I wrote this article/poll for LDS Living last week and had no idea the attention it would receive. People are very opinionated on breastfeeding! Here's the article below, but make sure to click on the forwarding link to take the poll and read all of the comments.
{Poll} Breastfeeding in Public
I'm a new mom, and yes, I nurse. But I have mixed feelings about doing it in public.
I am so grateful to be able to give my baby breast milk, and I love that it's healthy, easy, and free. But I'm not so sure about feeding her in public. I understand that it's not indecent exposure; it's a beautiful thing for a mother to feed her child. But I feel so awkward doing it, and I know people around me feel awkward, too. I bring this up because we recently had a discussion in the LDS Living office about breastfeeding in public. There is a mother in someone's ward who breastfeeds during sacrament meeting. She is very considerate of others and covers herself, but everyone in the congregation can still hear it, and that bothers some people.
The Salt Lake Tribune ran an article a few months ago on a mother who was asked to nurse in a more private area while out shopping (she was not wearing a nursing cover). Long story short, she was in the right and other customers will have to accept it in the future. But is it wrong that I kind of feel bad for those other customers? I know it's not pornographic - I'm a nursing mother, I get it. But I also wouldn't want my husband or a teenage son to see another woman's breast. Is that wrong?
What do you think? Am I totally crazy? Take our poll and leave a comment below. (Click here to take the poll.)
Wow, people are very passionate about this topic! You opened up a whole can of worms with this one Ash. I think it's a personal decision, and unfortunately some women just don't care about exposing themselves. I'm with you though, I NEVER nurse in public. I bring a bottle when I'm out and about, and even when others are visiting in my home.
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