Nursing in Public - What's the Big Deal?

Over the weekend, I had something pretty awesome happen to me. Although, once I got to thinking about it after the fact it made me a little....sad, for lack of a better word.

On Friday, Joe had a procedure done on his foot. Originally we thought it would be a quick in-and-out type thing, but it turned out to be a half-day event. It wasn't really a problem, just more of a frustration since we left both kids with my in-laws, and Millie refused to take a bottle. I was surprised because she's usually more concerned with actually eating, rather than the method of delivery. Haha. I ended up having to leave Joe at the hospital to go and get her so I could feed her. 

By the time we got back to the hospital, he'd already been taken into the OR. I went to the waiting room, found a quiet corner, and nursed Millie without a cover. 

Left: front view; Right: my view.

What nursing in public REALLY looks like.

I got some looks from other people in the room, but no one seemed to mind all that much. {Not that I really cared. I just dread confrontation.} About 15 minutes after Millie had filled her tummy, a woman sitting across from me got up to leave. On her way out, this happened:

My first reaction was, "Wow! That was awesome!!" I gotta say, it did make me feel pretty good. ;-) And if it'd been my first baby, and I'd struggled with it, her comment probably would have encouraged me quite a bit. {And after experiencing it myself, it makes me want to compliment someone else the next time I see someone nursing in public.}

After I got home and had some time to think about it, that experience made me think something different. What kind of culture do we live in that feeding your baby naturally needs to be encouraged? I highly doubt this sort of thing happened 200-300 (or less) years ago. No one needed to be encouraged to feed their baby with their body because it was the norm. Since it was the norm, no one got freaked out when mothers nursed their babies in public. *gasp* 

All over the internet - and the news - you see stories of women getting persecuted for nursing their babies in public, and without a cover. These women are told to go to a bathroom, somewhere outside, etc. to feed their babies. Meanwhile, a mother who bottle feeds her baby (whether it's breastmilk or formula) is allowed to be wherever she wants. Why is this okay? Why is this the norm? I'll tell you why.

Our culture has completely over-sexualized women's bodies. Images, photos of scantily clad women are used to sell everything from lingerie to cars. We figured out a long time ago that sex sells, and pretty much haven't looked back. Our culture decided that breasts weren't for making milk for babies, but for erotic purposes only. Never mind that after giving birth, a woman's body automatically produces milk for her baby. {And starts producing colostrum - first milk - before the baby is even born.} Unless there are rare or tragic circumstances, every single mother's body produces milk for her baby. Our culture deemed breastfeeding weird, extreme, and/or gross because somewhere along the way, we lost sight of the truth and started accepting lies. I'll be the first to admit that the purpose of breasts are twofold: feeding a baby, and pleasing your spouse. 

Feeding a baby is nowhere near sexual, which is why I have no problems nursing in public without a cover. Another reason I don't mind nursing without a cover is that I can do it discreetly, while not irritating my child. I don't think fighting with her and the cover is worth not offending 2 or 3 people I don't know. I'd rather feed my child, thanks. 

Another post I read on The Leaky Boob recently has a picture that perfectly defines how I feel about this nonsense. You can click the link to see it and read the article. A woman is feeding her baby discreetly in the mall....in front of huge portraits of women wearing lingerie. In fact, it's similar to this:

{image source}

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. The sexual nature of breasts has nothing to do with feeding a baby, and it never, ever will. Breastfeeding is about feeding your baby and bonding with them. Why banish a child and their mother simply because of how they're being fed? It's petty and pathetic. 

Get over yourselves, mainstream America. We've got babies to nurse.