Should breastfeeding be allowed in public?

I think we should definitely ban changing a loaded diaper in public. ;)

At the very very least, the parent of the offending baby involved in the dirty diaper caper should be mandated by law to yell: "Hold yer nose, everyone," prior to engaging in the activity. ;) Geesh!

Boy, the obvious, pithy response would be, "Are you allowed to sit down for a meal in the street?"

That said, my response to the headline is a resounding, "HELL YES!"

But a woman can't breastfeed at a bus stop bench...

...because why? The bus driver will see her titty and crash the bus? Get off it, will ya?! I would much rather allow that at the bus stop than many of the other bodily functions we do see...such as

contemplative nose blowing (blowing one's nose and gazing at or displaying the results)

nose-hair plucking

ear cleaning

"package" rearranging (men only)

digging in one's arse like there's live animals living up there

farting and humming along with the "rhythm"

drooling and dozing, then wakening and reeling the drool back in like a frog catching a fly

picking one's teeth

picking one's teeth after one has just picked one's arse

shaving or plucking one's beard (women only)

eating, dropping food on the ground, then picking the droppings up and eating them

coughing (especially "productive" coughing) while not covering one's mouth

Plenty of other irritating and disgusting behaviours could be included, but I realize it's breakfast time so I will forbear at this point.

Despite your lengthy diatribe--a woman CAN NOT BREASTFEED on a public street, but can breastfeed in a public restaurant...

Despite your lengthy diatribe--a woman CAN NOT BREASTFEED on a public street, but can breastfeed in a public restaurant...

That's "may not" not "can not" from the grammar Nazi within me.

Moving on.... is that everywhere or just in your state/locality? I can't imagine there's a national law...

coughing (especially "productive" coughing) while not covering one's mouth

Yeah, this one really peaves me off. It seems like every time I go to the movies I end up with some guy coughing or sneezing, apparently armless or handless as the spray lands on the back of my neck. Fist balled, my wife begging me to let it go I, now I'm peaved just thinking about it, LOL...

a woman CAN NOT BREASTFEED on a public street

That would depend on where you live. Some places have passed laws specifically allowing women to breastfeed anywhere public.

In fact, it is perfectly legal where I live for a woman to breastfeed on the street, as long as she does not charge spectators to view.

You know, I have no idea if breastfeeding "on the street" is specifically allowed, where I live, but I would have to assume so: it's legal for women to go topless here, after all, so why not? Here being Austin.

Man I would totally move to Austin if your weather didn't suck as bad as your local government!

I would like to know where breast feeding is NOT allowed? Furthermore I would like the address of every person who voted for the laws against breast feeding. That is the same thing in my mind as passing a law banning the consumption of water or banning the breathing of oxygen for that matter. What other natural human functions can we ban? Urination? Masturbation? Well I suppose those two are already banned in public and for good reason but what harm does it do for a woman to breast feed? Kids don't look at get traumatized or confused about what they are seeing. Most adults, well I at least, would look at that and not be bothered by it. I would be is a little embarrassed if I look over at some lady feeding a baby and she catches me staring. But I would just smile and keep on walking. I would also be grateful that she was willing to feed the baby rather than having to hear some poor tot crying because it's little stomach is grumpy.

Technically it's legal for women to go topless where I live (Toronto) but we never do it.

I don't think Appleby's is denying breastfeeding by asking for a little decorum...

We have truly sex-ified women's bodies to the point where they're no longer useful for their natural purpose, only selling stuff.

There good for sex!

You have stumbled on the solution! We can simply place advertising stickers on the breast for skin lotion and it'll all be good :) 'For skin that looks as good as a newborns'

We can simply place advertising stickers on the breast

Got it! The whole issue becomes moot! :)

Urination is a natural function and we don't allow that in public...

There are thousands of drunken men who told a leak in an alleyway who are now on Sex Offender lists.

There are thousands of drunken men who told a leak in an alleyway who are now on Sex Offender lists.

