tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post8396565411213943799..comments2024-03-05T11:36:50.299-05:00Comments on Stand and Deliver: The problem with nursing coversRixahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-60998084516414494332016-03-12T16:57:29.471-05:002016-03-12T16:57:29.471-05:00I loved this post! I wrote a related post, "H...I loved this post! I wrote a related post, "How Breastfeeding In Public Will Save Society" on thebrotherssabey.wordpress.com if you're at all interested (I referenced your blog there, also!). Thanks for your great work. Sabeyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359865367026280765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-69247315435448929142015-09-20T05:39:31.882-04:002015-09-20T05:39:31.882-04:00Actually an LC's role was intended to provide ...Actually an LC's role was intended to provide help to mothers with breastfeeding problems (premature baby, inverted nipples, tongue ties etc) Unfortunately, however, in our society breastfeeding failure is extremely pervasive simply because we do not breastfeed in public and therefore women no longer know how to do it. It is not possible to learn all the intricacies of breastfeeding all at once right after giving birth. Women who believe that they will instinctively know what to do because it is a natural process are mistaken. Sometimes a baby will make up for a mother's lack of knowledge and ability but generally hospital practices and protocols coupled with narcotics during labour interfere with a baby's feeding behaviours to the point that he/she will need a lot of help to nurse. Until we as a society relearn the lost art of breastfeeding, mothers will struggle to initiate breastfeeding at birth and continue to face many challenges throughout their breastfeeding experience.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747639683348079509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-84283719003166543562015-09-20T04:47:42.207-04:002015-09-20T04:47:42.207-04:00Breasts are first and foremost for breastfeeding a...Breasts are first and foremost for breastfeeding and it is absolutely true that north american culture has it backwards sexualizing the breast to the point that breastfeeding is no longer the norm. I am personally repulsed by the idea of a breastfeeding bib and see it as another way of catering to perverts and prudes over nurturing our babies and feeding them at the breast which is the only natural and healthy way to feed a baby. Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747639683348079509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-20182306485979758502015-03-05T13:51:12.593-05:002015-03-05T13:51:12.593-05:00Breastfeeding shouldn't be thought of as breas...Breastfeeding shouldn't be thought of as breastfeeding, but as the normal way of feeding a baby.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-11156369203016092322014-11-19T02:44:23.932-05:002014-11-19T02:44:23.932-05:00I agree that breastfeeding at all is more importan...I agree that breastfeeding at all is more important than the cover/uncover debate. That being said, I was a little shocked when my sister married and quite soon after the marriage we all attended a family reunion. There are 9 kids in my family and we all have a bunch of babies (my baby due in December will make grandchild number 45) and all of us nurse. At that particular reunion there were three nursing mothers, myself included, and two of us nursed without a cover and the other nursed primarily with a cover (she's a newbie). My new BIL freaked out! It was then I realized how strongly cultural nursing is. My mom nursed, we nursed, and we expected our husbands/dad/sons to know that breasts are for feeding babies. <br /><br />The new BIL came from a different type of family (also LDS) where every single girl had undergone breast augmentation surgery and dressed to flaunt them a bit and none of them nursed. (Super nice people--don't mean to sound judgy.) When my BIL confronted my sister about all this nasty breastfeeding going on she told him straight up that she would be nursing any babies they had and he told her that she shouldn't because it was gross and unattractive!!!???!!!! My sister couldn't believe it. <br /><br />My longwinded point is that Rixa is dead on that our understanding of nursing is cultural and the more you see it the more you think it is normal. That reunion was eye-opening and now I actively talk about nursing with my own children (especially my sons) where before it didn't occur to me that anything needed to be said.Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14301232211779225287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-76878961718534368572014-07-09T23:26:16.831-04:002014-07-09T23:26:16.831-04:00Most mammals do not get swollen [breasts] except w...Most mammals do not get swollen [breasts] except when they are nursing young, and not before. Humans are pretty unique in that we develop enlarged breasts before we get pregnant, and that they stay enlarged even past breastfeeding. We evolved in this way due to sexual selection from early societies and particularly men. This preference is rooted in gauging likelihood that the woman will successfully raise children and pass genes on to the next generation. But it happened -because- men started seeing breasts as powerful objects of sexual attraction. Some cultures and some men have modified attitudes, but this -is- ingrained down to the biological level as a species. Breasts serve both purposes, and they are tied together. They cannot be separated so that when women expose their bare breasts in public, even breastfeeding, that men will never derive a sexual thought from it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15555282848518813350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-66290920210994511102014-05-14T19:52:07.492-04:002014-05-14T19:52:07.492-04:00Maybe I just don't understand what your trying...Maybe I just don't understand what your trying to say but I kinda found this to be offensive. Im pregnant with my son and so is a really good friend of mine. We both agreed and loved the idea of a nursing cover. Were both Christian women who just want to be discreet and not exposed. It doesn't mean that we aren't connecting with our children in any way. We just choose modesty. Yes we have to learn how to breastfeed but that's what a lactation consultant is for. And shes been a lactation consultant as well as part of her job as a RN. It doesn't make us ashamed it just means that we choose to not feed our children in public without modesty. Being at home is different than public. Also just because that website has beautiful women on their site. Did you ever think for one second that some mothers and moms to be don't feel sexy with being a mom or a first time mom. To see beautiful women who just have it together, just shows us that we can take a little bit of extra time for ourselves and being sexy and looking good doesn't make you less of a mom. My entre pregnancy I haven't touched my makeup and I cant wait to put make up on again and just get back to the girl I use to be. WithLoveXOXOblogs2https://www.blogger.com/profile/08237033734353160515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-66165390382812999722013-08-09T20:41:27.431-04:002013-08-09T20:41:27.431-04:00If you think your 12-year-old boy hasn't seen ...If you think your 12-year-old boy hasn't seen boobs yet, your mother probably should have breastfed you longer so your intelligence would be higher. Let's be real, Carl's Jr commercial show more skin than a nursing mother. If you think you can see my boob around my kids head while he's latched on and you find that offensive, look the other way just like you do with all the other things in the world you don't like. I cannot believe the stupid ignorant stuff people say. You are either a man or have never had a hungry breast fed only child screaming in a public place. Grow up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-10732625225765348662013-05-21T12:49:13.217-04:002013-05-21T12:49:13.217-04:00Rixa,
THANK YOU. Every point you made is valid a...Rixa, <br /><br />THANK YOU. Every point you made is valid and thought-provoking. As a young Mother-to-Be who plans wholeheartedly to nurse uncovered, I am very grateful for your words. My Husband isn't exactly on board with the whole idea yet, but I think he'll come around. I refuse to conform to the societal "norm" of breastfeeding "discreetly". Hello, what are my breasts for? Sure, they please my Husband, and I do cover them from the site of anyone else right now, but when they become my babies' source of nourishment, I will not be ashamed if men or women see me loving and feeding them. How is our society ever going to get over their twisted views regarding breasts and sexual desires, pornography, immodesty, immorality, etc., if we women don't counter the illicit behavior of other women with the pure and innocent act of nourishing human lives?<br /><br />Thank you, again. God bless you and your family. :)<br /><br />Shaylee Ann<br /><a href="http://mother-at-heart.com" rel="nofollow">Mother {at} Heart: faith.love.marriage.baby</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07290131717785199380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-44685073125011433332013-05-12T13:11:17.301-04:002013-05-12T13:11:17.301-04:00The "Christian facility" thing cracks me...The "Christian facility" thing cracks me up and makes me roll my eyes...so what, nursing in public is un-Christian? I love that you brought up Jesus being breastfed. Rixahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-69894113676940898322013-05-10T15:53:49.651-04:002013-05-10T15:53:49.651-04:00We ended up at Chic Fil A Family Night here at ***...We ended up at Chic Fil A Family Night here at *** (in NC) since we were late for my older DD's class. (Date: May 9, 2013)<br /><br />I was asked by an employee<br /><br />"I am asking politely, can you not breastfeed your baby. I have had 2 men (or did she saw a few men?) make complaints."