This morning while sauntering my way through the York Concourse I noticed a woman struggling with this huge blanket and an infant. She was trying to cover herself and the struggling baby, and get herself in position to breastfeed. The blanket nor the baby were co-operating. And she looked super frustrated.
I backtracked and went up to her and said, "I don't eat under a blanket and neither should baby. Feed your baby, I'll stay here."
She said she didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I said, baby needs to eat. Feed the baby and I'll keep you company.
As she did this, I made some small talk and told her I was tired of mothers being made to feel what they are doing is unnatural, dirty or sexual. As we were talking, I did notice a dude staring so I stared at him until he looked away. When I caught him staring again, I got up and went over and asked him if he had a problem. He asked why she couldn't just feed the kid in the washroom. I asked him if he ate his lunch at work in the washroom. Then he offered some extremely worldly advice such as the mom should bottle feed. I told him to stop staring or I'd get security. He called after me that it was a free country which resulted in me yelling over my shoulder, WHICH IS WHY MOTHERS CAN BREASTFEED WHEREVER THEY DAMN WELL PLEASE.
As I sat back down next to the mom, she told me she was amazed at my attitude. I told her, look, I've been in your shoes. This is not an easy job. Sure, some people are jerks and even mothers, like my mom, dislike seeing women breastfeed in public. I don't care. Don't look. Move away. Change seats. Baby's gotta eat. I stayed til she was finished feeding and bid her good day. I truly don't have time for this bullshit.
BABY. GOTTA. EAT.
13 comments:
I will admit I find it hard not to stare because it doesn't look natural to me. I don't have kids. I never saw my mom do it and it still looks strange but I'm not staring because it's me feeling uncomfortable. I stare because it's -- for lack of a better word -- distracting.
p.s. I'm a woman
And I stare at women in low cut tops. Same things
I'd probably catch myself staring as well, even though I'm a staunch defender of being able to breastfeed in public. The only way forward is for more women to do it, which will normalize the practice and nobody will stare anymore.
^ DING DING
You rock, CJ. Good job!
My ex fed our babies all the time in public. The nastiest commenters were almost always women calling her names like barbaric and primitive.
When that happened, i shuffled out of the line of fire and casually looked away. Hers and Cindys attitudes in the same situation together would cause a five alarm fire. Nobody should ever mess with a mother and a hungry infant. The best parts were when men insulted her. She could call them every name in the book and the tough guys would almost always have the deer in the headlights look and really couldnt do anything about it.
Eventually to get rid of the haters we boght a breast feeding sling that allowed full freedom of movement but loosely covered up the baby. Still some people tried their best to look inside the sling. A few f bombs shooed them away.
My oldest is the same way. Dont like it, go away and stop looking asshole.
Loved the 5 alarm fire comment.
My only issue is when women want to do it in a public pool/pool area (there was a kerfluffle about that a few years ago). That is a huge nope.
Otherwise, do what is comfortable with you. Some women want to be covered. Some women do not.
Why is it not ok in a pool area?
Why on earth can't you breastfeed near a pool? I really don't get people's hang ups about this.
It's a bodily fluid issue. Same reason as not peeing in a pool.
There are actual rules about this with public pools.
there was a video of some jerk yelling at a woman breastfeeding in starbucks inside a target (an american target obviously) everybody else defended the woman including the staff....
I hope you mean only IN a pool. of course, but on a pool deck shouldn't be a problem..
If you don't like people breastfeeding in public, then don't breastfeed your baby in public. I don't want to look at the stupid face of a breastfeeding-hater but I can hardly tell you to stay home, though I'd like to.
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