Just been reading a lot of the debates over at Ivillage about breastfeeding. Its really weird that in western society, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't! Women who don't choose to breastfeed at all get hassled, breast is best don't you know, yet the ones who do, don't do it for long enough/do it too long or get asked to leave places! The woman who got asked to leave the plane for feeding her daughter on take off because the stewardess was 'offended'! The woman should have pointed round the plane for other real offensive people, whats the bets on there was someone smelly, someone rude, I bet there was a woman on the plane with more cleavage showing than the breastfeeding woman and probably a muffin top belly with a large thong sticking out the back of her low rise jeans!
Just had to get that off my 'chest' for the record, I don't mind what you choose and you can hang your boobs out where ever you like as long as theres a baby on the receiving end!
5 comments:
My oldest is over twenty, and I don't recall more than one complaint. I was discreet, but I'd feed my hungry baby wherever we were - no running off to hide in the toilet, thanks. And only the one complaint in my three and a bit years (over three kids) of nursing. But then, I'm urban Canadian, not American.
The one complaint? hHappened when my son (now 18) was five days old - and IN MY OWN HOME! A friend was visiting, and when the baby cried and I started to lift my shirt, he blurted out, "Oh, God. You're not going to do that HERE, are you?"
To which I responded. "This is my home, and my baby. If you don't like it, YOU can leave." (His wife, meantime, was beating him about the head from sheer mortification...)
Five years later, when he was a proud father, he was a huge supporter of breastfeeding. I like to think I played some small part in that!
I am generally fine with it whenever wherever. But... I have to admit I was a tiny bit creeped out when I saw a 4 year old who was sitting in a booth next to his mom at a pub lift her shirt to help himself. He was just tiding himself over until his chicken fingers came.
I think that when your kid pulls your boob out of his mouth so he can give the waitress his order, maybe it's time to wean him.
Yeah, it pissed me off when I heard about that "Plane incident".
And the other passengers? They should have had enough gumption to stand up on the lady's behalf and say "Hey, she has the right feed her child, ya prude!"
-P
Im inclined to agree with Terroni, there is a line to draw.
Otherwise I have endured scornful looks, quickly averted eyes and a request to move to a more private area of the cafe, I wonder what is instore for number 3?
I wish that the people on that plane had all stood up and told the stewerdess to just shut the hell up and do her job. Surely, she has seen far worse.
I didn't breast feed Liv and she is fine. I always felt it was a personal choice. If you want to do and can, go for it. If not, sit back and shovel in the formula.
Post a Comment