<br /><br />I said, "No, by law, I am allowed to breasteed"<br /><br />"I know that. But this is a Christian Facility"<br /><br />I said, "If you want to use that line, then, FYI, Jesus was breastfed"<br /><br />"I know that. But, he probably wasn't breastfed so openly."<br /><br />I said, "I doubt that. In those days, Breastfeeding was the standard, the normal"<br /><br />I finished my statement, "My baby needs to nurse. My older child is playing. I will continue to nurse. If the men have an issue with it, they can leave or not look."<br /><br />So, I continued my nursing.<br /><br />Lucky for the facility, it was time for me to leave soon, but I made sure not to rush my 6 week old and held out for another 30 minutes just to make a point.<br /><br />I AM DOING NOTHING WRONG. Actually, I am doing everything right!<br /><br />DANG IT!!!!... I forgot to ask that bottle feeding mom to stop feeding her baby!MyGoogPicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247075273069407210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-72281221769928250492013-03-07T22:17:21.882-05:002013-03-07T22:17:21.882-05:00I feel the same way. I don't have a responsibi...I feel the same way. I don't have a responsibility to educate others about my breasts. I go cover-less sometimes, but my hubby (and Dad, and old ladies at church for that matter) are bothered by it so I cover up to make them quiet. I respect women who brave the "mobs", but my concern is not taking on the world. It is feeding my kids. I am quick to share facts and dispel myths though. I do want to encourage all to nurse, I just chose my methods.Shanna Maehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04089149455109885469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-26982142649963499952013-03-05T16:19:57.559-05:002013-03-05T16:19:57.559-05:00I realize this post is really old, but it just irk...I realize this post is really old, but it just irks me too much to leave it unanswered. <br />Yes, breasts can be used in a sexual way. Yes, they have sensitive nerve endings. So do your fingertips. A bodypart's ability to be enjoyed during a sexual act or in a sexually arousing way is in no way indicative of its primary function. <br />Yes, breasts form at puberty at the same time as other signs of sexual maturity arrive. They do so because if you use your body to have sex, you will likely produce a child, and a mother's body needs to have a way to feed that child. They do not do so because you cannot have sex without them. They do not do so because you're not sexually appealing without them. They do not do so because you need them to achieve orgasm or any level of enjoyment of sexual activity. They do so because sexual activity can produce babies, and babies need food. And if you want to argue that they are sexual because they are found sexually attractive, then you must also concede that every aspect of a healthy persons body must be considered to be sexual, because a healthy person's body, which appears capable of helping to create and sustain the life of a child will be sexually appealing to someone. <br />To answer the question at the end of your first paragraph (that I believe you probably intended to be rhetorical, but nevertheless...), because they are a signal that sex with that person is likely to create a child who will be well-nourished and physically cared for throughout infancy and will be that much more likely to grow to adulthood and pass on your genes to another generation themselves. They are attractive because sex is for procreation (not exclusively, but biologically, that is why we have and want it), and procreation with people who can't support/sustain the lives they create is undesirable. Period. The end. Mirmotchkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13073521379284689262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-70464789737239649622012-11-25T22:44:35.377-05:002012-11-25T22:44:35.377-05:00oh! that made me laugh out loud!! it always baffle...oh! that made me laugh out loud!! it always baffles me when people buy this crap.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07929047382575338139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-58149801732821415852012-10-12T07:35:06.890-04:002012-10-12T07:35:06.890-04:00Something I think you may fail to understand is so...Something I think you may fail to understand is some women wear underclothing that is not for public viewing (and it's not just "Mormons"). Some of us cover up not out of embarrassment, not out of fear of society's fear of breastfeeding, but out of a desire to keep certain things that we hold sacred private and sacred. Nursing covers are a much easier way to do that than a blanket often is. I've tried it both ways, and trust me, it's an awful lot easier to keep a nursing cover with a strap around my neck on with a wiggly baby than it is to keep a blanket on and cover those things that