So says this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katharine-mckinney/breastfeeding-in-public_b_2814004.html#slide=more210867
I agree, but at the same time I think the real issue is that
many people don't understand how breastfeeding works. I didn't until I
became a mother. Did you know that Utah sends a higher percentage
of women home from the hospital breastfeeding than any other state? We
also have a higher percentage of mothers who stop by the time the baby
is 6 months. The number one reason they give for quitting is because
they feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public. On that note, I agree
with this article. You don't have to breastfeed in public yourself to
support public breastfeeding.
I
don't step into the other room to breastfeed because-- I have 3 other
small children I would have to take with me. I don't use a cover
because--- my children don't like it. Especially in a public setting,
they want to know what's going on, and if I put a cover on them they
would change their focus from eating to wonder what's the big idea? And
I refuse to cover up at home so they can get used to it. At some
point, I've got to live.
I
try to be discreet. Accidents happen. So what? People may be
uncomfortable with seeing a little skin, but I really doubt any of them
are turned on by it. I don't have an agenda, I have a hungry baby.
What about modesty? Modesty
IS important to me. I'm a girl who insisted on wearing a modest dress
in a pageant when I was in high school in spite of a lot of pressure to
otherwise. I would hope I could be grouped with modesty advocates. I
also think this article is spot on. I don't think there is anything
immodest about breastfeeding. http://itsallaboutthehat.blogspot.com/2009/01/modesty-and-breastfeeding.html
From "A Parent's Guide": (http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=e6737befabc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD)
"The scriptures often refer respectfully but plainly to the body and
its parts. There is no embarrassment and often there is sacred
symbolism. It is the world that makes the divinely created body an
object of carnal lust. For example, it makes the female breasts
primarily into sexual enticements, while the truth is that they were
intended to nourish and comfort children. It promotes male sexual
aggression in contrast to Christ’s example of tenderness,
long-suffering, kindness, and steadfastness in the home.
Shame about the human body, its parts and purposes, is justified
only when a person uses it for carnal purposes. Teach your children that
they will find joy in their bodies when they use them virtuously after
the manner taught by Christ."
What about the possibility of other people, especially men and adolescent boys seeing me?
When my husband sees another woman breastfeeding, whether or not the breast is showing, his physiological response is "She's taken". True story-
and my husband and I freely admit to each other when we think someone else is attractive. Breastfeeding mothers are often not fertile, and
the thing that makes us attracted to other people is the possibility of procreating with them. The deep-rooted physical response we have isn't
just because we want to mate, it's because we want to create. I only know my husband's perspective because it's not something I talk about
with a lot of men, but seeing a breastfeeding baby has always been a big turn-off, sexually speaking, for my husband. How appropriate too!
I think there is a world of difference between wearing revealing clothing and exposing a little breast during a specific activity that warrants
it. The issue we are discussing here is not on the attire but on the activity.
On
a side note, my husband really wishes he would have seen breastfeeding
more as a teenager. He went to Mexico on his mission, and the cultural
norm there as far as breastfeeding goes is much more open. Mothers do
"just whip them out". All the time. At church. On the bus in close
quarters. At the park. During missionary discussions. It was quite
the culture shock to him at first, but then he thought more about it and
realized that one, he really wasn't turned on by it, two, the baby
needs to eat, and three, he liked the way the Mexicans supported each
other. Children and old men and everyone in between would stop and
admire the baby while they ate. The baby liked it. I'm
not saying that because one culture does something, we should do it to
as a blanket statement. However, when our own culture is wrong, we
should be willing to admit it and not be afraid to do something about
it.
While
I respect a mother's choice to breastfeed in isolation or covered- that
is her right- I also think we need to support mothers who choose not
to. When we tell her to "cover up or leave", we are implying that there
is something she is doing that is
shameful, and there is nothing shameful about this activity. The purpose of our
breasts is for breastfeeding. They may serve other functions, but
breastfeeding is their purpose. If we are to multiply and replenish the
earth, we need to be realistic about the needs of small children and
support a mother when she is meeting those needs.
More from me:
http://www.professional-mothering.com/2012/06/breastfeeding-in-church.html
