Breastfeeding in public

Romy

Taxiderpy
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
10,233
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Olympia, WA
yeah there is formula folks, the natural stufff may be best but i mean come on, why not put some in bottles for outings, eh? ewwwww if someone were in the buffet line doing that i would say something about it. thats even grosser ~_~.

i would never have kids, just the fact of having something inside me growing is enoiugh to wig me out.
A lot of babies can't digest formula properly. Some hate the flavor and won't eat it. (seriously have you ever tasted it? Imagine one of those nasty protein bodybuilder shakes, unflavored, with strong overtones of iron and other vitamins. Euargh)

Milk is produced by demand. So if you miss even one feeding, production overall goes way down. Same thing with pumping. It's really difficult to maintain a supply through pumping because your body doesn't get the same signals to increase production as it does from nursing an infant.

Not to mention, missed feedings can get extremely painful for mom because the drop in production isn't instantaneous. Missed feedings can cause issues like plugged ducts and mastitis (horribly painful infection and fever).

Also, a lot of babies have problems switching between nursing and bottle feeding. Bottles let the food gush out and cause some babies to choke. They require different mouth movements, and a lot of babies have problems switching between the two. Especially when they're very young.

When I worked in daycare there were some babies who could switch. A significant number absolutely could NOT. Their moms luckily were able to take time off work every 2-3 hours to come feed their children. I used to work as a nanny for a mom that worked out of the home. She had to take breaks to feed him as she tried pumping, and he could not switch between her and a bottle.

ETA: Not to mention, many many places are not equipped to heat up bottles of formula to the proper temperature.
 

NicoleLJ

PSD Partner
Joined
Apr 18, 2004
Messages
1,601
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Canada
yeah there is formula folks, the natural stufff may be best but i mean come on, why not put some in bottles for outings, eh? ewwwww if someone were in the buffet line doing that i would say something about it. thats even grosser ~_~.

i would never have kids, just the fact of having something inside me growing is enoiugh to wig me out.
Some kids can't have formula. Their systems won't handle it. For Nico breast milk is best because he will be having surgery by the time he is 3-6 months old and there are special things in the breast milk that help them heal. Also switching back and forth from formula to breast milk can cause serious discomfort for a baby as they try to adjust their systems to the change. Think of changing your dogs food back and forth from raw to kibble and how it can cause the runs and so on to do so.

It is not so black and white.
 

crazedACD

Active Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
3,048
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
West Missouri
I don't care about breast feeding but I'm not a big fan of babies being changed in public..in a store or restaurant. There is usually a bathroom in walking distance in those places. This is mostly a cleanliness issue though.
 

Pops2

Active Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2008
Messages
3,072
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
UT
you dont change your babies diaper in public, do you? a thing which is also nessessary & must be done right now. someone ordering something you dont like to eat isnt even the same thing, & yes i am 30 yrs old, thanks. I have a right to my opinion... & i find it gross.
you have a right to your opinion, what you do not have a right to is use your opinion to justify injury to another. and yes limiting a mother's ability to feed their child where & when needed is an injury to their liberty & relationship.
 

NicoleLJ

PSD Partner
Joined
Apr 18, 2004
Messages
1,601
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Canada
you dont change your babies diaper in public, do you? a thing which is also nessessary & must be done right now. someone ordering something you dont like to eat isnt even the same thing, & yes i am 30 yrs old, thanks. I have a right to my opinion... & i find it gross.
I do and will if there is no bathroom near by to take them too. Better then them risking a painful rash. Most places have bathrooms to use but I have done it in parks out in the open and other places where there was no bathroom or the bathrooms were so busy there was no way to get in to change them in a timely manner. And comparing fecal matter and changing to feeding a baby breast milk is not even close to the same thing.
 

