Handling Breastfeeding in Public

Breastfeeding in public is something heavy on my mind. ?I was reading my blogs today and an entry from Elita at The Blacktating Blog came up about nursing in public. ?She talks about how breastfeeding in public helps normalize breastfeeding, how it serves as a reminder to people that not everyone choose formula. ?How true is that statement?

I remember my very first?attempt?at nursing in public, it was in December 1991. ?I was in a shopping mall and I decided to go down one of the wings of the mall that had less traffic and sit on a bench. ?As I sat there discreetly nursing, some teen aged boys walked by and were laughing. ?I can’t tell you now if they were actually laughing and pointing at me, but that’s how my mind wrote the story, and that’s what matters. ?Now, 17 years and 8 babies later, I still think twice about nursing in public, not because I’m shy or because I fear what others think about me, but more because I’m afraid I’m going to mess it up for someone else. ?Will my baby pull my shirt up and expose too much skin for someone’s taste? ?Will I make a mom feel like she can’t nurse because she’s not comfortable nursing in public? ?It’s a heavy weight to bear. ?

It’s the same dilemma I have when I see a nursing mom. ?Part of me wants to run over and give her a high five for normalizing something women have done since the dawn of time. ?But then I stop to think maybe she thinks no one can tell what she’s doing and by going up to her I’d discourage her. Elita pointed out some “Thank you for nursing in public”?cards by Amanda over at Kind Over Matter. ?It’s a great idea! ?What would you do with these cards?