Why do men feel they should tell moms what to do in reference to breastfeeding?
I’m sorry, but unless you’ve ever been stuck in the mall, with a screaming child,(probably because it’s the first time you’ve left the house in a week!) who just wants to nurse, then I don’t think you can tell us what to do.
Breastfeeding is natural. Especially when it’s discreet. Most breastfeeding moms that I have ever met, don’t whip anything out. They are mortified that it’s time, that they are stuck with only a single baby blanket to cover up and then some jerk starts leering. Breastfeeding your child is the healthiest thing to do in the world and shouldn’t be shunned into unsanitary stalls in mall bathrooms.
My son nursed so much and so often (never ever ever took a bottle) that I could barely leave the house. I nursed him in a sling as I did my grocery shopping, nobody noticed. I nursed him in the front seat of my parked car, nobody noticed.
I nursed him when he was hungry, no matter what. That’s a mom’s job!
What do you think?
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I agree with you. I have had men staring at me, and have also had people tell me, "that’s disgusting, cover up, you’re in a public place, no one wants to see that," etc. I used to hate nursing in the mall bathroom, not very clean, in everyone’s way right as they came in the door, and so on. Plus what do you do with your other child(ren)?
When my younger son was newborn, we had not been out of the house for quite a while, it was winter, and his 5 year old brother needed to have a day out. So we went to the mall and bought him a new book (5yo), and then sat down in the center court to nurse the baby and have a drink. At that time, there were still fountains there and my older son used to love to throw pennies in and make wishes. We would save pennies and bring them when we went to the mall. So here I am with a blanket over me nursing the new one, and a happy 5yo throwing pennies and reading his new book, and an old lady came up to me and said that’s disgusting, etc. I was so taken aback, I couldn’t think of what to say. We did stay there but she stared at us and others noticed also.
There’s no reason to treat nursing moms as second class citizens, we and our families are entitled to using public spaces as much as anyone else, and especially if you’re covered up, I think it’s THEIR problem, not ours! Yes, it is a mom’s job to feed a hungry baby.
Another example is when my in-laws came to see the new baby, my father-in-law was so embarrassed when I would start to nurse, he literally didn’t know where to look. They are nice people and have been very good to us, so I finally ended up just going in our bedroom to nurse because it made him so uncomfortable. But he was raised in a different time by a very genteel Southern lady, and this was just shocking to him. Sad but true.
Best wishes to you!
really no man has a right to tell a women wheather or not she will breastfeed it’s the women choice to or not.she gave birth.carried the baby for 9months and endured the pain.so when the guy does all that.then he can have the say.not till then.
No one should tell you that you can’t feed your own baby! It is the most natural and healthy thing to do and too bad if someone is uncomfortable. Tell them that they can’t eat in public if they think it is wrong!
i think it’s cool that u can handle yr problem. i am preparing for motherhood n i really hope that i can handle this nursing thing as smoothly as u. i feel that no man should be telling us what is right n wrong with regards to anything about motherhood and not just breastfeeding. it’s not like as if they r the ones who have been carrying the baby for 9 months n having to feed them later from their breasts! if i come accross a man who tells me that what i am doing is wrong and his sister or mother did it another way i’ll just tell him to shut up n get lost. being with a screaming baby is bad enough. i dun need a busybody who knows nothing to come n give me advice that i dun need, making me feel like i am a bad mother. cheers to u,girl!
You know, in my personal experience I never received one negative remark, comment or dirty look from a man while I was nursing my son (even in public)…BUT I received quite a few dirty looks/comments from women!!
go figure.
I think that is completely natural in every possible way. I personally do not believe in giving a child formula unless it is absolutely necessary. When my child is born in January, I have every intentions of breastfeeding, and if I have to do it in public, then so be it. Babies have to eat, it’s a fact of life. Yes, I’m going to TRY the pump and bottle thing, but it doesn’t work for some women, and as you said, some babies will not take to a bottle. So, in this case, I would breast feed my child in public. I’ll try to conceal myself, I don’t really want my breasts exposed to the world any more than they want to see them.
You are correct. It is unfortunate that americans apply so much sexuality to breast that a completly natural function might I add the main function of the breast) is seen as sexually offensive because it has to do with an object that we have so sexualized. IT makes no sense to me why we yell and sue women and kick them off planes for doing what there bodies were meant to do, we’d rather the kids drink the milk of a cow that was not formulated for the human but for a cow. Heaven forbid the child gets the nourishment intended, by all menas take your newborn to the farm and have them suck on an infected crap covered cow tit.
I thik I might be slightly opinionated on this. And I’m a guy.
I think you nailed it right on!!! I have three kids, I am currently breastfeeding my 7 month old daughter.
I think men feel like they have to be idiots, b/c they think boobs were made for them. Not true. Boobs were made for feeding babies, that is their purpose. Being used for sex is just an added bonus.
Not all men are like that. My hubby is very supportive of me. It’s harder than hell to breastfeed in public, I agree with you! You’re nervous and baby is screaming and then some a hole always has to stare.
I’m glad I’m not the only nursing mom who has fed her baby in the car!!!
Those men are stupid for acting like that and so are the few women out there too that act and think like that!
HI, I think moms can breastfeed any place they wont. God made our breast for us to feed our baby’s. People sound not say a word about it. GOOD LUCK.