Gosh, breastfeeding is natural and part of motherhood for many women.  It should not be an issue.  There’s nothing inappropriate or sexually explicit about a breastfeeding mother..

Personally, i don’t have a problem but i guess there are places where maybe it would be better if someone asked them to.  i just know i wouldn’t be the one to ask.  i don’t cover up when “I” eat….lol…although there are those that would probably think i should.

i don’t mind it. its a woman’s job. 

it makes me feel weird.

but, yeah, feed your kid. i don’t care.

@sparkletone1684 - ill have to completely disagree with you on this one. Breastfeeding your child in public is not classless or tacky at all…its natural and the child has to eat. breastfeeding your baby infant is a beautiful thing and people who are disturbed or feel this way about it need to grow up and be mature about the situation. its a mother feeding her child for god sake.

@abilene_piper_lg - finalLy something we agree on!

@GiantUnicorn - agree.

@nylon_gorgeous - a mother can bring her baby anywhere she would like…if its not causing a disturbance then it shouldnt be a problem. And it annoys the shit out of me when people are ignorant enough to suggest feeding the child in a bathroom. like…no how rude. I will not go to a disgusting bathroom and feed my child. you dont eat in the bathroom why should i subject my child to that?? especially something as natural and innocent as breast feeding my child.

i dare anyone in the future to say anything to my face or ask me to go somewhere else to breast feed my baby.

I wouldn’t think it’s inappropriate for their feeding the child. Tough call?

I have breastfed both of my kids and always carried about three blankies with me at all times.  One to wrap them up with in case they got chilly, one to cover myself up with and one to help with the “let down” of milk, it can get messy quick.  How about this question for nursing moms…have you ever had someone get closer while you were nursing to get a closer look at the baby or whatnot?  Even with a blankie to cover up…awkward!  I usually found myself nursing in a bathroom stall.  Can get a little overwhelming.  Sometimes I would have my kids’ infant seats, diaper bag and all the other stuff in there.  Limited workspace so in my opinion…if they are comfortable.  I don’t care.  Kids don’t negotiate on feeding times.  ‘Nuff said.

I think you should feed your baby in public and not worry about anyone wanting you to cover up. there is nothing sexual or inappropriate about a mother feeding there baby. If you do not like it don’t look.

@sparkletone1684 - so a woman should just stay home and not go out to eat, go to the grocery store, go buy new clothes, go get coffee, or do any number of other activities for the first 6-18 months of her baby’s life? Yea, okay. And tacky and classless? The baby is EATING for pete’s sake. They eat on average every 2-4 hours, and its extremely unhealthy for them to miss meals because their bodies are still being regulated. And their isn’t always a restroom around or place where they can go to discreetly breastfeed. And going out to the car isn’t always an option either. What if they don’t have a car or are in the middle of the grocery store with a cart full of groceries when junior decides its time for his 2pm feeding 1/2 an hour early? Is the mother just supposed to ignore her baby screaming while she shops or walk out without food for the rest of her family? If you had any common sense at all you’d understand just how ignorant your statement really is. Sheesh.

I’m more concerned about the fact that this will encourage mothers to bring their cying babies into movie theaters.

But in all seriousness.I can see the issue from both sides. Covering up is only a minor inconvenience, and if it fouls someone else’s appetite (supposing they’re in a restaurant) enough for them to ask the woman to cover up (which I’m sure happens rarely to begin with) then the woman may as well respond to a legitimate request. I mean, so long as the asker isn’t rude, then I don’t see any reason to suppose they’re being inappropriate. Probably about as “inappropriate” as an elderly man asking a teen to remove his ballcap in church. It does, however, put the breastfeeding mother into a situation where she can’t say “no” because she’ll then be perceived as the rude one. But really, if someone asks you politely to inconvenience yourself for a couple seconds, and you decline, then you might be acting unreasonably. 

