Breastfeeding in Public


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An infant feeding at his mother’s breast is absolutely one of the most natural, normal sights in all of creation. Unfortunately, though, we live in a society which has denigrated women’s breasts to an object of sexuality, and there are a number of people who are uncomfortable seeing a woman breastfeeding her baby in public.

In two recent high profile instances, mothers were thrown out of business establishments for breastfeeding their babies. In one instance, a breastfeeding mother was asked to leave a Manhattan chocolate shop, and in the other a breastfeeding mom was kicked out of a Phoenix, Arizona McDonald’s restaurant.

In both cases, the managers responsible for asking the breastfeeding mothers to leave were reprimanded (the chocolate store manager was actually fired over it). McDonald’s even went as far as offering a public apology and assuring customers that this was against company policy.

In a day and age when the public is becoming more and more informed about the benefits of breastfeeding, one would think that this wouldn’t need to be a major issue. However, it’s worth pointing out also that breastfeeding mothers can avoid a lot of this hassle by showing a reasonable amount of modesty while breastfeeding.

We’re not suggesting that moms shouldn’t be able to breastfeed their babies in public. We are suggesting that it’s a good idea to bring a light blanket along to cover up with if you do breastfeed in public. While there are many who don’t view your breasts as sexual objects (and your baby certainly doesn’t), there are others who do, and many people in our society-men and women alike-simply don’t feel comfortable seeing a woman’s breast exposed in public, even if it is to breastfeed an infant.

A little mutual sensitivity would go a long ways on this issue. Unfortunately, we can’t force anyone else to be sensitive, so we need to take the initiative. If covering up while you breastfeed will avoid a major scene, why not cover up? Unless we are trying to be militant and make a statement, there really isn’t any good reason not to.



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