opinion on breastfeeding in public has flared again thanks to a morning show host who is living in the 50’s. they were supposed to be supporting a woman who had been asked to leave an aquatic centre in order to feed her baby, instead the show’s host indicated his support for the aquatic centres action which also showed that he supports discrimination against breastfeeding mums. he said breast-feeding should be done discretely and it should be classy…what the? pretty sure the majority of women do aim for discretion when breastfeeding and if you do happen to get a flash of nipple it would certainly not be intentional…but classy…what does that even mean? anyhoo so they took to the streets of sydney to ask for public opinion and some of the people they spoke to said that they believed that breastfeeding women should go to public toilets to feed their infants rather than stay out in public. once again I find myself saying, what the?? eating in the toilet….how classy.
the right to breastfeed is covered by anti discrimination legislation and if you operate a business servicing the public then you should familiarise yourself with the laws. it’s that simple. we recently sat next to a couple at a pub and the only indication we got that the woman was feeding her baby was when she materialized him from under her scarf and put him on her shoulder for burping….pretty discreet, but possibly the best example of discretion is a woman in my active parenting class who was asked by the health nurse whether her baby was breast or bottle fed….while she was breast-feeding.
whether you agree or not, if a mother can breastfeed she should be able to do it when her child requires it. that could be at home or out and about and if it makes you uncomfortable then you are the one with the issue – not the mum – so look away or leave the area. it’s not something you will catch, she’s not going to whip out a boob and squirt you with it, there is nothing to fear. it’s not easy to breastfeed and it’s also not easy to get out and about with a new baby so to those mums that can feed their babies and do so on the go – well done – the rest of us carry bags with formula and bottles which then have to be washed and sterilized….I know which is easier, just a shame there is not more tolerance and understanding.
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