@JadedJanissary - i agree with what he said.

tho, i tend to go sit in the car or cover up in some way…only because it does make some people uncomfortable.

who wants to sit in a stinky ,filty ,dirty bathroom? I never did. I would rather sit with my family at the booth and finish my meal cause I think babies can smell food and that is when they want to eat-at the same time. Leave the mom’s alone and let them feed the baby

welll if u find a mother breastfeeding her child…….LOOK AWAY…its a very simple thing to do

It’s not that hard or expensive to cover up or find someplace to do it discreetly, or otherwise get a breast pump.

I find it bizarre that women are HEAVILY pressured to breastfeed, but then told they have to stay home to do it. Given how frequently babies feed, that means, in essence, what? A woman has to be a prisoner in her home? Just because some prude can’t handle something perfectly natural? That’s the prude’s problem, and if they can’t handle it, let them be the ones to stay home.

I have a friend who does it in public all the time. She has a blanket she throws over her shoulder, so you’d have to be paying close attention to what she is doing to realize, and, even then, she gets grief. Breastfeeding a baby isn’t pornographic, it’s a perfectly natural process, and people who can’t handle it should grow up.  

I think they should cover up.  Why wouldn’t you want to anyway?
I understand it’s a natural thing, but so is the whole body, and you don’t see anyone else walking around with their boobs showing.

I just carry a blanket with me. Unfortunately, she gets hot under there and shoves it away. Exposed! Most of the time I find a bathroom stall to stand in. Lucky Washington women. If I weren’t so modest, I would feed her out in the open like that, too.

The only objection I have is that it’s kind of a double standard. Even if the purpose of the exposed breast (sans nipple) is for feeding a baby, it’s still a breast. This society sexualizes them. I think it’s hypocritical for feminists to come down on women who wear skimpy outfits, exposing everything but the nipple, while championing these mothers to “whip it out”. Either it’s all okay or none of it is. I say it all is, for the record. 

@storyofmylife87 -

“Pumping is a HUGE hassle, can take 10x longer to get the same amount of milk out as breastfeeding.”

Oh my! It’s ridiculous, right? I could barely get done pumping a decent amount before she was hungry and bugging me again. I just gave up.

Oh, and the JCPenney sounds like a dream. The grossest place I think I’ve ever BF’d was at a zoo, surrounded by leopards and jaguars. My husband stood in front of us, because it was too hot for the blanket.

Triggers my gag reflex. 

@CircularParade83 - Couldn’t have said it better myself.

@abilene_piper_lg - Actually, breasts serves two purposes: for nurturing babies and also for sexual purpose to the opposite sex. It’s discussed in song of solomons in the bible.

Breastfeeling in public? Can’t say i’ve ever witnessed it. I know if i did, i would not be the only person who noticed it, and people around me would find it innapropiate. That might influence my opinion on the matter. However right now i like to think it wouldn’t bother me.

P.S your plug. I am premium but I still saw it you liar! =P

…it’s legal in my city for women to walk around topless. Yes, I live in the United States. You can walk near campus and see topless chicks all the time, tits flappin’ about, so why the HELL would anyone say anything about breastfeeding?? 

@NaitoOfNarnia - Maybe because the Bible is an absolutely disgusting book, and there’s not one shred of evidence its bloodthirsty, sadistic, womanizing, homophobic “God” even exists. 

@NaitoOfNarnia - Ummm….I was raised a Latter-day Saint, and was for the first 18 years of my life. I’ve had plenty of time to mull all of that over, and I arrived at that conclusion after many YEARS of contemplation. 

Your God is too sadistic. “Believe in me and follow my (what really are ridiculous) rules or I’ll burn you in hell for eternity.” What an ass!!!

Your God is too womanizing. “Women should be secluded during their period.” “Women shall be subordinate to men.” “Wives shall SUBMIT to their husbands.” “Women shall never teach or have authority over men.” OUCH!!!

Homophobic, you bet. Why would you hate something that’s a natural phenomena? Why do you hate an unchosen sexual identity/orientation? That’s inconsistent, and quite frankly, absolute bigotry. That’s like hating the color of someone’s skin!!!

Not to mention the utterly ridiculous claim of a 6,000 year old earth. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

@polishswede - It’s not a sad excuse, it’s just against my better judgment, that’s all. Of course, I can refuse anyone a letter of recommendation for any reason, so I’m well within my rights to do so. 