I can not begin to communicate how seriously I doubt that. If there are in your locality you need to do something about your police force. They should be making sure that the guy gets home safely, not booking him for indecent.

A miscarriage of justice isn't cause for another one.

Taking a leak in an alleyway, while not conducive to the public health, is not a sex offense. It is a misdemeanor and the charge is not heard in morals court. You would go up before the judge along with traffic offenders, disturbers of the peace, and the like.

Now, whipping it out and pissing all over your fellow diners is a more egregious offense, but thankfully it is much rarer (perhaps because it can result in your bloody murder). However, it is much different than providing an infant with breast milk (which of course only results in the infant not screaming bloody murder). In no case have I ever heard of the young mother baptizing her fellow restaurant patrons with breast milk.

There was the case an old police detective told me long ago of the roving band of thieves who, when accosting a clerk in a Southern quick-mart in a moment guaranteed to shock and fluster, would allow the young women in the band to expose their breasts and shoot breast milk at the intended victim. However, this was a tactic designed to startle and confuse him so that others could slip into the money room undetected and make off with the cash. I wonder since the advent of the Internet if the sudden sight of a naked breast has quite as much shock value as it once did, but then again I don't live in a small Southern town.

Urination is a natural function and we don't allow that in public

I'm always astounded by this argument, that breastfeeding is somehow equivalent to elimination and should therefore be carried out in private shame. These are not remotely related! Yo ho, we don't have group toilets, but we do take group meals all the time.

And, per below, the argument that women should hide their nursing "in consideration of other people" implies that it's shameful, degrading, or vile to nurse a baby. If it bothers you, don't look.

Urination is a natural function and we don't allow that in public...

You disgust me.

Urination also has health risks--imagine all that sewage on the streets.

Breastfeeding presents no such public health risks.

Urination is a natural function and we don't allow that in public

Look, I support public breastfeeding, and don't support public urination (though I've used an alley or two in my time, when desperate), but what The Offender said is nevertheless true. I don't know that he was supporting public urination, but pointing out that the "it's natural so it should be allowed" argument is, at worst, deeply flawed, and at best incomplete.

If some one can't differentiate between breast feeding and public urination they must be mentally ill.

If some one can't differentiate between breast feeding and public urination they must be mentally ill.

I don't understand how someone couldn't, either, but I would never go so far as to say that would make them "mentally ill". Nevertheless "it's natural so it should be allowed" is a poor argument, at least when used by itself, and the use of rhetorical techniques to point out the flaw shouldn't lower your estimation of The Observer's IQ or mental health status. But then I couldn't tell you TO's stance on much of anything - perhaps you've tussled with this person before and it's informed your view?

If some one can't differentiate between breast feeding and public urination they must be mentally ill.

Depends on the use of the breast as to whether it would be comparable to urination.

Chasing yes I have, but that beside the point. The fact is only some one who is a bit unstable would freak out over breast feeding, and want to compare it to public urination.

Kill,

Federal law and the laws of all 50 states now require adults and some juveniles convicted of a vast array of crimes that involve sexual conduct to register their addresses and other information with law enforcement agencies. Because registration requirements are overbroad in scope and overlong in duration, there are more than 600,000 registered sex offenders in the US, including individuals convicted of non-violent crimes such as consensual sex between teenagers, prostitution, and public urination, as well as those who committed their only offenses decades ago.

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/09/06/usdom16819.htm

Observer, what does that have to do with breast feeding? Do you really honestly think that public urination is the same thing as breast feeding? Are you that warped, or are so wrapped up in the right wing agenda which frowns on public breast feeding that you are distorting it on propose??

T.O. never once, at least in this subthread, directly compared breast feeding to public urination, and never once came out in support of public urination. Rather, you said:

Its a natural function, and should be encouraged for the babies health.

If you don't want to see it don't look; whats so hard about that?

To which T.O. replied "Urination is a natural function and we don't allow that in public..." Which, to me, is simply saying that calling something a "natural function" is not, in itself, reason enough to allow it in public (and that's correct; sex is natural, too, and frankly I'd rather not see it on a streetcorner, "don't look" notwithstanding).

