A Natural Choice
I'm at the mall with baby number one, and she is screaming because she is starving. She is strictly breastfed, no bottles, and I am now rushing to the third department store only to find, to my utter dismay, that these dressing rooms are also full. So, I resort to Plan B, and I make the long trek to my car towards the end of a very long parking lot, and this is where I ultimately and privately feed my daughter.
I am at the very same mall with my three children. The older of the two are in the stroller, contentedly munching away at their popcorn and slushes, while I am sitting on the bench with the baby, who is screaming because she is starving. I lay her across my arm, toss my nursing cover-up over my shoulder and over her head, and oh, so discreetly lift the top layer of my nursing blouse, unsnap my nursing bra, and make my precious daughter happy.
Why should this be a problem for women who are breastfeeding? It is the disparaging looks, snide remarks, and overall attitude of a lot of people that discourage women from breastfeeding in public, but it doesn't have to be this way. All it took for me was a few, very stressful outings to realize that I was doing something that was natural, and something that shouldn't bother anyone else, especially if I did it in such a manner that not one, single measure of my bare breast could be seen by anyone. Besides, I shouldn't have to hide because I was doing nothing wrong and I am proud of the fact that I breastfeed my children.
I even conducted my own experiment one day - a kind of spur of the moment experiment. I purposely sat next to two women on a bench at a store one day, who were both wearing very low-cut tops that were extremely revealing (something I would never wear, by the way), to breastfeed my son. I wanted to see who would turn more heads, and, you guessed it, the very natural, unexposed feeding of a four-month-old got more attention and rude looks than the very exposed breasts of two women chatting away on their cell phones.
There will always be those ignorant members of society who find it more acceptable to show too much cleavage than it is to feed your hungry infant. Until we, breastfeeding mothers, quit finding ourselves hiding in dressing rooms, bathroom stalls, and cars, we will never be able to help society overcome its prejudices about this very natural, wonderful, and special gift that we, as mothers, are able to give to our children. I am simply advising you, as a new mother, to overcome your hesitation, don't be embarrassed, and be discreet, but feed your baby as you were meant to do, if this is your choice.
