprise that your baby suddenly became hungry, and it's not like your breasts are always full too-they fill up, baby drains, time passes, they fill up, baby drains, time passes-it's not like a soda machine that can dispense whenever you push a button. It's safe to assume that the mother was aware she'd be feeding so she should have had an arsonal of baby feeding items on her...even if she plained on taking 15 mintues for dinner...and the arsonal should have included something to stick over the front of her.
In saying this, I am assuming she was bare breasted during the event, which is something I've seen in the store. Shirt way up, breast very exposed & an itty bitty baby suckling the end of it & the nipple could be seen. I wasn't the only woman taken aback, especially since I wasn't expecting on seeing it when I rounded the corner.
To me personally, it's something private and intimate and beautiful so I keep it private-I feel the same about my breasts, I think they're way great & can be fun and purposeful and even pretty, but I sure don't let strangers look at them nor do I expose them in public no matter what the circumstance. I don't feel it's right to let a stranger see my breasts. A doctor, well-chosen significant other, family-that's different, but not a room of strangers. And that is what the society I have grown up in has told me. Are we saying it is alright to expose your breast in public? For me, that is what this is about.
