Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Breastfeeding in Public

not our picture, not sure where to give credit

I have seven children and have breastfed all of them. I have breastfed in public hundreds of times including in the pew at church,  at parks, restaurants, stores, theme parks, events, etc. Not once have I been mistreated or had a single word spoken against what I was doing. I haven't even had a dirty look aimed at me. Even though I wear a DD cup, I never showed as much cleavage as either of these women. The Biblical standard of modesty would have both women covering up.

You can breastfeed discreetly. It's a choice you make to show respect to others. The only time anyone knew I was breastfeeding was when a woman leaned in to see the baby's face. Even though I was in a public place, she apologized profusely for invading my privacy. I was not offended.

The picture has a good point, but it misses a bigger one: While I am pro-breastfeeding, respect goes both ways. The goal of breastfeeding should be to give your baby the best nutrition NOT to push limits and challenge other's views.