@PoetMcChick - You can pump milk and put into a bottle but some infants won’t take it from the mother. I tried that so many times when I was nursing my daughter and she would fuss, cry and push away the bottle. So I left pumped breast milk for anyone else to feed her and of course she would take it. lol.

I think if someone does it discreetly there’s no need to cover up. There are shirts and things that hide it, but there are some women who just expose themselves to the whole world and that right there is a little awkward.

People tend to think its inappropriate even when you’re covered up, I’ve had a few people give me strange looks but most people just minded their own business.

Why do people care? Formula fed or breast fed isn’t the bottom line for babies to get nutrition?

I don’t find it to be disturbing. It’s a natural thing. It’s better then having your baby cry in public. 

Sigh.  Why does this even need a law?  Goodness. People just leave moms alone.

A kid’s gotta eat, but I do think that if mothers don’t have the convenience of a nearby private room it wouldn’t kill them to cover up with a blanket. They don’t need to show off their breast while they feed their baby. I don’t think breastfeeding should limit mothers to their homes. That’s just not fair. I hate how some people think that just because a woman has a baby she has to throw everything else in life out the window. If she wants to see a movie, she’s gotta take her baby with her. It’s not fair to say she can’t go to a movie theater or the mall or the park just because she has an infant. Mom’s are already stuck at home all the time to care for the infant in the first place. They deserve to get out and do stuff even if it means taking their baby with them.

Everyone just needs to calm the fuck down and realize they’re not fun bags. Their sole purpose is for feeding,

I think it’s gross, sure it’s “natural” but it doesn’t need to be in the same restaurant, movie theatre, swimming pool ::shudder::, etc as me. Just pump your milk for when you go out, it’s not that hard. I think it’s ridiculous how sensitive these women can be. We don’t care if it’s natural, it’s not as “beautiful” as you claim it to be. Where’s the modesty?

I don’t believe it should be an issue either. The only reason that it is an issue is because of the way women’s bodies are viewed in today’s society. AKA men’s play toys. It’s a natural and healthy thing for a woman to do to nurish her child through breastfeeding. Why should a woman be asked to coverup or leave a public area to feed her child in a nasty bathroom stall? (in many states it is not necessary for a store or restaurant to have breast feeding rooms and even illegal in public if the child is over the age of 1 year). She has a right as a woman and as a mother to feed a child wherever and whenever necessary. It would be like asking someone to remove their hands while giving their baby a bottle.

Women should be aloud to breast feed however they want, whenever they need to. Others should be aloud to form any opinion about the mother based on her level of modesty.

@NaitoOfNarnia - I’m not against learning scientific fact. I’m against falling for unproven mythology. I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that your “God” exists. You, quite frankly, cannot do it beyond any shadow of a doubt. Once again, you’re the exact reason I’ll never write any believer a letter of recommendation for advancement of his/her academic career. 

And I think you’d be angry too if you suffered from Graves’ Disease, WPW Syndrome, and Cluster Headaches all rolled into one!!!

Obviously breast milk is best for the baby. But they shouldn’t breastfeed them in public. (From a man’s perspective) Not all mothers are slim and fit. So who wants to see some gross woman doing that? And I would assume they would have sense enough to pump and bottle up their milk for when they go away from home. That’s what I would do.

Don’t they make special clothing with a velcro patch or something that comes with a cover?

I’m sure most guys don’t mind.

I think people should just be discreet about it…it’s as simple as that. 

@NaitoOfNarnia - Thanks for recommending books I’ve already read and got a hell of a laugh out of. Once again, you prove to me why I’ll never recommend a believer in religion for admission to university, and when I become a college professor, why I will never recommend a believer for graduation (provided they are math or science majors), AND I would gladly recommend a believer who already has been conferred a degree for degree revocation (universities can and have done this, by the way). 

@NaitoOfNarnia - I’m not a hate-monger, I’m protecting the integrity of science. To reject evolutionary theory is to reject one of the most basic and most profound tenets of science, and if you reject that, you should not be awarded a degree in one of the scientific fields. Now, if your degree is in a soft science (such as psychology or sociology), or one of the fine arts, then it doesn’t matter. However, hard science and mathematics deserve nothing but the best intellectual individuals that accept all tenets of modern science. 

