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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Is it considered acceptable/ appropriate to breastfeed in church?

94 replies

BlueBerry123 · 21/06/2013 21:03

Attending a christening this weekend and wondering if I would be unreasonable to breastfeed my 3 week old in church? sorry if it sounds a naïve question but I am not religious at all but do respect peoples faith and wouldn't want to cause offence if it is considered unacceptable.

OP posts:

MalenkyRusskyDrakonchik · 21/06/2013 21:32

Funny, I got the impression high churches tend to be more ok with it. I think it's fine but you'd make a couple of older people blush (their problem, as I think they would accept). At DH's church women often do cover their heads but I've seen people breastfeed. Easier to be discreet under a mantilla-thingie by the looks.

TiggerWearsATriteSmile · 21/06/2013 21:32

I did it during DD's baptism.

BAPtism

SneezySnatcher · 21/06/2013 21:34

Do it every week in our (Catholic) church. I doubt anyone will even notice. Screaming, hungry babies are much more attention-grabbing!

fuckwittery · 21/06/2013 21:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheReverseStitch · 21/06/2013 21:37

I've bfed in church, never had any complaints or funny looks. Usually just others making sure I am comfortable and whether I need anything. Can't see any reason not to bfed in a church, actually can't see any reason not to bfeed anywhere now I come to think of it.

IThinkOfHappyWhenIThinkOfYou · 21/06/2013 21:38

I've done it for years. Not considered unacceptable at all.

ChaoticTranquility · 21/06/2013 21:41

If, as some believe, god created the world, and everyone and everything in it, then god created women with breasts, the primary purpose of which is to feed her baby/child. Therefore god mustn't have a problem with breastfeeding in church so nor should anyone else

BlackeyedSusan · 21/06/2013 21:42

another who regularly breastfed in church. there was the time dd popped off to have a look arround and left a boob hganging out.

LimeLeaffLizard · 21/06/2013 21:42

at BAPtism... groan!

I bf most times I'm in church too. It is a high Anglican church and if people notice then they haven't minded at all. It is much easier than a café to avoid being noticed because everyone faces the same way.

I did feel slightly embarrassed when DD did a very noisy squelchy poo in the middle of the Eucharistic prayer, but DS found it hilarious!

ShoeWhore · 21/06/2013 21:43

I bf at my friend's wedding and noone seemed to mind. It's actually fairly discreet as everyone's eyes are meant to be facing the front.

However ds was very slurpy and I'm afraid the row in front were a bit giggly (more because they had been down the pub beforehand than anything else though!)

BridgetBidet · 21/06/2013 21:43

It depends which church you're on about. Some more progressive churches it would be fine. However if it is a very traditional church, say an Irish/Polish Catholic church with a high level of elderly worshippers then perhaps less so. To be on the safe side I would take a light gauzy scarf to cover up slightly.

cory · 21/06/2013 21:45

Ime churches are full of pictures of breastfeeding.

freezation · 21/06/2013 21:54

Surely it's fine to breastfeed wherever it's fine to bottle feed? Feeding a baby is feeding a baby however you do it!

TallGiraffe · 21/06/2013 21:59

I have bf in our church every week for the last 8 months, everyone would rather I fed DS than let him scream. The one and only time I tried to cover him up with a muslin whilst feeding an old lady commented that it looked like I was smothering him and that I shouldn't worry at all what people could or couldn't see, it was what the baby wanted that mattered.

Congratulations btw

AChickenCalledKorma · 21/06/2013 22:02

I bf'd both mine daughters in church. I did tend to sit at the back, but that was mainly because both my babies were nosy parkers and needed to be sitting somewhere very boring if they were actually going to feed.

When DD1 was tiny, there were three of us all lined up with babies on breasts. It was a lovely time.

Nerfmother · 21/06/2013 22:10

It's fine but I went to a wedding and the non church attending bride was livid at the breast feeding that went on! So God won't mind but real live people might moan.

Bobyan · 21/06/2013 22:12

I always have...

TiggerWearsATriteSmile · 21/06/2013 22:18

Bridget
I should have said upthread, at our BAPtism, I'm catholic and nobody battedan eyelid

sonlypuppyfat · 21/06/2013 22:23

I've breast fed all my DCs in church in fact one time the vicars DH came up to me and told me how wonderful to see a baby being fed in church!

Fefifo · 21/06/2013 22:25

At DDs baptism having given her a lengthy feed beforehand I put my snazzy , completely non-suited to discrete breastfeeding dress on presuming she wouldn't want fed while at church. Of course what happened was she started really screaming during the ceremony so I ended up having to take out my huge, completely uncovered breast to feed her just as the priest began going round the benches to sprinkle holy water. Having been subjected to five minutes or so of full pitched baby screams he just gave me a relieved smile and said 'ah, good. Lunch'.

miffybun73 · 21/06/2013 22:26

There is nowhere that I wouldn't feed my baby if they needed milk :)

formica5 · 21/06/2013 22:27

I have and it was fine. I'm sure God would approve!

IneedAsockamnesty · 21/06/2013 22:30

Last time I was in church (a very traditional RC one) a baby started crying and did so for quite a bit,the priest mid sermon said something along these lines,

"May I draw everyone's attention to the fact that this is a family friendly church everyone here was once a baby so of course we welcome baby's,even ones who are to little to wait for a feed no matter how they are fed.

We celebrate family and nobody here wishes to exclude the young we only wish them to be comfortable"

It was a tactful way of saying feed the baby its ok,apparently he frequently says stuff like that whilst looking sternly at any known judgey members of the church.

Nonsensical · 21/06/2013 22:32

I have BF at a christening, funeral, wedding (tho that wasn't in church to be fair) and Christmas service. Quite good for someone who never goes to church! Please don't feel embarrassed.

inneedofrain · 21/06/2013 22:38

Oh I live telling this story

Ok I was at a high church for the funeral of a friend dd was 3 month but looked about 6mnth old

I went in at the back and found myself a discret nook to stay out of the way but pay my respects

The lovely gorgeous priest came over and told me off shifted me down to the front where they had actual chairs not pews I tried to explain the I may need to feed dd his response was "I know that's why I thought you would much more comfortable in a chair" !

He wanted his church full of children, I went quite a few more times after that on more than one occasion he gave a surmon with dd on his shoulder she used to fall asleep within seconds of him taking her.

His services are always full of children everyone is welcome and made to feel at home, he runs a food bank toy scheme and a youth club. I wish everyone had a priest like him in there towns. He does the church a lot of good but does the community more

I say go for it, take a shawl if you feel more confident with one.

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