Lusi
November 11, 2014, 2:41pm
47
Re: Breastfeeding in public
First of all I think it’s important to remember that breastfeeding is difficult and requires patience on the part of the mother, so kudos to anyone who is breastfeeding their child (as am I), it’s hard work. Next time you see somebody bf-ing, remember they went through/may still be going through a lot of difficulty to establish bf-ing with their child.
Secondly, I actually agree with some parts of what RV has said about the hayaa aspect and covering up. As Muslims, we are taught to cover our natural beauty, and breasts definitely come under that! Whilst I agree that breastfeeding is entirely natural, I also believe it’s important to maintain your hayaa when you’re out in public while breastfeeding. Example: I went to the Drs today, and as its a 30 min walk away, by the time I was done with my appointment I needed to feed baby as I knew she wouldn’t last a 30 min walk back home. I found a side corridor with some chairs, and turned a chair to face the wall, with my pushchair standing on the side where people walked past, and I sat and breastfed her there. You could clearly see I was in a position for feeding, but I also chose to be discrete and take my baby to the side, rather than whip it out in the waiting room where a lot of people were sitting. The same could be done if you’re out at a restaurant or cafe - just choose a quiet corner and turn your seat to face there. Somebody also mentioned feeding in the car which is what I do when I’ve got the car. I don’t advocate going to the toilets because the environment is just disgusting to be feeding your baby - you wouldn’t eat in a toilet so why feed your baby there? However, another idea if you’re out is to go to a shop, take a few clothes into the changing rooms and just sit and feed your baby until she’s done!
Even if your baby is not comfortable under a cover, you could still find ways of being discrete - cover your boob with the baby’s head during the latch. Once the baby is latched on it’s very easy to be discrete. Bottom line is, I support breastfeeding in public, but I believe it’s important that a woman is discrete about the way she goes about doing so.
This!
Normally I carry a bottle with me. However, there have been times when I did not have a bottle and had to bf. I totally agree with nnabid that it is very easy to be discrete.