"Would you eat with a blanket over your head?"
As adults we choose to eat when and where we want, and we eat in public.
Infants get hungry anywhere and everywhere and they don't know the convenient and ideal times to eat. So when they are hungry they let us know and it is our job as parents to feed them - bottle, formula or breast.
I choose to breastfeed. I don't believe there is a need to explain myself, but to me, there are health benefits to both baby and myself with the bonus of financial savings.
Plus, I want too.
As a breastfeeding mother, my child's food source is attached to me.
If I'm in public there is no way I'm going out to my car in -10C to feed my baby. Nor should I feel ashamed to feed in public. When the only 2 private nursing seats at the mall are full, then I will absolutely feed on a public bench. While I'm sitting there, I don't use a blanket cover because my baby hates it and it makes the whole process much more challenging. I'm trying to get her to latch as she swats at the blanket and becomes increasingly fussy. It's just not worth it.
It's not as if my nipple is flopping around for all the world to see. When she is latched, there is as much boob showing while in a low cut shirt or bathing suit. Sometimes strangers come up and talk to me while I'm nursing fully convinced she is just sleeping on me. When they realize she's feeding, most are beyond apologetic as if they've just walked in on my naked grandmother. This is, at least for me, an opportunistic moment to let them know it's not weird and there's nothing to be sorry about (unless they are staring and getting a bit too personal).
We should not be shaming women while they feed in public and definitely shouldn't be discouraging them from feeding their children naturally and where they are comfortable. We should be fully supportive and encourage our mothers in their right to feed their child where it is most convenient, safe and comfortable - bottle or breast.
So if you have issue with it, don't look.
Sit somewhere else.
Because my baby needs to eat.
Cheers Alyssa Milano!
This video delights me and saddens me. Check it out. It's the inspiration for this post.
Breastfeeding gets touched on at 4:00 and 4:45 onwards.
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