The fact of the matter is that there is no hardcore, tangible evidence for God. You can’t see God. You can’t feel God. You can’t smell, hear, or taste God, therefore God isn’t. It’s just that simple. 

EDIT: It won’t hurt me at all. If you haven’t figured it out by now, 90% of the world’s top scientists are atheist, and the other 10% are at the butt end of those 90%’s jokes. There’s a damn good reason for that. Also, most professors are atheists. Again, don’t see that working against me either. 

@NaitoOfNarnia - Actually you can see thoughts BY MEASURING BRAIN ACTIVITY WITH AN MRI MACHINE. Didn’t think of that did you? Thoughts are indeed measurable. Your dickhead of a “God” (who again, does NOT deserve worship, but rather hatred and scorn) cannot be measured by scientific means. 

And yes, young-earth has been disproven time and time again with radiometric dating. It’s an easy concept and is quite easy to grasp once you learn how it works. 

I am going to breastfeed my baby when she is born (in a week or so?), but I don’t feel comfortable breastfeeding her in public. I also feel awkward when this woman at my gym has her breast out breastfeeding even though we are in a womens locker room where I feel awkward being around naked people in general, lol. However, I think it’s terrible that in a society where women and their breasts are sexual objects, people culturally discourage women from using their breasts for what they were made, to nourish their babies. It is a medical fact that breastfeeding is healthier for babies than formula feeding, yet many women in the US still choose not to breastfeed. Comparatively short maternity leaves also add to this problem.

@NaitoOfNarnia - Measurements are accurate to within +/- a few thousand years, which in the grand scheme of things, is a VERY SMALL MARGIN of error. You apparently didn’t study math long enough to compute percentage of absolute and relative error. That’s OK, that’s a numerical analysis topic anyway. 

Your “God” deserves hatred because he puts in all sorts of STUPID rules and tells you to limit yourself in how you live lest ye BE TORCHED AND TORMENTED FOREVER AND ETERNITY ALL WHILE HE SITS AND LAUGHS AND MOCKS YOU WHILE HE’S DOING IT. He’s enjoying every second of tormenting infidels, so you tell me that hatred isn’t justified. 

I told you, I believed for 18 years of my life, I don’t anymore, and even so, I took the RRS’s “Blasphemy Challenge” back in 2007, so I sealed my fate even if I were to change my mind now. The proof for me is the fact that 1) Religion in general (including Christianity) has killed more people combined than any other cause, and 2) the Old Testament shows enough of God’s sadistic, vindictive character to conclude he’s not someone deserving of the kind of love and affection you people give him. 

Nonetheless: I’m off for a pint of Guinness, which you can’t have because you’re a Christian and the Bible says not to drink alcohol even though science has proven a moderate intake is beneficial for the heart. Oops, another way your holy book is completely and totally wrong. 

My friends and I breastfed our children, but we always had a shaw or other coverup handy when out in public. Why would someone want to show everything? Is the viewer hypersensitive? If so, that person must hate modern teens, because some show much more than any mom I’ve seen. Are the moms bare chested? THAT would be inappropriate, but like I said, I know of no moms who want to show that much to strangers!

Wow.. seriously? bring formula or a bottle? Obviously you have never had a baby you were breastfeeding. Babies eat very often. Not everyone can afford a pump. And not everyone can stay home all day everyday in case their baby gets hungry. If you don’t want to see, don’t look.

I think that women should be allowed to freely breastfeed in public.  Hopefully those women will try to do it as modestly as possible but you can’t get upset over a slip or two.  I have done my fair share of unintentional flashing while BF (including flashing the priest one morning in church!) but honestly, I would rather see a woman showing her boobs to breastfeed than see a woman’s fat muffin top (naming it after a tasty treat does not make it any less disgusting) or some old guy’s hairy junk half hanging out of his speedo on the beach.

