Breastfeeding Discrimination - Mom stands her ground

[Quixote1818]

Link to story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/lucy-eades-breastfeeding-_n_3719454.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[Spitfire of ATJ]

1. These people act like feeding your child is right up there with giving a bj in public.

[Quixote1818]

2. Oh my god a nipple!!!!

Wonder what Heather Wilson would have done?

[lobodons]

5. (R) Rep. Wilson is against Capitalism

Rep. Wilson must be a Socialsist!!

[TinkerTot55]

3. This is not an issue of breastfeeding discrimination.

This is an example of people who love to push buttons and get attention.

The issue is not that breastfeeding is banned or frowned upon. The facility where the husband and wife chose to be confrontational and sensational has a PRO-breastfeeding policy, and provides comfortable facilities for moms and infants. The facility asked her to COVER UP while breastfeeding. I noticed in the clips I viewed that the mom is keeping her back to the camera, and the husband is not showing how the child is attached, and how much breast is exposed or not. There is NOTHING wrong with asking moms to put a lightweight, opaque cloth over their shoulders and across the feeding infant; it can be done very discreetly. If done in that manner, there's no reason for anyone to object. Most people won't even know that you are breastfeeding, if done that way. Having a light cloth or blanket over the nursing infant also blocks all the outside stimuli and helps the baby relax and nurse.

I wish that every mom could successfully nurse their children, as I did with my three children; but I don't want to see your breasts, no matter how natural it is. It's not necessary, period. You can nurse ANYWHERE...it's your RIGHT as a mother to do so.....but you don't have to be an exhibitionist. And that's what this incident is about.

[RC]

6. Why should the mother cover up the baby?

Eye contact between the baby and the mother, when the baby is feeding, promotes a healthy bonding.
We need to face the fact that we are indeed animals and have functioning animal parts. Eating in our society is a communal affair. A social occasion. Why exclude the babies from this? Why hide undercover as if we are ashamed of feeding our young? Why prevent our babies from looking around at what is going on around them? That is one way they learn.
We as a society are way too prudish. We have an unhealthy attitude toward certain parts of our bodies, that shows up in many undesirable ways. What do we do to remedy this unhealthy situation? Why, we pass more laws prohibiting whatever offended someone, that's what we do. And so it is with mothers breast feeding in public. Cover them up. Hide in a back room. Anything to not remind people that we are actually animals and not some higher life form that is somehow above animal, vegetable of mineral.
Think for the children? That is a child hanging off that nipple. Yeah, think of the children for a change.

[TinkerTot55]

15. So many people assuming facts not in evidence.

Eye contact is important, yes...but not necessary every second of every day.

And you CAN cover discreetly, and still have PLENTY of eye contact.
Skin to skin contact is wonderfully healthy and necessary for baby and mom, and you get plenty of that here.

And yes, in some things we are too prudish, and in others, like sexualizing young children, we aren't vigilant enough.

But there's no harm in being discreet and modest when breastfeeding, none at all.
And almost NO ONE objects when moms do it.

[W T F]

7. Nothing wrong with asking, but if you're going to demand it, I affraid I'm going to........

tell you STFU, and mind your own "F"ing businesses.

[TinkerTot55]

13. Actually, no.

No need for me to STFU.
I breast fed 3 babies in public frequently, 20 some odd years ago, when it wasn't cool, was just beginning to be recognized for the good it did, and was NOT sanctioned by the law.
Not one person EVER asked me to stop....and no one had to ask me to cover myself.
And my healthy children benefited greatly from it.

[MrModerate]

8. There is EVERYTHING wrong with . . .

'asking moms to put a lightweight, opaque cloth over their shoulders'.

People who are so divorced from reality as to think that feeding a child is obscene should just look the other way. And mind their own damn business.

[Quixote1818]

11. You are saying they had the right but shouldn't?

My head is spinning all over the place.

Bottom line is she was in the right under the law. Period! Fuck anyone who wants to tell her to cover up and is disgusted by the sight of a breast regardless of "places" the business has set up for her. Under the law ANY "place" is just fine for breast feeding in all 50 states as it should be.

[TinkerTot55]

14. Please read carefully?

The topic is isn't feeding, or not feeding; everyone has the RIGHT to breastfeed their baby in public, the question is do you do it discreetly, or do to let it all hang out.

