Breastfeed in Restaurants OK or not OK?

[Girlinacage79]

I've nursed in public. I'm discreet about it, but when my baby needs to eat, I feed him/her. I love to see other mom's nip, not in a "like it" way, I just think it should be as accepted as giving a baby a bottle. No one would ever tell a mother to give their child a cup or bottle in the bathroom, or a hot car.

I'm 30 and I'm pregnant with my 4th child, I had my first at 19 and have nursed all of them. My firstborn is the only one who tolerated any kind of cover, so after her I just started wearing nursing shirts when we went out, or a shelf bra tank top under another shirt. That works a lot better for me ...you can pull the tank top down and keep the top covered with the other shirt. It doesn't bother me in the least to see someone who isn't a covered up as me though. Babies have to eat too. ;)

[amylynne01]

I am currently nursing my little one, and I NIP. I try to find area out of the way just so she can eat in peace, but I would never use a bathroom to nurse. I don't eat in the bathroom, and neither does she. I have nursed her on a plane, in the mall, at the doctor's, at a zoo, in a park, and on a tram ride at the Jelly Belly factory. Depending on the situation, I may use a cover or not. On the plane, I was sitting with my mom, so I didn't cover up. But at the mall, I definitely do just because of all the people.

If formula feeding mommies can feed their babies in public, then so can I.

[njsmomma]

I have bfed all 3 of my kids. With my first, I was very very weirded out. With number 2, more comfortable and now I feed anywhere DD wants. I do cover up, but I refuse to feed a baby in a bathroom. DD is 3 months and growing like a weed which I am proud to say is because of me. I like knowing that and hate to think that some people don't agree!

[erinerinerin]

it makes me so happy to see a mama nurse in public. i always give a big smile, or a thumbs up to them. not that i often see nursing mothers besides myself. i have nursed my LO's all over the place, whenever they were hungry, and would be pretty appalled if someone said something negative to me about it. i often see grown ups whose table manners (lack thereof) make me lose my appetite completely. can ask them to eat with a blanket over their heads?

also
i keep reading online about all these Moms Gone Wild type nursing mothers getting topless or letting boobs hang out all over the place like it's some type of common occurance...where on earth do you people live??! lol.....i have NEVER seen anything of the sort...

[Cin42382]

I was at the boardwalk about a month ago and a woman was nursing her son. She was discreet and moved to a corner table for privacy and I had no problem with it. I do not breastfeed my daughter, but if I did I think I would do it discreetly in public. I don't have any problem with women nursing in public - their babies need to eat too, but I do feel everyone should be at least a little discreet about it. That doesn't mean you have to cover the baby up, but I do have a problem with women that have no shame and just whip them out wherever they are with no care about who is around them. Yes it's a natural thing, but I relly would not want my child looking at your breasts when it's unnecessary. Let's all have a little decency. Does that make sense?

[amy s]

I voted that I dont mind...the first choice.... but it's not like I am going to stare or WATCH.....
I guess I should have picked neither.....

[olivia_033003]

I haven't made it through all the pages, so forgive me if I repeat something. I think it is actually legal to nurse uncovered in public in every state.

That said, I nurse uncovered in public. I don't mind at all if I offend, and here's why:
Where do my rights end, and yours begin? Well, in this case, the law is on my side, for one. Also, when you're in public, and someone is doing something perfectly legal, well, you don't get to pipe in so that they can adjust their behavior to suit your comfort level, any more than you could tell a woman her dress was too form-fitting, and it might arouse your husband (HA! could you imagine?)

I've always said, jokingly, "I HOPE someone is rude to me for nursing!" because I'm a pretty tough chick, and they'd get an earful. :) But, no one ever really has been. A lot of people have stopped to say how great it was that I nursed unashamed, though, which was always nice. That said, I've practiced my retorts to the common nursing-mom-shaming-tactics I've heard a lot.

To But my kids could see!
"If the school system hasn't taught your yougin' that mammals nurse their young, I'd pay a visit to the school board!"

To We're trying to eat here!
"So is my kid! Would you rather listen to him scream?"

Also, "Would you eat in the bathroom?" and ,"Thank you for your advice. Now I have some for you. Excercise a little self-control, like an adult, and don't look if you don't want to." And you can't forget the classic, a stony, "Mind your business."

Honestly, I do get why people get a case of the yikes! when it comes to nursing. It hasn't been the norm for a long time now, and you don't see it very often. That, along with being bombarded with media messages that tell us breast=hott secks!!! it can seem a little weird and icky. And I do my part to try to change things up. Nursing uncovered is my quiet rebellion. I call it lazy activism. :)

ETA: this wasn't directed at any one post, or any one poster. All the "you/me" stuff was lazy writing on my part (see the theme? I'm lazy! That's why I nurse instead of making bottles! Really, that's what sold me! :) )

[momzoo7]

i nurse my kids everywhere although now trying to ween my 2 year old. what got me was in june 2008 i was nursing at the pool i had 3 kids in the pool and so i was close by at the steps i was nursing my 9 month old at the time. i was using a towel as a cover and the manager asked me to do that in the locker room, because someone complained there were kids there.. what got me mad was
#! there were 7 women there with suits that barly covered them.
#2 i was in a suit covered no one could see anything but his feet.
#3 there was 2 ladies who were alot slimmer nursing and yet noone complained about them. i have had 7 boys i'd rather them see a women nursing than floping around in a string bikini. our society see's breasts as a sexually part and not what God intended them for which was to feed our children.

[cbms]

I BF in public if need be. My thing is this:

some guys get their jollies by seeing a woman's cleavage. Some get their jollies by seeing a woman in flip flops (foot fetish anyone?) Some get their jollies by seeing women's necks... etc., etc., etc.

Therefore, in order to never ever let some gross guy get his jollies, we'd better be dressing like pioneer women-complete with bonnets, as some guys simply get their jollies at the sight of a woman's hair. *shrug*

When my child needs to eat, my child eats. I breastfeed. Therefore, when my child needs to eat, I breastfeed. Regardless of where I am.

[cbms]

PS. When I was nursing one of my now older children when she was only a few weeks old, some old man told me I was disgusting and should take it to the bathroom. I told him that as soon as he took his big mac and fries to the john to eat, that I'd consider taking my child to the john to eat. He moved.

He had that right. And my child had a right to eat somewhere NOT disgusting, too.