I have been asked not to show to the general public. Yes, they can look silly, and I don't agree with some of the clever names they have been given, but all the same, they're not as ridiculous as you make them out to be, they are really rather convenient. Melissa Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03204446699587562038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-31959989907283580692012-08-07T22:27:01.723-04:002012-08-07T22:27:01.723-04:00Brieanne, I think someone implied that it was immo...Brieanne, I think someone implied that it was immodest to not have something over you while nursing, and people perpetuated an inaccurate stereotype. <br /><br />LDS women outside of the US consider themselves as valiant and modest as US LDS women, and do not nurse with covers.KelliSue Kolzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10481121857536156283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-19936076125926147642012-08-07T22:23:30.065-04:002012-08-07T22:23:30.065-04:00Nursing doesn't happen with an exposed breast,...Nursing doesn't happen with an exposed breast, says the modest LDS mom. <br /><br />Leaving you to wonder if he is getting his jollies later? There are therapists out there, available, still.... if you're uncomfortable knowing that men may do that while you are still comfortably dressed or adorned in a twin sized sheet in an odd animal print. I don't own the world, I own myself.KelliSue Kolzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10481121857536156283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-22934155123932496322012-07-25T23:05:00.835-04:002012-07-25T23:05:00.835-04:00I have never seen a woman "flaunting" he...I have never seen a woman "flaunting" her breasts while nursing in public. Has anyone here seen that??<br /><br />The photos above are taken of real nursing covers. of course they don't all look like that, but these are real ones, apparently.<br /><br />If we are really talking about cultural norms here, well, sadly, in the USA bottlefeeding is the cultural norm (meaning that is the way the vast majority of people feed their babies over the first 12 months of their lives). If it's inappropriate to eat in certain ways based on culture rather than biology, then bottle feeding must be the appropriate thing to do here.<br /><br />Sure, LCs can be helpful... but truly, if you ask any LC worth their weight in gold, they will be the first to tell you that they hope their line of work will one day be unnecessary... they are working to help moms overcome breastfeeding problems because they are passionate about breastfeeding, so they would love it if moms just never had breastfeeding problems to start with. We wouldn't have as many problems if nursing was a normal part of our everyday lives and we grew up seeing it - not because it was "flaunted" at us, but because it was just a normal, everyday occurrence around us.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029296444906951529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-38691471207154000202012-07-24T14:01:04.874-04:002012-07-24T14:01:04.874-04:00Erin, I think nearly every person would define wha...Erin, I think nearly every person would define what's "normal" and "natural" with varying views. That's part of what makes our society diverse.<br />What bothers me, for example, are statements like these made from the author of this blog:<br />"In order to breastfeed successfully, women need to watch other women nurse their babies."<br />Who is she to say what every woman needs to do in order to nurse her child? A new mom is going to "fail" at nursing if she doesn't sit and watch other moms nurse? Not only is this untrue, but it undermines those who work in postpartum care like Lactation Consultants and nurses who are paid to assist new moms with nursing. They are educated in this area and obviously have a passion for it. Maybe SOME moms learn by example while others learn by instruction. I've known many moms, including myself, who never stopped and stared at women openly nursing in order to nurse our own kids...and we did just fine. <br />Another bothersome statement from this blog post is this:<br />"Nursing covers make breastfeeding unnecessarily complicated by placing a layer of fabric between the mother and her baby. This layer keeps mothers and babies from making eye contact and visually interacting."<br />Um, I'm sorry but when I used one, I never had a layer of fabric between me and my daughter....the cover goes OVER my baby and my chest. I was also able to maintain eye contact as well as interaction. It covers us from the front and side, not the top so I can still look down and we can see eachother.<br />The photos of these apron-looking covers is completely mocking the intended purpose of nursing covers. I have actually never seen any of those ones pictured, that cover your entire body basically. The ones I've used and seen are very small and simple, similar to a tiny baby sling/wrap or like a tiny blanket. Nothing in scale to those shown above. <br />Another statement from this post:<br />"Nursing covers reinforce women's status--and their breasts in particular--as objects of sexual desire. By hiding breastfeeding, they send a message that nursing a baby is the equivalent of a sexual act."