There's no RIGHT to be confrontational and in-your-face about it, and there's NO benefit to the baby in being uncovered.
You can have the cover so that you can see the baby's face, etc. But most babies are content to close their eyes and nurse, and often then to sleep....like the baby was in the video clip.

[markpkessinger]

20. Neither is there any particular benefit to the baby in being covered . . .n/t

[glowing]

16. BS, get over it. Breast feeding is better for a baby and one of the most natural things that occurs

Do you throw a blanket over nursing pups or any animals nursing their babies? No. We take pictures and thing awe how cute baby puppies all amess trying to get milk from their mommy. I think more women should nurse as they wish and the rest of the world can get over it... In Amazon tribes, etc, the entire village is basically naked and women nursing as needed by thier babies. It needs to stop being something weird or gross to feed one's child..

AND where are all the pro-life idiots who want all these precious babies born? They are probably the woman who wants to keep the Mom out and her breastfeeding kept private, secret, and hidden like it is shameful.

[TinkerTot55]

17. Amusing....

No one disputed the benefits of breastfeeding, or the right to do it. That's not the issue here, or in the video clip. Everyone who does the research can see that breastfeeding is beneficial on all levels. The facility where the woman in the video went was a very public place, one that welcomed breastfeeding, was family-friendly, and had policies and facilities in place to accommodate breastfeeding moms. No one told her she couldn't walk around breastfeeding her child; the mom in the video CHOSE to lift up her shirt, expose her breast, and walk around in the public area with a latched on child. She was provoking a confrontation, and brought her husband along, camera in hand, to force a confrontation.

Again, there's NO HARM in being modest, or in being considerate, by having a lightweight cover on.

And indiginous people also freely urinate and defecate publicly, naturally........some cultures never diaper their children, and just hold them out to let them void....we have different norms (?) here, that's all.

( Dunno about the "pro-life" people; they're more "pro-embryo," I think. )

[glowing]

18. No, she had one side of her tank top down and her child was blocking most of her breast with

its head. Women shouldn't have to be hidden away or shamed for doing something so natural as to feeding their child. I hope more Moms everywhere start standing up for their rights and breast feed anywhere anytime. When it becomes a natural thing for people to see, comments like yours will make you look like you live in the dark ages and akin to homophobes or racists teabaggers...

[okwmember]

19. But there is also no harm in Not being modest. It should be up to each mother to decide

what she is comfortable with. And if a woman is comfortable putting it all out there, there is no harm to anyone else.

And since the law is actually on her side, there's also no harm in telling busybodies to mind their own business. Their discomfort is their problem not hers.

[markpkessinger]

21. The decision of whether or not to "be modest" should be for the nursing mother to decide...

... Why should she have to cater to the prudish hangups of others?

[Pool Hall Ace]

23. Yes, it's the attention-whoring.

Why is dad videotaping the event? Why can't moms just mind their own business and feed their kids? I have absolutely no issue with breastfeeding in public; it's the "LOOK AT MEEEE, I'M BREASTFEEEDING!" attitude.

[msongs]

4. everyone should have the right to suck on body parts anywhere they want in public nt

[MrModerate]

9. At the very least, up to the age of two . . . n/t

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. Ok I have to laugh.

When I went to Huffpost to play the video I was forced to watch a video advertisement for........


























OLIVE GARDEN!!!!!!

[SheilaT]

12. I often breast fed in public.

I NEVER threw a cover over myself. And this was a long time ago, because my oldest is now 30, the younger one is 26. I occasionally noticed some man staring at me, but I always ignored them (him). There was really nothing to see anyway, because my child was himself covering my breast.

While I don't wish to be criticizing those who bottle feed (because there are plenty of reasons to bottle feed and they are all valid), I almost wish a woman using a bottle would get harassed like this so that everyone could understand the essential idiocy of trying to keep a breast-feeding woman from doing her thing. What if people went up to a bottle-feeding mom and harassed her? She'd rightly complain that her decision was hers alone, and that the outside world can kindly butt out. So it is with breast feeding. Either way the baby is fed. Those who are offended by breast feeding may as well also be offended by bottle feeding.

[midnight]

22. Bottle VS. Breast feed children.... Corporate america has cultivated the talking points

on this topic too....


I applaud that father for supporting his child's right to superior nutrition. It was very sad watching the division of breastfeeding in public-from another women. She called the cops on this women... I wonder what the complaint is going to be?