Clearly there's more to it than that - this is why I do support women's right to publicly breastfeed. But by honing in on the "public urination" angle you're barking up the completely wrong tree - not only because the "natural" argument is flawed, but because you're arguing with T.O. over something that was never even said.

Mental health is an important issue and frankly I'd rather not see it wielded as a weapon to beat people with during arguments, most especially flawed arguments. Perhaps you hate T.O. and perhaps the hatred is well-deserved - hell if I know - but that doesn't mean the original argument was any less flawed, and it doesn't make it any more appropriate to insinuate that someone is mentally ill.

I understand that Observer, but you do realize that your utterance of that infamous sentence "what seems to be the problem officer?" does not necessarily mean that you'll be hauled before a magistrate.

If your police force is busying itself wandering around some back ally looking for someone to arrest for public urination you have a problem with your police force. That law is in place for the guy that pisses on the speaker at the McDonalds drive-through, not for some drunk seeking a modicum of privacy behind the bar.

Iwill stand by my point : if someone thinks that breast feeding in public is on the same level as public urination they have a problem.

One is indecent and disgusting, the other natural. If TO really thinks that(which i doubt, I think he is just following the right wing party line against breast feeding in public, and used a poor analogy)Then he should do a little soul searching.

For being so "pro-baby" when it comes to abortion, the RW sure seems to be against feeding them as FSM intended!

What does breastfeeding in public have to do with abortion?

Discretion of a body part and the murder of an unborn life are two totally different issues.

Ok. Lets take a scenario of "Bring you kids/baby to work day" You take your baby to work. And when he needs a feed, would you breastfeed him in open in front of the co-workers .

Why wouldn't you?

There is roughly a 1:1 ratio of breasts to people on the planet. Why are we so hung up about them? I mean, I like a nice set as much as the next man, but there's nothing disgusting or shameful or immodest or immoral or terrible about someone feeding their kids in public.

Lets turn this on its head.

Do you support a law that prevents a parent from changing a child in public?

Breastfeeding has plenty to do with caring for a baby...which is why it amazes me that "pro-baby" sorts who are against abortion have such issues with something as natural and about the baby as breastfeeding.

There is no dispute about the act of breastfeeding it is the display of the breast while the baby is being breast fed. You are being melodramatic in your assertion that this issue is in anyway comparable to abortion.

Ahem: I nursed all four of my children, and oftentimes 'in public.'

There are ways to do so while maintaining descresion (and no I'm not talking about a blanket over the kid's head (I hated doing that)).

BTW: the majority of those I know nursing their babies are conservative-leaning. My "liberal-leaning" mother on the other hand felt it should be done in private . . . She's gotten over it by now.

I think it is important to note that there are some women who simply want attention.

You hit it right on the head. If the restaurant had an opulent (and private) breastfeeding room 12 feet away, these attention-seeking women would not use it...

You hit it right on the head. If the restaurant had an opulent (and private) breastfeeding room 12 feet away, these attention-seeking women would not use it...

Generalize much?

I agree with The Observer in that urination is just as natural, but one does not need to drop their pants in a public restaurant and pee in a glass claiming, "It's alright, it's only natural!"

I find it disgusting that anyone would compare breastfeeding with the elimination of waste. How dare you do that in public? You must want attention.

You hit it right on the head. If the restaurant had an opulent (and private) breastfeeding room 12 feet away, these attention-seeking women would not use it...

Any proof that this would be true?

To guess whether it would be true or not, you would need experience in life rather than proof.

Let me quote steveoutdoorrec, way back up at the top of the seed:

#3. A couple of years later we had our son. The first of my parents grandkids. While visiting my father and his up tight second wife our son became hungery. My wife pulled her shirt up and fed him. My dad and his wife were stunned and one said, "Do you want to go into the bedroom to do that?" She told them that she was fine where she was, that's what breasts were for and she wouldn't be able to hear the conversation from way in there.