Dogdragoness

Happy Halloween!!
Joined
May 31, 2012
Messages
4,169
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Gillett/Flower Mound TX
Im not saying she has to, I'm just saying dont be surprised when i exhibit distain when i see it (which luckily is not very often). incase you are wondering yes i was breastfed & yes my mother & have conflicting views on this as you can probably tell. if we are together & see it she's like "awww" while I'm doing my best not to lose the food i have in my stomach.

i have seen moms with babies that i think are waaaay too young to be out in public, but thats a whole nuther thread. maybe they should wait til they can go a little longer btw feedings or something.

i dont know... the whole thing just creeps me out, i just cant get over the revolt i feel twds it. no i dont expect someone to jump to apease my opinions... just dont get pissed off when i respect them.
 

Romy

Taxiderpy
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
10,233
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Olympia, WA
Im not saying she has to, I'm just saying dont be surprised when i exhibit distain when i see it (which luckily is never)
Why would you even bother saying anything? You're exposing yourself to it more and hurting other people? That doesn't even make sense. That's like walking up to someone eating with their hands and telling them how disgusting it is and that it turns your stomach to see it, when you could just.. turn your head away or walk away and not say anything.
 

darkchild16

We are Home.
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Messages
21,880
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
35
Location
Tallahassee Florida
yet you feel the need to voice your opinion to a restaurant. and think they should change food because it makes YOU uncomfortable not even geting to the point that it can make the baby uncomfortable. Or i geuss you would much rather my daughter puke in front of you which she does everytime she eats formula.
 
Last edited:

darkchild16

We are Home.
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Messages
21,880
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
35
Location
Tallahassee Florida
Im not saying she has to, I'm just saying dont be surprised when i exhibit distain when i see it (which luckily is not very often). incase you are wondering yes i was breastfed & yes my mother & have conflicting views on this as you can probably tell. if we are together & see it she's like "awww" while I'm doing my best not to lose the food i have in my stomach.

i have seen moms with babies that i think are waaaay too young to be out in public, but thats a whole nuther thread. maybe they should wait til they can go a little longer btw feedings or something.

i dont know... the whole thing just creeps me out, i just cant get over the revolt i feel twds it. no i dont expect someone to jump to apease my opinions... just dont get pissed off when i respect them.
so when am I suppossed to grocery shop for my other kids? Or buy clothes that I need or clothes that she needs or just plain get out of the house. She is 2.5 MONTHS old and stil eats every HOUR imagine being stuck in your house without going ANYWHERE for that long. She will be eating at that interval for at LEAST another month. I live 20 MILES from town no way I can do any shopping on her off times of eating.
 

Paige

Let it be
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
7,359
Likes
0
Points
0
I think what we can learn from both sides of this issue is to try and be as respectful as we can to each other. I am going to try and be respectful of other people's discomfort and they can respect my right to nurse.
 

Romy

Taxiderpy
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
10,233
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Olympia, WA
Wait whut? I didn't even notice the too young to be in public thing.. lol

All I can say is, I know for sure you have no children. lol.

Socialization is good for babies. Yes, even very very young babies. My best friends took their 2.5 month old backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas. He did great. He's 17 now, and one of the most intelligent well adjusted young men that I know (I've known him since he was 5).

Babies are really portable. If they're breastfed, they're not in danger from diseases that mom has immunity to because they're getting maternal antibodies.

Also, how are single moms supposed to get errands done and go to work if their babies can't leave the home?
 

Gempress

Walks into Mordor
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
11,955
Likes
0
Points
0
It was incredibly creepy. You don't expect to see an adolescent boy, jamming out to music on his iPod, leaning up on the sink in the women's restroom while he waits for his mother.

I knew a woman with a son of similar age who did the same thing. The mother said she did not trust her son to go alone into the men's restroom, given all the "perverts and pedophiles out there".
 

JacksonsMom

Active Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
8,694
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Maryland
Does she sit down at the same spot to do it? You could be passive about it and move the chair/bench or whatever else she is sitting on before she gets there. LOL

I'm a bit stumped for suggestions as to how you can make the situation less awkward and uncomfortable for yourself. Has she been a client for long time?
I've only been working there for a little over a month.... but apparently she used to come alot more, stopped, and now she is starting to come again about 3 times a week.

