Breastfeeding in public

Fran101

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Saw a woman breastfeeding on the train.
I scooched over a bit and smiled so she could have some elbow room.
We then had a conversation about the book I was reading and how much we hate it when author's put a huge picture of themselves on the cover of their own books and when you open a bag of skittles and there are not enough red ones.

because *gasp* as it turns out.. we are both human beings deserving of respect and kindness and have much more things in common then things for me to stare at or be callous about because it make us different. like the fact that she was feeding a baby.

Behind the drool and the "oh god boobs" and the formula vs milk debate and the baby with the soft spot you are really curious about the function of and the giant baby bag filled with mystery items... there is a person. who deserves kindness and understanding.

and as your mother taught you when you were about 6. and bambi taught us after that.
1. It's not nice to stare
2. If you have nothing nice to say.. don't say anything at all.

Politeness FTW
 

ACooper

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Thank you Fran, simply and well put. That's the bottom line and nothing I need to add to express my opinion on the subject. :)
 

darkchild16

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Saw a woman breastfeeding on the train.
I scooched over a bit and smiled so she could have some elbow room.
We then had a conversation about the book I was reading and how much we hate it when author's put a huge picture of themselves on the cover of their own books and when you open a bag of skittles and there are not enough red ones.

because *gasp* as it turns out.. we are both human beings deserving of respect and kindness and have much more things in common then things for me to stare at or be callous about because it make us different. like the fact that she was feeding a baby.

Behind the drool and the "oh god boobs" and the formula vs milk debate and the baby with the soft spot you are really curious about the function of and the giant baby bag filled with mystery items... there is a person. who deserves kindness and understanding.

and as your mother taught you when you were about 6. and bambi taught us after that.
1. It's not nice to stare
2. If you have nothing nice to say.. don't say anything at all.

Politeness FTW

Thank you!

Also thank you for seeing breastfeeding moms as humans and looking BEYOND the baby. Im not just a mom. Im not just a breastfeeder, or a babywearer or someone who uses cloth diapers. I was a person before my kids and I will be one after.

Also Im sure she LOVED (literally not sarcastiaclly) the little elbow room. Believe me elbow room is ALWAYS nice. Some people in this house dont realize that one LOL.
 
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while you have a right to FEEL uncomfortable, you do NOT have a right to NOT be uncomfortable w/ what you see & hear in the world.
Feeling uncomfortable isn't always a terrible state -- it often is a precursor, even an agent provocatuer to personal growth, especially if we wonder why something is making us feel that way.

Sometimes queries about those whys are the real impetus behind a rant about things that make us uncomfortable.
 

Fran101

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Feeling uncomfortable isn't always a terrible state -- it often is a precursor, even an agent provocatuer to personal growth, especially if we wonder why something is making us feel that way.

Sometimes queries about those whys are the real impetus behind a rant about things that make us uncomfortable.
...do you know how much agent provocateur lingerie I own and have NEVER understood the meaning of the name?! LOL

..this is like the first time I put the rapper flo-rida and FLORIDA together lol
 

sparks19

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:yikes:yeah.... ewww... no thanks.
Well then don't play roller derby and of you run into it in public ... Leave. Your issue... You avoid it as best you can. If you can't leave then turn your eyes. I am all for "respectful breastfeeding" but really this is ridiculous. If you can't handle what is in those photos then you deal with your own issue by leaving.
 

yoko

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I had an issue at first because the pics didn't load and I thought they were breastfeeding while playing roller derby and that just seemed... wrong.

But really that isn't bad :/
 

Fran101

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:yikes:yeah.... ewww... no thanks.
lol I don't think you were being offered anything that required declining.

That's the beauty of it! Breastfeeding is a totally personal thing between mother and child.. nobody is asking you to be involved, partake or look..We all have this amazing ability to look/walk away.
Life really is too short to let yourself be that offended by what somebody else is doing that has NOTHING to do with you and literally does not affect your life in any way whatsoever.

For example.. people chewing with their mouths open. Used to drive me NUTS. Like, I wanted to lunge across the table and ask them if they were raised by wolves.
and then I realized what a small thing it was. How by BEING annoyed and acting like a brat because of somebody else's eating habits I was allowing myself to focus on it 100% and let it become much bigger then it really was.

I thought it was THEIR fault for making me uncomfortable by eating that way. But really, it was my fault for looking, being around it, letting it affect me that much and CARING that much that it would really seem like this HUGE deal when in reality.. it didn't affect me at all.

Now, people chew like cattle around me and I just don't look. Problem solved lol
 

SkyRock

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In my case, I wasn't raised in the United States, and in my country this is something that it is not done, I don't know if it is because as a nation we tend to be very prude and reserved, or also because men are the typical macho (yes I'm kinda generalizing) and they don't know how to keep their comments to themselves.

When I moved here I experienced cultural shock in many ways, but also I learned how to see the world with different eyes and even though I still love my country and my culture I also appreciate and understand the culture here.

I don't understand why some people gets grossed out by a woman feeding her baby in a public place, I think is a beautiful connection between mother and baby. It was hard for me at first because I wasn't used to see it happening so publicly, but after meeting different friends that have babies I now know the true meaning of it, and honestly, IMO is a beautiful thing and something that shouldn't be a concern for others rather than mom and her baby.
 

darkchild16

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In my case, I wasn't raised in the United States, and in my country this is something that it is not done, I don't know if it is because as a nation we tend to be very prude and reserved, or also because men are the typical macho (yes I'm kinda generalizing) and they don't know how to keep their comments to themselves.

When I moved here I experienced cultural shock in many ways, but also I learned how to see the world with different eyes and even though I still love my country and my culture I also appreciate and understand the culture here.

I don't understand why some people gets grossed out by a woman feeding her baby in a public place, I think is a beautiful connection between mother and baby. It was hard for me at first because I wasn't used to see it happening so publicly, but after meeting different friends that have babies I now know the true meaning of it, and honestly, IMO is a beautiful thing and something that shouldn't be a concern for others rather than mom and her baby.
What country if you dont mind me asking? (strictly out of pure interest)
 

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