So...no, those uppity women wouldn't just leave if you banished them to the breastfeeding room. Or to the ladies' room. Or to the bedroom. The whole point is that breastfeeding a baby in public is not a crime, is not inappropriate, and is not lewd or obscene. Yes, there are ways to breastfeed unobtrusively, and polite people can avail themselves of those. Beyond that...it's a breast, get over it.

Making those lovely private rooms available is great -- and some people will use them and good for them. But Pev makes a good point -- these aren't designated breast feeding areas. They're a place that's private if privacy is desired.

And no way should a woman have to breastfeed in a restroom, sitting on a toilet.

What is inappropriate is the refusal of people to make modest concessions, so everyone can get along...

Modest concessions

Nicely blown out of proportion.

I'm going to have to agree. A woman breastfeeding in public is perfectly normal. If you can't accept this, then pull the stick out of your ass.

Love and kisses -- psi29a

Re: 7.2 and 7.3, not at all out of proportion. The Burka is the logical extension of all this effort to cover up women and prevent them from being as fully human as a man, and preventing them from carrying on with their unique gift of providing life without having it considered improper.

There's another thread elsewhere on the vine today re: Southwest Airlines forcing some woman to cover up with a blanket during a flight because they considered her attire "inappropriate." No doubt nursing a baby would be grossly inappropriate to them, too.

A woman breastfeeding in public is perfectly normal. If you can't accept this, then pull the stick out of your ass.

I agree, only if you have a literal stick in your arse, please do not remove it while sitting at the bus stop. Consider visiting an emergency room!

breasts aren't just there for men to leer over - they're there for babies to be able to feed... (and the utility part arrived long before the sexualization part).

What came first, the ogling over breasts or the baby? I think the sexualization probably came before the utility part.

I guess... -)

this is exactly the wrong kind of thinking. try to separate the sexualization of the breast and the utility of the breast. ... because they're very, very different concepts.

Sort of agree, I was looking at it from the viewpoint of telling women what to do / what to wear, that breasts are inherently evil, etc. and that any view of a breast is somehow improper.

Context: I have been in societies where women are commonly topless, and even as a westerner you get used to the idea that breasts are not just these cheap sexual objects. Then at the same time, your partner's breasts are still special and arousing. We here can come to understand this, too.

What came first, the ogling over breasts or the baby? I think the sexualization probably came before the utility part.

Hmmmm... methinks your problem is with your use of articles. Let me fix that for you.

What came first, the ogling over breasts or the baby?

I should say "the baby" in the sense of "the wheel" or "the lever." Babies, or more generally sexual reproduction is evolutionarily far more ancient than secondary sexual characteristics, to say nothing of the sexualization of the same.

Which is what Tom was, I believe, getting at.

What is inappropriate is the refusal of people to make modest concessions, so everyone can get along...

How far must we go to "get along" in public? If someone in a restaurant found the sight of you eating to be offensive, would you find it to be a modest concession to finish your meal under a blanket?

akj,

I find the sight of many adults eating to be far more disturbing than a baby at the breast. Perhaps we all need those covers that French people use when eating ortolans?

Modest concession?!

I'm sorry, but picking up everything in the middle of a meal or social gathering and taking yourself off to exclusion in another room is not a modest concession. It feels like a form of banishment, like you are clearly doing something "dirty" and must therefore be excused. All because some people cannot handle the emotional ramifications of seeing a breast used for a nonsexual purpose. It creeps them out. It makes them suffer the weird conundrum of whether it is obvious they are not looking, when they really want to look.

I agree with the argument above that saying "it's natural" does not make it a reasonable thing to do in public. But ultimately, it is not only natural, but a healthy, life-giving thing which does not in any way threaten the health or safety of those around it. There is no reason not to, aside from some folks' sexual hangups, while there is every reason to.

How about preparing bottle of breastmilk beforehand to be used in social gatherings and similar situations!

