I was eating at Alice's Restaurant in Woodside over the weekend, and my little month old baby boy started to make some noise. I know his noises pretty well, and this one said, "I'm hungry." If not attended to quickly enough, it's followed by yelling that says "I'M STARVING!!!!!!!" Mindful of the other diners' peace of mind, I gave him the boob and kept him quiet.
But then my two-year-old started acting up, so I scooted out of the booth to allow her and my husband to quickly exit the restaurant. As I stood up with little Emil held firmly to my chest, I noticed the woman in the booth next to us give me what can only be called a nasty look. She said something to her husband and son (who appeared to be about 10). I sat back down and a few minutes later noticed her little boy peeking over the booth to watch me. His mother reprimanded him and he turned around.
Now I can only imagine that she said something like, "Oh my god, that woman is breastfeeding in public!" She may have been offended that her husband and son could have seen some small portion of my breasts, but if that's the case, then why did she point it out to them? She wasn't trying to hide her disgust from me, that's for sure. That's the kind of attitude that leads to a woman getting kicked off a plane for breastfeeding.
And a mom with a more fragile self confidence breastfeeding might have been shattered. She might have even stopped breastfeeding in public. This would have led her to offering a bottle of formula instead, which could lead to her milk supply lowering, which could eventually lead to her child not being breastfed anymore. And is that what's best for the kid? Hell no. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast milk ONLY (no formula) for the first six months of a child's life.
But I guess that some people's sense of Decency is more important than babies getting the best possible diet. This in an example of Family Values gone wrong.
Does anyone else have stories to share about breastfeeding in public?
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I used strategic fashion choices for public breast-feeding appearances. I had about 10 really cool nursing tanks. The front unsnapped at the strap and underneath was the same fabric as the tank, but with a hole a little larger than my nipple. It made it appear as though I was simply holding a sleeping infant, plus it hides the stomach which wasn't exactly my best feature after birth. Top the tank off with some layers (button down shirt, jean jacket etc.) and it is literally impossible for the passerby to tell what you are doing. I breastfed my baby for 15 months (sadly just quit - please include your quitting story in the blog when the time comes...) therefore did the public feedings with regularity. As many times as I breastfed in public, I am pretty confident that no one ever actually saw my nipple!
The tanks are from Glamourmom.com and I wore them every day and night for 15 months.
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