Quote From: bbridgetteYes, breastfeeding is a natural act, as is the above mentioned..which we would be ticketed for doing in public. If you feel your child benefits from breastmilk..great..pump a few bottles before you go into public. Nobody wants to see a child suckling on an exposed breast in public. It is rude and in bad taste. Although none of these are the breastfeeding mothers "issues"..they are issues none the less..they are the following. Young boys and even some men are turned on nomatter what the cicumstance, when i n eyeshot of an exposed breast..not to mention something sucking on it. Do you really want boys and men feeling sexually aroused while they stare at you feeding your child? That is exactly what is happening. Women know this and when with their men and in the presence of a breastfeeding woman, feel terribly uncomfortable. Another example, I have had the displeasure of trying to do business with a woman who felt it urgent to put her child to her breast while I was with her..I couldn't even look her in the eye, and got the hell out of there as soon as I could make a break for it. Bottomline is that it really makes people feel uncomfortable in many different ways, some of which are quite perverse. Please, use your sense..go to a restroom, pump a few bottles before you leave, but ladies..it is never in good taste to bare your breasts in public for ANY reason.
Every child most certainly benefits from breastmilk, this is a scientific fact. For more info, see http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/prepare/bf-benefits.html.
If you wouldn't eat your lunch in a bathroom, I don't think it's reasonable to ask a woman to feed her baby there.
I personally don't really care what men/boys think about me breastfeeding my child. If they're turned on, so be it. I can't be responsible for that- some men are turned on by the back of a woman's neck- are you suggesting all women wear turtlenecks?
Pumping before you leave the house and then feeding baby a bottle is not actually a good alternative. For one thing, depending on the age of the baby, a bottle can cause the baby to have problems nursing (see http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/html/introducing_bottles.shtml). Secondly, because of the way milk production works, a woman who pumps before she leaves the house will likely still need to empty her breasts of milk while she's out (see http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html). This presents a problem: where will she pump? It would need to be a sanitary place (NOT the bathroom). Also, if she's out alone, who's going to hold her baby while she pumps? And most importantly, why would she want to do this when she could just nurse the child directly?
I think most problems w/ public breastfeeding stem from personal issues with not being able to see breasts as "multitaskers" (as Synorra on the show put it)- with both sexual and nutritional purposes. Thanks for hearing me out.
Dr. Phil and his guests strike up heated conversations as they debate the latest hot topics. Should women give up their right to breastfeed their babies in public so other people don't feel uncomfortable? Will passing out condoms in schools prevent unwanted pregnancies or just send the message to kids that it's OK to have sex? And, is it acceptable for others to discipline your kids if they see them acting out in public, or should they just mind their own business? Dr. Phil weighs in on these controversial subjects. Share your thoughts, join the discussion.