<br />I don't know of anyone who thinks of breastfeeding as an equivalent to a sexual act. It really, really bothers me when people generalize the public like this. Its not the act of breastfeeding in public that bothers people (me included), its the exposure of breasts. And like I mentioned in a previous reply and several other people commented on as well, breasts are regarded in our culture as "private" and "sexual." Regardless of the context of their exposure that's how it is. And that was why I used the examples of going to the bathroom and intercourse because those acts also use private parts and are done in private (mostly). <br />I think your example of McDonald's and eating using our hands actually illustrates MY point. There are definitely circumstances where we as Americans eat with our hands openly and its totally fine--because its practical for that type of food (fruits, burgers, fries, etc). The same way that its practical for a baby to be nursed openly at home or in private. But its regarded as very poor manners and a little disgusting to see someone eating in public, for example, noodles or rice, with bare hands. But in other cultures that's totally fine. Same way that when babies are nursed in public--in our culture, breasts should be covered. <br />No one is saying that babies should eat all their meals from a bottle, or that Americans should eat all meals with their hands or all meals with utensils. Its what's appropriate at the time. In public, breasts should not be exposed, period. <br />But you are right, Erin, I am after those moms who are flaunting it and want you to notice their breasts-- because they are making the special act of nursing into a cultural statement, changing the focus on nourishing their baby into a focus on women equality or whatever.<br />This is my last post here. ThanksSusihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000162954179822836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-32499681987950033392012-07-19T14:50:29.571-04:002012-07-19T14:50:29.571-04:00However, there are quite a number of foods that Am...However, there are quite a number of foods that Americans eat with their hands anyway... burgers, pizza, sandwiches, fresh fruits, cheese and crackers... so by saying that eating with our hands is supposed to be the norm for adults (as compared to feeding from the breast being the norm for babies) yet we still use utensils, couldn't it be said that feeding a baby by using a breast pump and a bottle is like an adult preparing a burger at home, putting it in a container, and then eating it by cutting it up w/ a knife and fork? Would we expect adults to deviate from their regular way of eating a burger like this the way we expect babies to eat their milk that has been prepared and stored and then fed to them using a "utensil" - a bottle? Burgers aren't eaten w/ utensils. Breastmilk isn't either. Both can be, sure, but do we really expect people to change the way a food is made to be eaten just because some people find it offensive? <br /><br />Or do we expect everyone who eats in a "natural" way to get under a cover before doing so? Everyone in McDonald's would be under a cover for eating with their hands, ha.<br /><br />Really, the bottom line is that nursing moms just want to feed their babies, and if along the way their doing so helps another nursing mom learn to feel more comfortable with nursing, then what is so wrong w/ that? Very, very few nursing moms actually want you to see their breasts! Why not go after the ones who actually are flaunting it and do want you to notice their breasts - the teen girls in low-cut shirts and the people in Abercrombie and Victoria's Secret ads?Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029296444906951529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-30087349161341169812012-07-19T11:47:34.888-04:002012-07-19T11:47:34.888-04:00"If you think its just about eating in public..."If you think its just about eating in public for kids, then why not cover it up?"<br /><br />Because people don't eat in public under covers. Particularly when it's really hot, many babies won't stand for it anyway.<br /><br />"It is possible to nurse while lifting up your shirt and still not expose your entire breast."<br /><br />Absolutely, this is how I nurse. No cover required; my shirt pretty much does it all for me. If a woman has a squirmy baby, or one who is fussy/having latch problems and you see a flash of breast as she struggles, I assure you, she wasn't trying to show you her breast. Why not be sympathetic as she is trying to give her baby its normal food and is having a hard time? Let's not make this harder for her than it already may be.