Breastfeeding has somehow become a controversial topic. Even for the most educated among us, there is a certain feeling of shame or fear attached to it. The following is Dr. C.’s recollection of her first time breastfeeding in public. Her feelings are echo those of those many women I have spoken to over the years.
“The thought of nursing in public caused me a lot of anxiety. During the first few months of my daughter’s life I’d stay home a lot or schedule short outings so that I wouldn’t have to feed her in public. If she did get hungry while I was out I’d nurse her in the back seat of my car. At some point I’d had enough of feeling like I was on house arrest. I went to the mall and went she got hungry I sat down on one of the benches, put on my nursing cover, and fed her. I was so nervous; I was glancing around, waiting for the dirty looks to come. Nothing happened. It was awkward trying to keep the cover on since she kept kicking and moving her hands but other than that I didn’t have any problems. Since then, I’ve nursed her in stores, the amusement park, etc. Each time I’d had less anxiety than before and I never had an issue with rude comments or stares. By the time I had my son I didn’t have any reservations about nursing in public.”
Though we have come a long way and many businesses, other public places are making an effort to accommodate pregnant women, we still have a long way to go, so how do we help and support women to feel empowered to breastfeed without the fear of being stigmatized? Send us your comment at dddidi@healthymommyhappybaby.com.