Right. Since she's a new (nursing) mother, its all good. Let's even change the baby's nappy too right there in the center of the room. Its all such a holy experience. And Why should she think about others.
(She would surely think about other ways to achieve the same, only when she's ready to get back to work. But that's only because she wants to do that. O' that's perfectly fine.)

All the breastfeeding mothers are free to sit there and breastfeed.
All men that are uncomfortable with this are permitted to leave the resturant (or otherwise)
and have a cigarette at the resturants expense. All non smokers who are offended may retire to a back room to chew tobacco, pick their teeth, play footsie, belch or fart for 10 minutes.

Anybody still weirded out by it can have their eyes poked out free of charge.

-Dave

A thought just struck me.
Has anyone ever asked permission to be racist in a resturant?
That's a taboo activity, some say it should only be done in private if at all.

I'm not comparing nursing mothers to racists...
Other patrons to racists maybe...

-Dave

All men that are uncomfortable with this are permitted to leave the resturant (or otherwise)

The absurdity is, it's mostly women (preferrably the 70's, 80's generation of moms) who seem to get offended by the sight of a nursing mother and baby. Maybe it's the guilt of never nursing their own children coming through.. who knows.

It used to be considered immoral to display ankles. Who gets to decide this? If you don't like ankles, don't look down.

Social norms (as slippery of a slope that is). Currently, many find it offensive to talk loudly on one's cell phone during a movie in a theater. In fact, many theaters display a no cell phone image prior to the start of a movie. Maybe in several years, people will not find cell phone usage during movies in a theater offensive and maybe then public displays of breasts will not be an issue anymore and this entire debate will be moot. Regardless, a healthy consideration for others is timeless; that is all I am trying to get across.

And I grant you that consideration, however slippery a slope it is, but the issue is inexorably tied up with our attitudes toward nudity (except in advertising) and the result is a public health issue -- even our "conservative" government holds that babies should be breast-fed in preference to formula, and these attitudes result in social pressure to women to not breast-feed, to the great detriment of babies. So whatever works to decriminalize (or make socially acceptable) breast visibility during baby-feeding is a good thing.

Is it not possible to be modest while breast-feeding? It is healthy to bathe regularly, but many find public nudity to be offensive so we go to a more private setting to pour water over ourselves. It is healthy to urinate as soon as possible to avoid a bladder infection, but many find it offensive to urinate in public even if you feel the urge.

#11.1 below summarized my position on "modesty." I really do believe absolutely in the public health benefits of breastfeeding and in the necessity of reducing any barriers to women doing it, and that includes shaming them with the perceived distress of others who can choose to look away.

And again, as I and others have stated above, it's inappropriate to equate breastfeeding with elimination.

Maybe in several years, people will not find cell phone usage during movies in a theater offensive

Perhaps that will be because there will be no more movie theaters anymore because people got tired of going to a movie theater to hear other people gabbling on their cell phones.

Yes. Social norms are always a slippery slope. Theatre behavior is a perfect example of this, because people use cell phones in theatres now and they did not ten years ago; thus social norms are becoming more tolerant to cell phones in theatres, proving that social norms are always on a trend to more tolerance.

Now, please tell us what theatre behavior was like in Shakespeare's time, because surely that will prove your point.

You know, the way the audience used to participate with the actors on stage, sometimes even jumping into the fights...and the way the actors had to shout to be heard over the audience's talking back at them...and the way the audience would eat hazelnuts and oranges and throw them at the actors on stage, or at each other, or throw the leavings on the floor...and the patrons stank so badly that they had to open holes over the stage to let more wind in, and the stench of bodies out...

Right. Well, surely in Victorian times, audiences in theatres were perfectly well-behaved and silent! ...oh, wait, no, they weren't then, either.

Hey, maybe that's just a flawed point.

To think that social norms all follow a linear progression is a gross generalization. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps theater decorum may have at one time, due to changing social norms, shifted from disorderly conduct to a more sober atmosphere? Only in recent history has it slumped back into a free-for-all.

Hey, maybe that's just a flawed rebuttal.