I mean, yeah it's awkward... but it's something I can just live with, it's not going to be enough for me to complain about. We all realize that while working in daycare, it's something you'll have to deal with. She's the only one that does it tho. Although my coworker said a woman USED to come in and was very open, and would walk around the locker rooms naked, that kind of thing. I guess some women just don't care! lol, I'm not that open. I am also not going to tell her to not, but I do tend to move to the other side of the room or go start playing with a kid or something. This room is SMALL ... like the size of most kitchens maybe, or a living room, it's very tiny. So there's not many places to go! lol.

I also want to re-ittirate that this is a GYM daycare. NOT a normal 9-5 daycare, where I think it would be more the "norm".... this is a tiny room open from 8-12 or 12:30 some days, and we do not even change diapers lol.
 

momto8

New Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
792
Likes
0
Points
0
I did not breast feed any of my kids, it wasn't something I was entirely comfortable with. As far as ppl doing it in public, as long as they cover up good I dont mind it. But I really dont want to go out to eat ect and see a chick's boob lol!

As for as kids in bathrooms, when I'm traveling to dog events I make my 10 yr old stand inside the womans bathroom, he hates it, but I don't want him out of my sight at a big truck stop, you never know what could happen.
 

sparks19

I'd rather be at Disney
Joined
Jul 7, 2005
Messages
28,563
Likes
3
Points
38
Age
42
Location
Lancaster, PA
WOW... some of the opinions shared in this thread are UNBELIEVABLE. I totally get being uncomfortable with it but to be blatantly RUDE to people for feeding their babies? what is wrong with you? you don't like it, I get it but WHY feel the need to say something and be disrespectful but then expect people to be respectful of your wishes? Yes you have the right to your opinion but I have also have the right to have the opinion that your opinion is a horrid display of humanity.

When I breastfed Hannah I really wish I had the ability to do it while doing other things. Breastfeeding was hard for me and I had to be in a chair with arms or in a car where I could prop up my leg. I used covers and they just resulted in both of us getting way overheated and uncomfortable and it was awful. I really only breastfed for three months because it was so difficult and stressful for me that I wasn't producing enough to keep her fed. I WANTED to breastfeed but it seems I was just not blessed with the ability to do so.

So yeah this idea of "Well you should just do this, or just do that, or do it like this" when you have NEVER done it yourself? forgive me if I LAUGH at how naive that is. It's not exactly the easiest thing in the world to learn and accomplish. I envy your naivety, really I do. I wish it was that simple for me and I could have kept with it.
 

Danefied

New Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2010
Messages
1,722
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Southeast
Oh the things I’ll never get about our boob obsession. So its okay for me to be bombarded by giant Victoria’s Secret billboards in the mall with boobs spilling out of barely-there bras, but whipping my boob out to do what it was intended to is gross? Mkay...

For those of you uncomfortable with trying to have a conversation with someone while they’re breastfeeding, let me ask you something...
What if I said I was uncomfortable with facial piercings (I’m not, but play along with me). What if I was totally skeeved out by metal in faces, eyebrows, lips, nose... And I mentioned how hard it is for me to have a conversation with someone who has any kind of metal in their face. How would you feel about that?

I get that if you’re not used to seeing boobs as playthings for men and not as milk bars for babies, its a bit of a transition to make in your brain, but wouldn’t it be worth it to work with whatever your hangups are and try to get more comfortable with the concept? I mean, just look at the gal’s face, not her boobs. Isn’t that what you would normally do in a conversation anyway?
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
6,405
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Minnesota
Being confrontation and drawing attention to oneself would annoy me no matter what the person was doing.
Yup. Although I have to say, I've very, very rarely encountered anyone who actually WAS confrontational and drawing attention to herself over breastfeeding. If I even notice a woman breastfeeding in public, it's usually pretty much by accident. I wouldn't be surprised if all of us have shared space with a lot more breastfeeding mothers than we are aware of at the time.