<br /><br />"My point was that urinating is just as natural and "necessary" (as some would argue) act as breastfeeding so if nursing moms are really out there to "educate" others on how babies are supposed to nurse, why are restroom stall partitions opaque and not see-through?"<br /><br />I am confused at what you mean here... are you saying I think that public restrooms should be about educating other people on how to use the toilet? Or are you saying that the purpose of bathroom stalls is for mothers to go into them to nurse and therefore they are opaque because nursing has to be hidden? Neither of these makes any sense, so I am trying to understand...<br /><br />"Why are mens and women's restrooms (in most cases) separate if we are supposed to be educating eachother on this stuff and its natural and normal?"<br /><br />Huh? I never said that people should be educating each other on the genitals and toileting habits of the opposite sex. You keep bringing up bathrooms; are you trying to say that nursing is a bathroom activity?<br /><br />"so you can't use that argument, sorry."<br /><br />So you get to dictate what arguments people are able to use? Then it may be a waste of my time to even try if you're going to discount arguments with statements like that. Of course you don't expose any "private parts" while eating; that's not the way adults were designed to eat. Breastfeeding a baby is not "cultural," it's biological.<br /><br />"some cultures eat everything with their hands. Is this the "normal" way you are referring? Are you suggesting Americans do away with using utensils for every meal? We aren't other cultures, we're Americans."<br /><br />All babies, regardless of culture, were designed to drink milk from their mothers' breasts. That is their normal way of eating. Are you saying that all adults were biologically designed to eat with our hands? Would it interfere with our proper hand coordination development to use forks in the way that it would interfere with a baby's proper jaw development by sucking on a bottle nipple instead of a breast?<br /><br />By "normal" way of eating for adults, I mean through our mouths and chewing. All cultures find that to be acceptable as far as I know.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029296444906951529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-44291532002926467342012-07-16T16:06:03.410-04:002012-07-16T16:06:03.410-04:00Also, some cultures eat everything with their hand...Also, some cultures eat everything with their hands. Is this the "normal" way you are referring? Are you suggesting Americans do away with using utensils for every meal? We aren't other cultures, we're Americans.Susihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000162954179822836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-22749821079982092182012-07-16T15:59:43.971-04:002012-07-16T15:59:43.971-04:00My point was that nursing without a cover DOES exp...My point was that nursing without a cover DOES expose private parts- breasts, just like using the bathroom. My argument was that people, such as yourself, are using nursing in public as a way to change our society's views about breasts. If you think its just about eating in public for kids, then why not cover it up? It is possible to nurse while lifting up your shirt and still not expose your entire breast. But some women seem to be on a crusade to change our culture. That was my point, we aren't other cultures. We are Americans and here, breasts are considered private parts regardless of their function at the time. Exposing them should not be about the context. <br /><br />Comforting children, as you compare to breastfeeding, by hugging or giving a pacifier does not expose any body parts, unless I missed that memo.<br />My argument wasn't about what's sanitary and what's not. I certainly never suggested people start peeing on the floor like you said, so please don't put words in my mouth. That would certainly be a health risk. My point was that urinating is just as natural and "necessary" (as some would argue) act as breastfeeding so if nursing moms are really out there to "educate" others on how babies are supposed to nurse, why are restroom stall partitions opaque and not see-through? Why are mens and women's restrooms (in most cases) separate if we are supposed to be educating eachother on this stuff and its natural and normal?<br />Case in point: I don't expose my private parts while eating in public, so you can't use that argument, sorry.Susihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000162954179822836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-70977823372000203962012-07-11T22:45:26.120-04:002012-07-11T22:45:26.120-04:00Susi, if you are really being serious when compari...Susi, if you are really being serious when comparing breastfeeding with urinating and such, then I will be totally serious too: do you eat in public? Do you think others should be allowed to eat in public, or should we have "eating stalls" so nobody sees anyone else eat in a restaurant? If eating in public is okay, then babies should be able to eat their normal food in public. Or should we all get feeding tubes when out in public so as not to offend anyone seeing us eat in our normal way, by chewing food in our mouths? Is it okay to comfort upset children in public? Can a mother hug her child, give him/her a pacifier when he/she is crying in public? Then breastfeeding is okay too, because it is a mother comforting her child. Nursing is merely feeding and comforting a child. If it's okay to feed and comfort people in front of others, then nursing is okay in front of others.