Public breastfeeding

I've seen women breastfeeding in public on only a few occasions; did I just imagine the smug look on their faces?

The men on yachts say they're going to inspect the moorings, when caught short!

Me neither, although I am known for popping behind a bush on my long country walks !

It was France jingle but I don't think she was of French descent. She was opposite a road junction so it was the first thing we saw as we turned. I have seen men peeing by the roadside but in all the years I have travelled I have never seen a woman urinate in the street.

Oh, weren't they awful, absent?
I was terrified I'd slip and actually fall in....

"to use the gutters as a toilet - now she had every right"

Really?!!!!! They allow you to bare your bottom in France and pee (assuming that's all you meant ) in the gutter. By the public roadside?!

Nanban I don't think using the gutter as a toilet and displaying a bare behind, whether huge or standard, is the same thing as breastfeeding in public. First, I'm not sure that the woman in question did have the right but am no expert on French law. I amsure that it is unpleasant, offensive and unhygienic. Breastfeeding can be managed discreetly so that it is virtually unnoticeable. Even I, who had breasts like a garden sprinkler and could probably have killed a fly at 40 paces if only I could have aimed accurately, managed not to bother other people. Waving naked breasts around in public – either because of militant activisim re breastfeeding or to get an even sun tan – is uncalled for and, I suggest, discourteous.

jeni I remember being quite shocked as a teenager at the IoW festival when I encountered a young couple romantically holding hands while balancing over what can only be called a latrine. (No Portaloos then.)n

In NZ there was something called the Plunkett Society (still is) started to promote maternal and child health. They raised money for women's toilet facilities where they could also take care of their babies in the early days. Plunkett nurses advised on feeding etc
There are still some great heritage toilets dating from this era! They still in NZ have fantastic public loos compared to us. Many more, and rarely smelly. I have come across them in the middle of nowhere. If near beaches they have changing rooms with benches and, often, a shower. (yes they have those in OZ too)
Plunkett is still going spanning the territory occupied by NCT, mums and babies groups, and health visitors.

nanban
In the past the toilets were multiseaters, the Romans had marble ones, there's a lovely example just off the forum at Pompeii. Farms had wooden multiholers in this country until recently.
I suspect it was the Victorians who introduced all this modesty with natural bodily functions.
Don't you have pissoirs in your village?(not sure of spelling)

that's the sort of thing that bothers me alison not breastfeeding.

Greatnan - so where do you draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable - whose good taste do we use as a guide?

Harrigran - approaching our French village not so long ago there was the sight of a huge bare behind, skirts hitched up, in order to use the gutters as a toilet - now she had every right but was that offensive, embarrassing? Should we just have averted our eyes? I would hope that I never do anything that would mean people around me would have to 'avert their eyes' to save my dignity and in the same way, I do not want to have to do so on behalf of someone else.

Petallus - quite right.

I used to find when discreetly breast feeding in public - under a poncho, it was the 1970s - I was often approached by elderly women who reminisced about their experience of life, the universe and babies. Very good experiences.

Although I totally agree that women should think nothing of breastfeeding in public i think that wisewoman has a point. What is wrong with a little bit of discretion? Everyone should be considerate to others in all aspects of life and that includes breastfeeding, it shouldn't be done in a way to embarrass others.

I cannot understand those who choose to text, ipod or whatever when they are feeding their babies, they are missing out on so much tenderness from their infant, regardless of what the infant is missing!

Yesterday on the bus into Worcester we watched a mum with a 4 year old and one in the buggy and at no point did she interact with either of them. She was texting and then listening to her iPod. The 4 year old was just talking to himself all the way. Such a shame.

They are a bit different to us, the French!

There you are harrigran. I'll get all the brickbats now.

harrigran Don't be touchy.

Was that in this country, or France?

Thanks a lot Greatnan think i'll just b****r off back to France

Harrigran - the woman obviously had problems but your anecdote is hardly relevant to the huge majority of breast-feeding mothers.

We were driving through a village and saw a woman sitting on the pavement breastfeeding a toddler, nothing wrong with that except she had both breasts out and her legs apart with skirt hitched up. To be perfectly honest I was nearly sick, she did nothing to promote breastfeeding.

I take your point Nanban but don't agree about the way mums text whilst feeding their baby, in the same way that I object to people texting whilst they are eating at the dinner table. What are they teaching their children? Family time is precious enough, without mum, dad or teenagers chatting and Facebooking when they are sharing a meal.

Jingle I agree with you.

Regarding women baring their breasts in public - there is a world of difference between a public display of exhibitionism, and a breast feeding mum freeing enough of her breast to be able to feed her baby.

Annobel that is so sweet about little one grinning at you!

I don't understand why you can't just avert your eyes. Which would be the considerate thing to do anyway.

Don't you actually enjoy your food. Why would you want to look anywhere else but at your plate? Or, at the most, at the person with you.

Yes, but you can't have mothers tied to the home Nanban. And there aren't often quiet rooms available.

Greatnan - of course I posted to stir up a conversation, and it certainly did that - but I do think some things are best kept private and bodily functions - which, like it or not, breastfeeding is, certainly should. One and all seem to think it's a very special, precious thing to do, so why bring it down to a function that must not interrupt shopping or daily life by simply taking time out to go to a quiet room.

Wisewoman - absolutely! Spot on.

Yeh, Petallus - at last the voice of reason. And to all those who want women to be asexual walking milk banks - why do we have doors on toilets, we have the right to perform a natural function, why privacy? Because there are some things where a little privacy and mystery [not the toilet of course] make life richer - not sticking it all out there in the public domain just because we can.

Why object to mums texting while feeding; giving the baby a bottle to be getting on with in a buggy; those mums have rights and are exercising them. But it is offensive to some people seeing it done. Voila, so is breastfeeding in public.

Just seen this thread. I know I should say it's okay to breastfeed anywhere in public but it does make me tense in restaurants etc. If a woman bared her breasts in the High Street for any other reason she's probably be arrested.