Lucycat
Sponsor
Recently in the UK there has been an absolute storm about the rights and wrongs of breastfeeding in public. It hit the news after a lady was asked to cover up in a posh restaurant and she was offended. She went public and the world is mostly on her side it would seem. It culminated at the weekend in a queue of young mums breastfeeding in the street outside the restaurant as a form of protest.
From my warped and skewed perspective as a victim of child abuse, I don't like to see women breastfeeding. However I see this as my private issue and am not usually public about it. Here I have anonymity so I can say what is in my head even though it may not be popular.
To be clear - I support a woman's choice to feed her infant how she choses, but appreciate that in the majority of cases breast is best for mother and baby.
To me, I see breastfeeding as a normal bodily function. But there are certainly other bodily functions that in my culture are deemed as private. I don't want to see an infant suckling. I don't understand our culture that says it is acceptable for an infant *up to a certain age*. Then people get upset - like if a 4 year old wants to feed. Where is the privacy of the child/infant? Who determines what is or is not OK?
Many people are now sharing these pictures of their infants breastfeeding on social media. Will the infant want these pictures so public when they are an adult? Are they not entitled to privacy also? Is it only the mother who has rights?
This has stirred up my brain because I am so uncomfortable seeing breast feeding and will avoid it at all costs. But I will leave rather than ask the mother to leave. I do understand that this is my problem, but I cannot believe that I am the only one. I don't see the harm in asking women to be discreet which is actually what the restaurant requested in the first place ( I believe).
From my warped and skewed perspective as a victim of child abuse, I don't like to see women breastfeeding. However I see this as my private issue and am not usually public about it. Here I have anonymity so I can say what is in my head even though it may not be popular.
To be clear - I support a woman's choice to feed her infant how she choses, but appreciate that in the majority of cases breast is best for mother and baby.
To me, I see breastfeeding as a normal bodily function. But there are certainly other bodily functions that in my culture are deemed as private. I don't want to see an infant suckling. I don't understand our culture that says it is acceptable for an infant *up to a certain age*. Then people get upset - like if a 4 year old wants to feed. Where is the privacy of the child/infant? Who determines what is or is not OK?
Many people are now sharing these pictures of their infants breastfeeding on social media. Will the infant want these pictures so public when they are an adult? Are they not entitled to privacy also? Is it only the mother who has rights?
This has stirred up my brain because I am so uncomfortable seeing breast feeding and will avoid it at all costs. But I will leave rather than ask the mother to leave. I do understand that this is my problem, but I cannot believe that I am the only one. I don't see the harm in asking women to be discreet which is actually what the restaurant requested in the first place ( I believe).