But the word "discretely" implies that there's something intrinsically wrong with it, that it should be hidden. I reject this completely, it's important that it not HAVE to be done discretely or any other way except a way that the baby can easily eat.

If a woman is for her own reasons unwilling to have anyone see any part of her breasts, let her go wherever she wants, or cover herself with a blanket, or a burka, or whatever makes her comfortable, but her feelings should not be extrapolated to other women and govern their behavior.

In that case Jim, why not "whip it out" completely and let the baby have a mouthful.

It's up to the needs of the baby and the mom. If she bares her whole breast, that's up to her and her child.

I don't understand where this "whip it out" term comes from. Again, it implies that nursing is shameful if the breasts are visible.

Usually, the baby's head hides anything that is considered "taboo."

As in, the nipple? Yes, although prior to latch-on, or afterward, that won't be true.

If a given woman is shy about her body, OK, but it still shouldn't be taboo. That means, do it in public if you want, but if the baby lets go for a minute, POW, you're busted (so to speak). That's wrong, and that's why women are discouraged from breastfeeding.

Usually, the baby's head hides anything that is considered "taboo."

Reminds me of that old joke: I'm all for breastfeeding, if only that damn kid would move his head out of the way.

Nobody is trying to stop this miracle. Let the mom do as many times they want in private. When in public, a little discretion is whats people look for.

(People do roam around in briefs/boxers or nude at home, but when going out in public, most people do dress up. A little decorum. Not a direct analogy but something to think about.)

Hey, you eat in public, right? As Jonesgirl said, when breastfeeding, the nipple is safely ensconced in the babies mouth. The rest of the boob can be seen walking down the street at any time. What is the deal here? I think most women breastfeeding in public use discretion anyway so there's really not a whole lot to see. I think the problem is in the eye of the beholder.

I agree RR

Almost as much can be seen in any city by just walking down the street. I don't see too many people complaining about that. and that has a sexual connotation to it. Breastfeeding is, well, feeding and that's taboo. Huh?

People act as if they have a right not to be confronted by things with which they disagree. They do not.

It's none of their business.

As a diabetic of fourty-three years, I took many trips to restaurant restrooms to take the shots I require before eating. And then one day, I don't really why, I said to my self,

"Why are you doing this?"

Why indeed. It's what I need to do to stay alive. The restroom is not the cleanest place and I've got absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. If you have something or someone to take care of, just do it.

If others have a problem with it, that's their tough sh*t.

Some breastfed babies won't take a bottle.

Is this a reference to the majority of babies? Whos baby won't take a bottle? Maybe it is the type of nipple on the bottle? Maybe they do not like the formula being used, or even the breast milk? Awful general statement to use for an argument..

Two words: nipple confusion.

Sure. There must be a workaround for every situation. If the baby doesn't take the bottle(or by any other means other than breastfeeding), go ahead and breast-feed him. But what I do not understand is the comments like JIM #11.1 -

"But the word "discretely" implies that there's something intrinsically wrong with it, that it should be hidden. I reject this completely, it's important that it not HAVE to be done discretely or any other way except a way that the baby can easily eat....."

I used a general statement because it is true.

And how is that any more general than those saying "cover it up!"

Sure, its a pain. But, moms who have to leave the baby, to go to work, do prepare their feeds and leave with the sitter.

Its all about what you think you should be adamant about(not willing to cover a little) or what can have a workaround.

How is saying cover it up a general statement? Seems pretty direct to me. Again, though, I am all for topless women everywhere.

As I stated in #3 above, the issue is perceived nudity. In the US (especially) the breasts have been made into such overblown sex symbols that any display of them, except in the context of advertising, is considered shameful at best and obscene at worst. This attitude, by some people masquerading as "everyone," attempts to shame women who would otherwise carry out an absolutely normal function wherever they are, and hence reduces the number of women who breastfeed, regardless of the benefits to the baby.