I do not get the logic of well, lots of natural thigns like crapping and sex aren't allowed in public. Why are we comparing it to acts that have nothing to do with it? Are you allowed to eat in public? YES! So why can't an infant?
I don't, either. It's an argument that has never made any sense to me. Eating is something that as a society we find acceptable to do in public. Crapping isn't. Surely if we can give babies a free pass on the public crapping, we can extend the same to the public eating. :p
 

Shai

& the Muttly Crew
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
6,215
Likes
0
Points
36
Yup. Although I have to say, I've very, very rarely encountered anyone who actually WAS confrontational and drawing attention to herself over breastfeeding. If I even notice a woman breastfeeding in public, it's usually pretty much by accident. I wouldn't be surprised if all of us have shared space with a lot more breastfeeding mothers than we are aware of at the time.
For what it's worth I've never noticed anyone breastfeeding in public. I have very likely been around it, I just haven't noticed. Wouldn't bother me if I did unless it was like, a woman & baby squashed next to me on an airliner or something lol. And even then I'd probably be sound asleep and happy the baby wasn't crying because that's what I do on airplanes ;)
 

JacksonsMom

Active Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
8,694
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Maryland
Oh the things I’ll never get about our boob obsession. So its okay for me to be bombarded by giant Victoria’s Secret billboards in the mall with boobs spilling out of barely-there bras, but whipping my boob out to do what it was intended to is gross? Mkay...

For those of you uncomfortable with trying to have a conversation with someone while they’re breastfeeding, let me ask you something...
What if I said I was uncomfortable with facial piercings (I’m not, but play along with me). What if I was totally skeeved out by metal in faces, eyebrows, lips, nose... And I mentioned how hard it is for me to have a conversation with someone who has any kind of metal in their face. How would you feel about that?

I get that if you’re not used to seeing boobs as playthings for men and not as milk bars for babies, its a bit of a transition to make in your brain, but wouldn’t it be worth it to work with whatever your hangups are and try to get more comfortable with the concept? I mean, just look at the gal’s face, not her boobs. Isn’t that what you would normally do in a conversation anyway?
I don't particularly care for the VS-type ads either, but again, not so much that I'd ever actually complain about them, just like I wouldn't ever go up and complain about someone breastfeeding, but on the inside, it may make me a bit uncomfortable.

And I also don't really like those holes people put in their ears... I always look at them closely because I wince thinking about doing that to my own ears so yeah I really wouldn't care if someone said they were uncomfortable with facial piercings, etc. I DO know someone who gets skeeved about that kind of stuff, and it makes me laugh, but I understand... piercings and tats don't bother me, but certain extreme things DO make me do a double take. And my opinion is if you're going to do things such as put gigantic holes in your ear lobes, expect to be looked at weird and don't act offended if people do. I respect the decision to do such things, and don't really care, it's your body. But you shouldn't be surprised when people do double takes. However comparing breastfeeding to piercings and tattoos are kind of... apples and oranges.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
6,405
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Minnesota
FWIW, I don't think being uncomfortable around breastfeeding is necessarily a hangup about boobs. As others have said, it's a pretty intimate moment between a mother and child and unless I knew the person in question personally and very well, I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't be weirded out by someone trying to have a casual conversation with me over their nursing baby. I've never had anyone try, though, so who knows how I would react.

I have coworkers who regularly pump at their desks near my desk, so I don't think that's because of a boob or milk hang up. I think it's more of a familiarity thing. If I don't know you, that's not really a moment I want to be close to. It's different than someone discretely breastfeeding in the same public space I'm in, which really doesn't bother me. Not that I would go off on anyone or anything, but you know... people feel what they feel.

And if a woman was being really HEY LOOK AT ME I'M BREASTFEEDING HEAR ME ROAR it would bug the crap out of me, but not because of the breastfeeding itself.
 

Members online

Top