Why are Americans Prudish about Public Breastfeeding?

by lacroixel for ParentsConnect

I don't know about you all but I am sick and tired of hearing about the horror of breastfeeding in public. We are the only country in the world that bans and ostracizes mothers who just want to feed their young!

These days there are ads promoting breastfeeding-which is great-but we really need to change people's hearts and minds in order to make a difference. It is so sad that we live in a world that is filled with sex and porn and violence but yet when a mother discreetly feeds her child in public, she is scorned and gossiped about.

I lived in Japan for two years and they are so wonderful and accommodating to mothers over there. At every train station, airport and mall there were large clean rooms with bottle signs on the doors. These lovely rooms had access to tap and purified water, ample electrical outlets, soft couches and chairs, and curtains that could be pulled around the booths. I felt at home feeding my baby in there.

My first experience breastfeeding in public in the U.S. was a very different experience. I landed at the L.A. airport and found that they didn't have a changing or breastfeeding room, so I attempted to feed in the terminal with a blanket over me. But across the way there was a man staring at me and two old women making loud, inappropriate comments. I finally retreated to the public bathroom. It was emotionally disturbing to feed my child where thousands of people a week do their "business." I was angry and crying the entire time. Can't people in this country be a little more accommodating of the next generation's nutrition and well being … not to mention the sanity of the mother who is trying to provide for her child?!

(By the way, I'm not putting down moms who feed their babies formula. I fed my daughter formula when I went back to work. Either way is fine by me. Personal choice!)

What are your thoughts on public breastfeeding? Let us know below!

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