It's a deep seated issue in society. It's the way we have been cultivated. If you see a baby=not sexual. You see a boob=sexual. Both are okay in their own little images. But if people see both together, people get uncomfortable. They can't seem to separate the sexuality of breasts to other functions. I find this incredibly stupid. Let me explain before you get all upset. People need to see that there are more functions to the breast than just sex. There are multiple parts of the body used for both sexual pleasure AND other functions. For example: the mouth. You use it to eat, to talk, but also for kissing and other pleasures. Why is it we can separate those but not the breast? Society has put so much emphasis on the sexuality of the breast than the function of it, that we can't see the separation there when we see an innocent baby attached to a sexual object. That is the reason for the upset. I just wish that when people do see it, they understand that it's a place of food for the infant. That is all. Just as if you saw someone else eating a hamburger, you wouldn't correlate that to kissing (or the like). Neck, feet, hands, mouth, legs, etc....all are the same deal.
I am passionate about breastfeeding. I would be one of those mothers during the nurse in. I have been told to cover up. I've been told to nurse else where in so many words. All of that is wrong. The issue does not lie with the mother or the baby. It lies with the person that is upset with it. Evaluate why you feel this way and change your perceptions. Because it is causing many nursing mothers to feel they have to stay home. Or feed a baby in a bathroom...because of your thoughts. Most moms are thinking while nursing, "I love my baby. Here you go...time to eat. I love you. Is that better?" Nothing sexual about it. But they cover up just in case someone thinks it is. See the issue?
On a more personal level with having to do with childhood sexual abuse: I have a friend that refuses to nurse because it reminded her too much of her past abuse so she bottle feeds. It's a personal decision. My breastfeeding experience did not cause to stir those memories. However, being sneered at or being compared to a molester caused me undo stress. One that a new mother does not need. Mothers, please nurse in public. Please do not cover up. We do not need to change. Society does.