<br /><br />The reason we can't urinate/defacate/change tampons (really??? I have never heard anyone make that comparison, and I thought I'd heard them all!!) in public is because those things are *unsanitary.* They pose public health risks. Breastfeeding a baby in public is not unsanitary. What's more, it doesn't make a mess the way those other actions would - the milk goes into the baby, not on the floor where the urine would go if you were peeing in public. Although it is okay for one group of the population to urinate/defecate in public: babies. ;) Babies can't wait for a more socially acceptable time. And they shouldn't have to wait to eat or eat in artificial ways because of grown people's personal hang-ups.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029296444906951529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-21084312721115418852012-07-10T18:38:07.290-04:002012-07-10T18:38:07.290-04:00I was drawn to this blog from a friend's post ...I was drawn to this blog from a friend's post on nursing and have found this conversation very interesting. <br />I agree with La Siciliana and the other mothers who defend using nursing covers in public places. Having been a nursing mom myself years ago with my daughter, I covered up out of respect for those around me but also out of modesty. And when I nursed my daughter in the hospital after giving birth, my folks left the room so I could do so in private. Besides the nurses and my husband (and baby of course) no one saw my breasts. When I see women openly nursing in public places (or even during a party or whatnot) it makes me extremely comfortable. The same way that overly expressive PDA between couples makes me uncomfortable. I just believe some things should be done in private. <br />To illustrate my point, and to repeat a point that another commenter made, is why not expose our vaginas to the public? They are sacred and natural and given from God (as several posts have described breasts). They create life, not only through intercourse but also in birth. <br />Beggers can't be choosers. To say that women should be able to expose their breasts to nurse their children is exactly the same argument as asking why we don't expose our other body parts. They are all perfectly natural, right?<br /><br />Frankly, I don't want to see your breasts. And if I was curious and wanted advice, I should ask for it. To force people to see it is ridiculous. For those mothers who nurse uncovered because its natural, well, do you shave your legs and underarms? Do you cut your hair and file your nails? Do you wear clothes? If so you are a hypocrite. And yes, it is all relative. Like I said, beggers can't be choosers. To say that breasts are not sexual and should only be viewed as a means to feed your child is the same as saying that sex should only be used to procreate. It is wrong to think this. <br />And for those people who like to compare our culture to others and how we as a society need to change our views towards breastfeeding in public I have this to say. Some cultures view women's hair as sexual and sacred, which is why women of those countries/religious beliefs cover their hair. If we are trying to adopt other cultures are you prepared to demand that all women cover their hair? <br />Also, in some cultures morbidly obese women are seen as beautiful and ideal. We know it is not healthy to be obese or overweight, but is that something you want to adopt?<br />Women should cover up when nursing in public because it is a private moment using private parts. No one should be forced to see your breasts because you are trying to change society's views and empower women. You have the opportunity to nurse openly in your home so why not respect others while in public?<br />If breastfeeding is so natural an act, why do we have stalls in restrooms? Why don't people urinate and have bowel movements in front of others? Afterall, we have to do those things to live, right? I am being completely serious here. If women menstrating is perfectly natural, why don't women change their tampons or pads in public? <br />Some cultures think its a compliment to the chef to belch or pass gas in front of everyone after a large meal, is that something you want America to adopt? <br />Beggers can't be choosers. Period.Susihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000162954179822836noreply@blogger.com