@latemama - I also got lots of positive feed back from older ladies when I was BF, especially (and surprisingly to me) in church!  I had a lot of women come up and tell me how they also breastfed everywhere.  They thought it was so cute.

It’s ludicrous that teen and 20-something girls can parade through the mall braless, in micro-mini skirts, wearing shirts that barely cover their breasts, but it’s the breastfeeding mothers that get people all lathered up.  It shows just how screwed up we are as a nation!  Breasts aren’t intended to be the playthings of adult males, they’re meant for feeding infants.

I’m a mom, and I’ve breastfed my children.  It’s my personal preference to nurse in private, because I’m a very private person.  However, I’ve seen other mothers nursing in public, and I see nothing wrong with it.  It’s certainly better to do it in public than to sit in a filthy public restroom!

People who get out of sorts over mothers nursing children in public need to get over themselves.  It’s not natural or healthy to freak out over breasts being used for their true purpose..  Quit being such prudes and get yourselves some therapy.

I think it’s gross to have to watch woman breast feed in public, unless, as joycemiles mentioned, they cover up their breasts with a blanket or something similar.  I shouldn’t have to watch someone do that, and neither should anyone else be forced to.  There’s nothing “gross” about breast feeding, not at all, but I don’t want to see someone else’s boobs.  Not my cup of tea.  There are plenty of “non-public” places (such as a bathroom or the mother’s car if she has one) that a mother could go to feed her baby a little more privately.

I’m genuinely surprised at how many females are opposed to public breastfeeding.

I see nothing “disturbing” or explicit about it. It’s healthy, natural, and a part of life. It does nothing to anyone. There is no offensive odor, as other “natural” things have. You can’t ban a mother from giving her son or daughter food, because it is “offensive” to your eyes. It’s you with the problem!

@abilene_piper_lg - I completely agree.  I also happen to LOVE that you quoted House

@Delia712 - Why don’t you go home to eat then?  The mother (and family) is at the restaurant to eat also and the baby gets it’s food through the mother.  You don’t HAVE to look at the breastfeeding mother.  There is nothing more natural, other than maybe childbirth, for a woman to do. 

Ugh, breasts are used to feed our children.  Every mammal breastfeeds their offspring, so why is it so wrong for us to do it?  I would be upset if someone told me to cover up or to go somewhere else to feed my *future* children.  Breasts are not sexual in nature AT ALL unless someone thinks they are.  Personally, I don’t care if you think me feeding my *future* child is tasteless or somehow sexual in nature.  If you don’t like it, go away.  You don’t have to look or be around me.  It’s not my problem that you are uncomfortable with the human body and it’s functions.  Our society is so backwards, it drives me mad.  It’s okay to use sex to advertise and use as a marketing device, but it’s not okay for a woman to breastfeed her child and possibly expose a nipple.  It’s disgusting.  Men can walk around with no shirts on, but all hell brakes loose if a woman is “exposed” when feeding her hungry child.  I hate society in America.  Grow up, and be mature about the human body and it’s beauty.

@arsenic_and_red_lace - I appreciate people like you because you understand that nursing is a “matter of fact” thing and that when it needs to be done, it’s done regardless of where one is.  My son exclusively nursed til he was 18 months old. 
The person who stated that it’s a lack of planning on the mom’s part if her baby needs to nurse while out is so asinine.  I planned to nurse my son and only nurse, never bottle feed.  He nursed on demand, and by all means I was going to feed him when he wanted it, especially when he was a newborn. 

Nursing doesn’t cause a scene.  It’s something that shouldn’t even be an issue.  When people have issues with it, it’s their problem, not the nursing mom’s.  You can’t associate nursing in public with having sex in public.  That’s comparing apples to oranges.  I won’t even go into the urinating and defecating comment, LOL.  Immaturity rears its ugly head all over xanga.

When I nursed my son there were never any morons who had a problem with it.  I was never looked at funny, was never given dirty looks.  I guess there were more mature people back then?  (My son is 10 years old now… people have changed quite a bit since then!)

I don’t see why this should be an issue. The breast is not a sexual thing anyway. And if you’re gonna make mother’s cover up a natural thing then some of these fat men you see walking around need to cover up their boobs too.

