Public Breastfeeding

[MarySunshine]

In a discussion I had with my brother in law today (who is a future nurse!), I learned he is uncomfortable with public breastfeeding unless there is a blanket involved. I know some folks wouldn't even like it with a blanket! I strongly feel that, as nurses, we should be doing what we can to support and advocate for breastfeeding and shed it in a positive light. I couldn't believe that a health care professional would feel differently. Obviously, this is coming from the United States (sigh).

I'm someone that usually works to make people feel comfortable in situations, but if my baby needs to be fed and some guy doesn't like it, well then he doesn't have to look! My baby comes first. That's how I feel about it. Guys will say that we shouldn't expose our breasts because they are too sexual, then agree that breastfeeding isn't sexual, but still say that we should hide it.....I cannot follow the circular reasoning.

I want to raise sons who know that breasts, as sexually appealing as they may be to them when they are older, are made to feed babies. That a uterus carries babies and lady partss birth them. I believe that this gives men a truer, deeper respect for women and for all human beings ... our bodies are not just sex objects! I saw a funny T-shirt that said -- Breasts: Not just for selling cars anymore!

I wanted to see what other nurses thought about this, on a personal level as well as a public health level.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I still stand by my "don't look if it offends" you stance. Time to get over it.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Okay, but public urination is illegal BECAUSE it's unacceptable. And why is it unhygenic? Because its a body fluid? Isn't that what breast milk is, a body fluid? We certainly treat it as such in the hospital.

Because urine is a waste product. Breastmilk is not.

[SmilingBluEyes]

But people do get confused as breastmilk IS a potentially hazardous body fluid.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Right, like all bodily fluids.

[LydiaNN]

But people do get confused as breastmilk IS a potentially hazardous body fluid.

Yes, but when one urinates in public, one is depositing a waste product directly on to surfaces that will be accessed by others. When one breastfeeds, one is depositing a bodily fluid into a baby's mouth. Honestly, I don't see where there's any room for confusion. I can't say that I've ever heard of a circumstance in which a woman sprayed breast milk about in a public place (other than in Stud Terkel's "Working", in which a cop told a story about a distraught woman doingjust that in the local precinct), but if it were to ever happen in front of me, I do reserve the right to express distaste. Otherwise, the public urination/public bfing comparison makes no sense to me.

[Q.]

But people do get confused as breastmilk IS a potentially hazardous body fluid.

That's my point. No, you don't need to explain why urine needs to be flushed away, just like you don't need to explain why we handle breast milk with standard precautions like we do all human body fluids. Breast milk is a biohazard - never mind that it doesn't stink. Stinking and waste products isn't what defines bio hazard standards.

Mercyteapot, I could use the same argument with you and ask you're a nurse and I have to explain what a biohazard is?

[Q.]

Otherwise, the public urination/public bfing comparison makes no sense to me.

And the "but BFing is NATURAL!" is a weak argument to me.

[Q.]

You know, if we really wanted to make the debate interesting, on a Parents of Multiples board that I visit, someone posted about their neighbor who left their 1.5 year old with a friend overnight. The child was still waking in the night to nurse and this friend breastfed this baby for the mom who was away overnight.

It apparently was okay with both mom and friend. :uhoh21:

[grimmy, RN]

you know, if we really wanted to make the debate interesting, on a parents of multiples board that i visit, someone posted about their neighbor who left their 1.5 year old with a friend overnight. the child was still waking in the night to nurse and this friend breastfed this baby for the mom who was away overnight.

it apparently was okay with both mom and friend. :uhoh21:

and why not? this has been done for centuries in our western culture and to this day in many other cultures. it is done for practical, economic, and humane reasons. the baby is hungry. the hang-up that babies and breasts be hermetically sealed is faulty (my sarcasm). the last place i saw a mom bfing was in church, just a couple weeks ago. i had come in to service late, and we have an ante-chamber for the noisy babies to be comforted in quiet, and there they were, enjoying a quiet simple moment. her breast was out and naked, and she and her baby could see into each other's eyes. it was beautiful, and who would want to change that? not me.

[Q.]

and why not? this has been done for centuries in our western culture and to this day in many other cultures. it is done for practical, economic, and humane reasons. the baby is hungry. [/i]

sure, but the baby was also on table food and didn't rely on breastmilk as it sole and/or primary nutritive source. and the mother was able to provide her own breastmilk, she just chose not to do so.

[lisamc1RN, LPN]

You know, if we really wanted to make the debate interesting, on a Parents of Multiples board that I visit, someone posted about their neighbor who left their 1.5 year old with a friend overnight. The child was still waking in the night to nurse and this friend breastfed this baby for the mom who was away overnight.

It apparently was okay with both mom and friend. :uhoh21:

It is changing the topic a bit, but I don't think there is anything wrong with it. I think it might be a little bit beyond my comfort zone to have my child nurse from someone else but this isn't a very strange idea, really. If I remember correctly, way back in the day, the wealthy used to hire nursemaids to breastfeed their babies. :)

[gypsyatheart]

and why not? this has been done for centuries in our western culture and to this day in many other cultures. it is done for practical, economic, and humane reasons. the baby is hungry. the hang-up that babies and breasts be hermetically sealed is faulty (my sarcasm). the last place i saw a mom bfing was in church, just a couple weeks ago. i had come in to service late, and we have an ante-chamber for the noisy babies to be comforted in quiet, and there they were, enjoying a quiet simple moment. her breast was out and naked, and she and her baby could see into each other's eyes. it was beautiful, and who would want to change that? not me.

:yelclap: :yeahthat: great post!