I take the position that this attitude against breast-flesh is wrong and should be cast aside. Yet it's strong enough that laws have to be passed to allow mothers to nurse in a public place. Our society needs to come to the realization that breasts -- and nipples, the real issue here -- have a natural purpose that is not shameful and does not need to be carried out only in some private place.

Anything that discourages women from nursing their children reduces our overall public health.

(ends with a self-righteous snort . . . sorry)

And why would you (and others) imply that sex(in any form, be it kissing/touching..) or sexual nudity is a shameful act and should be carried out in private place. After all one could say, its a very wholesome and natural act.

The point is that, we as a society do get offended if a couple is showing some love in public. And we made laws for that.
But when some of us get offended by public uncovered breastfeeding, we seem to be all for the holy and natural experience..

Per my #4.4, Kill's #7, and subsequent posts, I don't equate a bare breast (nipple) with copulation (or elimination, or anything else). It's baby feeding.

And it obviously is a matter for broad public discussion with everyone's hope that the others are converted to their own enlightened way of thinking (this holds for both sides . . .).

Only if women design a bra so they will bounce.

*cancels lunch plans due to lack of appetite*

:P

Yeah, that was just weird.

Well, once again it makes the assumption that there is something shameful about her breasts and she wouldn't want her co-workers to know about them.

Now I grant you that there will always be some prurient toads around (the kind that liked the JJ boob-flash) that will get all inappropriately heated up by seeing something like this, and they need to be slapped down and made to behave like big boys.

Jim Mirick #20.1

Well, once again it makes the assumption that there is something shameful about her breasts and she wouldn't want her co-workers to know about them.

So how come a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue on my desk at work creates a "Hostile Work Environment" and can get me fired.

There's nothing shameful in admiring the female form...

Because that is objectifying women.

Really?!!!

He asked, I answered.

Breastfeeding serves the purpose of feeding your child.

Looking at the swimsuit addition of SI is for enjoyment and arousal. Which is not necessarily wrong in itself, its just about context. C'mon you're at work. Be professional. Sure breastfeeding at work isn't very professional either, but if you plan on a bring-your-kids-to-work day, you should not be surprised if someone chooses to breastfeed.

Ok. For discussion sake, lets take a scenario of "Bring you kids/baby to work day". You take your baby to work. And when he needs a feed, would you breastfeed him in open in front of the co-workers.

And what job other than possibly day care would it be appropriate to take an infant to work with you?

Shawn,

Some companies encourage employees to bring their kids to work on a single day out of the year. This can foster a sense of family among the employees, boost morale, and provide a change of pace for everyone - parents and non-parents. Now, having worked for such a company in the past, before I had kids of my own, I can say that it can be a little annoying/distracting for those without kids, but it is not that uncommon - even among large professional organizations (the company I worked for was #3 in the world in its industry at the time).

right, but my question was:

what job other than possibly day care would it be appropriate to take an infant to work with you?

I k now about taking the kids to work stuff, but I'm specifically talking about a child young enough they need to breastfeed. Small babies need attention, not that a woman cannot work while her child is an infant, but that maybe taking an infant to the workplace is a little on the "not quite realistic" side of things. Now, I do know there are large businesses that have a daycare within the building for working parents - that's a little different and the mothers don't rush downstairs every 2 hours to breastfeed since the baby doesn't have a feeding schedule you can exactly set a watch to. They eat when they are hungry.

Yep. There are many big corporates that have bring the kids or pets to work(among other ways of promoting social gatherings for employees).
I guess you didn't know anything about it Shawn, but now you know.

Actually, Shawn, some women do run down and breastfeed during the workday. And some jobs allow babies in the office.

Mostly, bring your kinds to work do not have restrictions on age of the kid.

Another thing, Breastfeeding is'nt necessarily for infants only.

A han don't jump on it.. There's a comment form a mom in this post itself

    ruthee

    Who cares if it's allowed or not? I breastfed both my girls for a combined total of four years and .......

And the point is that do run down to feed and don't feed them in front of their co-workers.

I'm not debating how long the mother breast-feeds - that is not my business nor the point of discussion.