I don’t mind as long as the woman covers her breast. The thing is.. I disagree strongly with people who say “breasts are for nursing period. not for men’s pleasure”.   From a biblical point of view… Eve was created to be with Adam.. and this included sexual intimacy.  Eve’s breasts were first made and gave Adam pleasure, and THEN used for nursing her children. I also know that in the Bible it says “let your wife’s breasts always be satisfying for you” So I believe breasts are not exclusively sexual nor exclusively nurturing for children. They are created for both. any thoughts?

i personally find it disgusting and should not be done in public. however, i am not AGAINST it. it’s just my morals saying that it is not something I would personally do. other people should be allowed to do whatever they want. if they don’t care that pervs are watching them, then hey, go for it

If people don’t like it, then they shouldn’t look.
It’s not only a matter of, that the woman could pump her milk to feed to child in public, it’s the fact that the the woman produces milk at a constant rate – her breasts could become too full which could be a danger to her health – the baby crying could induce lactation. There’s so many other issues in tow.

I agree people probably shouldn’t bring young children to the movies period (if someone is seeing a woman nurse he child in a dark movie theater, they’re looking too damn hard at that!) but other public places shouldn’t be an issue. Speaking of movies, we can watch breasts all day on the movie screen -  people pop out tits for shits and giggles but a woman caring for her child is a problem? Bullshit!

Besides, while breastfeeding, the nipple, which is considered the censorial part of a woman’s breast isn’t even visible so exactly what’s the problem.

@Aiyoku_Angel - Breast pumps are bullshit and here’s why: nursing allows for superior maternal bonding. Feeding that child out of a bottle, even if it is mother’s milk, still disrupts maternal bonding. That’s why it’s always best for the baby to eat directly from the breast. 

Maternal bonding is a huge thing, and I’m definitely a supporter of attachment parenting, which of course may slant my views on this. Personally, I find nothing about the human body disgusting, and I don’t care. However, ignorant people get all offended and whatever, which is ridiculous. “Indecent exposure” laws are crap. 

@Aiyoku_Angel - Not at that fucking age you can’t. You’re not going to get anywhere reading to a bloody less-than-one year old. Same thing with play…they don’t understand that either. 

I’m not a hippie, and did you ever stop to think it looks like a trainwreck because we don’t desensitize society to this kind of thing. It’s a perfectly natural act, and again, if you don’t like it, you can just look the other way and tell your kid not to look. It’s really none of your business. 

I don’t think it’s totally inappropriate, and I can understand why one would ask such a thing.  It can be a distraction to some, men in particular.  And they can’t help that.  That’s how they’re programmed.
But before I get on to a whole ‘nother issue, I complete by saying, no, I don’t think it’s inappropriate, but I do believe in the rights of women to breastfeed in public, if it’s necessary for them to do so.

@schmidy182 - I find it disgusting that you are attacking my personal beliefs about the subject as well. I have friends that feel the same way about it and who are mothers. I dont know where you find my comment as me saying i hate the human body, putting words in my mouth. thanks. sure, we all have to eat, the baby too. but lets agree to disagree on this one, and i guess i learned my lesson. if anyone asks for my opinion i wont open my mouth. guess thats america, huh? have you attacked everyone else that feels a bit uncomfortable too? yea have fun with that.

@x_JapaneseJuiceBox - and what about the many breastfeeding babies 

who refuse to take a bottle?

I don’t see an issue with it. The baby has to eat just like the rest of us. I can see if the mother wasn’t covering up or had a blanket, then that could be an issue and a ticket for indecent exposure. But if she is protected, then no there’s nothing wrong with it.

Speaking of which, it reminds me of the story my grandpa told me. He traveled to Denver to go to my cousin’s graduation on a plane and on the way back he sat next to this young lady with a child. When the child started fussing, the woman put a burping cloth over herself and began feeding the child. I asked him if it made him feel uncomfortable and he responded back by saying “no. I sat there and minded my own business.” 

I don’t mind breastfeeding in public, but there are limitations. Some places just shouldn’t have infants.