farking hell
I was reading over on Fark.com and they came up with a funny story about the La Leche League doing a nurse-in at Victoria's Secret because a manager was not well trained and told a mother not to nurse in their store. Corporate issues an apology and the manager gets a stern talking too.
Legally, pretty much every state in the US specifically allows nursing in public. In fact, a specific exemption has been made in the laws of almost every state to exclude public nursing from the public indecency laws. The logical reason for the exclusion being where do you draw the line about it, it is kind of an all or nothing deal. La Leche League and the medical community have pushed for a growing acceptance of public nursing.
La Leche League has worked very hard to the the APA and the rest of the medical community on board with the plan to make breastfeeding the most common means of feeding an infant. Now, I gave birth to my little girl five months ago and the difference from five years ago at the same hospital was astounding. They were actively frowning on giving babies bottles and doing whatever they needed to do to convince new mothers to try nursing.
I nurse anyway and both my kids refuse bottles completely. Yes, that's right, they wouldn't take a bottle no matter how you offer it. This actually is fairly common among breast-fed babies. They get so used to the real thing nothing else will do. An aversion to pacifiers is also common. Nipple confusion both is and isn't a myth. It is a myth that you can only offer the breast to a newborn because the newborn will get confused with the bottle. It is not a myth in that for older babies, two to three months old, they do get confused about how to handle a bottle when they have only ever had the breast.
There is a way to nurse in public without offending everyone around you. Its called a blanket. I'm serious. You put a blanket over your shoulder, lift your shirt, unlatch the bra and latch on the baby. No one needs to be the wiser, you are not making a scene and the kid gets fed. The blanket trick usually settles down so they nurse nicely too.
There are also these things called nursing shirts. They allow for easy access without being total exposure of things that aren't so pretty, like the post-partum belly. With a good nursing shirt, you don't even need the blanket. Seriously, nursing shirts can be bought for around fifteen dollars at the maternity store in their nursing sections. They are not that expensive. Consider it a small price to pay for other people's comfort and compare it to how much you would otherwise spend on formula.
As for where to nurse, unless there is a ladies lounge, nursing in a public restroom is unsanitary. First, there is no place to sit down. While you can carry a baby and nurse at the same time in what's called the "cradle hold" your arms get so tired you risk dropping the infant. Second, consider how well cleaned those restrooms usually are? You can't put a diaper bag down on the ground for anything.
Dressing rooms are a good choice for the shy. They have a place to sit most of the time. Even if the changing room is just a stall there is usually a seat that can be had that is outside of them. It's semi-private and most places are very good about making the attempt to keep their dressing room areas clean if not neat and tidy. They are; however, meant for trying on clothes and as such if the store is busy using one of their rooms is not very polite. Most of the time the kid can wait long enough to find a seat on the floor a little ways away so that you can watch your friends try on nice outfits and tell them if it suits them while nursing away.
The best possible place to go nurse is of course any place that has been set aside for nursing. Nursing lounges are becoming a positive fashion in the malls. At the mall nearest us, there is one right off the food court and a merry go round for older children to enjoy while mommy has the baby nursing about thirty feet away. Several stores are also returning to the concept of the ladies lounge with seats away from the toilets and sinks to rest on.
What gets me is Victoria Secret doesn't even sell nursing bras. I mean get real, don't protest one store employee being an idiot, protest the lack of good bras. Nursing bras are so unsexy it isn't even funny. Hell, they only just came out with other colors then white a year or two ago, I'm told. I'd like a red one. ;)
Legally, pretty much every state in the US specifically allows nursing in public. In fact, a specific exemption has been made in the laws of almost every state to exclude public nursing from the public indecency laws. The logical reason for the exclusion being where do you draw the line about it, it is kind of an all or nothing deal. La Leche League and the medical community have pushed for a growing acceptance of public nursing.
La Leche League has worked very hard to the the APA and the rest of the medical community on board with the plan to make breastfeeding the most common means of feeding an infant. Now, I gave birth to my little girl five months ago and the difference from five years ago at the same hospital was astounding. They were actively frowning on giving babies bottles and doing whatever they needed to do to convince new mothers to try nursing.
I nurse anyway and both my kids refuse bottles completely. Yes, that's right, they wouldn't take a bottle no matter how you offer it. This actually is fairly common among breast-fed babies. They get so used to the real thing nothing else will do. An aversion to pacifiers is also common. Nipple confusion both is and isn't a myth. It is a myth that you can only offer the breast to a newborn because the newborn will get confused with the bottle. It is not a myth in that for older babies, two to three months old, they do get confused about how to handle a bottle when they have only ever had the breast.
There is a way to nurse in public without offending everyone around you. Its called a blanket. I'm serious. You put a blanket over your shoulder, lift your shirt, unlatch the bra and latch on the baby. No one needs to be the wiser, you are not making a scene and the kid gets fed. The blanket trick usually settles down so they nurse nicely too.
There are also these things called nursing shirts. They allow for easy access without being total exposure of things that aren't so pretty, like the post-partum belly. With a good nursing shirt, you don't even need the blanket. Seriously, nursing shirts can be bought for around fifteen dollars at the maternity store in their nursing sections. They are not that expensive. Consider it a small price to pay for other people's comfort and compare it to how much you would otherwise spend on formula.
As for where to nurse, unless there is a ladies lounge, nursing in a public restroom is unsanitary. First, there is no place to sit down. While you can carry a baby and nurse at the same time in what's called the "cradle hold" your arms get so tired you risk dropping the infant. Second, consider how well cleaned those restrooms usually are? You can't put a diaper bag down on the ground for anything.
Dressing rooms are a good choice for the shy. They have a place to sit most of the time. Even if the changing room is just a stall there is usually a seat that can be had that is outside of them. It's semi-private and most places are very good about making the attempt to keep their dressing room areas clean if not neat and tidy. They are; however, meant for trying on clothes and as such if the store is busy using one of their rooms is not very polite. Most of the time the kid can wait long enough to find a seat on the floor a little ways away so that you can watch your friends try on nice outfits and tell them if it suits them while nursing away.
The best possible place to go nurse is of course any place that has been set aside for nursing. Nursing lounges are becoming a positive fashion in the malls. At the mall nearest us, there is one right off the food court and a merry go round for older children to enjoy while mommy has the baby nursing about thirty feet away. Several stores are also returning to the concept of the ladies lounge with seats away from the toilets and sinks to rest on.
What gets me is Victoria Secret doesn't even sell nursing bras. I mean get real, don't protest one store employee being an idiot, protest the lack of good bras. Nursing bras are so unsexy it isn't even funny. Hell, they only just came out with other colors then white a year or two ago, I'm told. I'd like a red one. ;)