While a business doesn't stipulate age of the child brought to work, I'm sure that a majority of the parents use a level of judgment unless there are no other viable options (which seeing as they don't bring the kids to work daily - there are)

Actually, Shawn, some women do run down and breastfeed during the workday.

Which means they're not in the cubicle or meeting or wherever their job places them, doing so. Why is that?

Another thing, Breastfeeding is'nt necessarily for infants only.

this too I know... but it is primarily for them. No, I know a lot of kids feed until they are a year or two, but thats a minority compared to the whole.

guess you didn't know anything about it Shawn, but now you know.

I did know about it. I went to work with my dad several times when he worked for the government in DC.

Either way the straight man that complains about seeing a bare breast should seriously consider his sexuality.

Big difference in seeing a bare breast and seeing a bare breast with a baby suckling, if you still view a breast as sexual with a baby attached, me thinks you should seriously consider your sexuality.

Seeing a breast is still seeing a breast, and to my mind thats a good thing.

Uh, gay men, by and large, don't give a @!$%# if women breastfeed.

Gay men aren't scared of boobies.

I mean, not speaking for all gay men or anything, but it's not gay men who are up there screeching that breastfeeding is going to corrupt society. It's the puritans.

Hemphill

Yeah, instinctually I want to agree with that, but just as kids in the room take away from the libido, so does a child attachment.

True enough, but the gay men are the only ones I could see having a legitimate 'disgust' argument.

What? Because all the other men are like "OMG teh hot!" Like we're just sexual animals or something? Like we can't tear our eyes away from the lovely, curving, supple, graceful curve of....

.... ok, yea, we are. What of it?

Exactly....

Either way the straight man that complains about seeing a bare breast should seriously consider his sexuality.

all that glitters is not gold.

It is very sick. You've hit a key point, and in the eyes of many, that's just the issue. But that's what we get for allowing the advertising industry to set the bar for breast display.

I've never been a mom, but I have a feeling the last thing women with tiny babies want is *more* attention, after all the tummy-rubbing by everyone during pregnancy and people wanting to see the kiddo.

Why would anyone think breastfeeding openly= desire for attention?

'Cause, you know, if they look it's our fault...

RIGHT Celestina! I am the first one to admit - I love breasts. It doesn't really matter what shape or size - they're great. Now, when I see a woman breastfeeding her child, I have a two-fold reaction:

a) wow, a naked breast - can I get a better look?

b) wow, this is one of the few actions I have seen in a long time that reminds me that we, as a species, actually care about one another and are capable of taking care of one another.

Yeah, judge me re: "a" all you want, but naked breasts are not something we see in everyday life. I like them, and I look at them. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. And it's not anyone's "fault" but my own.

But, when it comes down to it, it is natural. It is natural for me to want to see them, and it is natural for a woman to use them in a utilitarian manner, as well as a sexual manner. I don't see anything wrong with either application, and I don't personally understand what all the fuss is about. We're not being honest with ourselves if we think we can suppress either the utilitarian function or the sexual function.

That being said, I can understand that people - for religious or other personal reasons - would not want to deal with whatever personal issues a naked breast might dig up. In public, such as in a restaurant, I think the burden is on the restaurant to provide a space for breastfeeding - and no, a restroom is not an appropriate space. "Here's a sandwich - go eat it in the urinal!" is what I think of when I hear that. We all share public spaces, and a restaurant is a fairly public space. We need to try to compromise when in a public space, as others' opinions re: what's appropriate may not be the same as my own. A good parallel is when I'm in public and my kids act up. I am all in favor of a 3 year old acting like a 3 year old, however I know that opinion is not shared, so I will try to shush him in public whereas I might not at home. It's shared space and we do need to keep that in mind.

Most women that I know keep this in mind - it's not like they're whipping their breasts out for all to see and parading around. It can be handled discreetly, so that both the breastfeeding woman does not feel put out, and so that other people in the area notice little to no issues.

but naked breasts are not something we see in everyday life

Well, speak for yourself :)

I am, that's my point :)