I did not breastfeeed either of my children, but I was shocked!

[Caff2]

A lady breastfed her daughter by the side of a swimming pool, and was told it was offensive by an employee. So far, so rubbish, from one employee, but the comments in the newspaper in question run to hundreds talking about public breast feeding being "wrong", "unnatural" and even "arousing"!!!

Okay, it was the Daily Mail, but really? People think like this?

PatoBanton exactly

And how similar MN can be to the DM reader demographic, and it makes me want to cry.

As I am a man I have never breastfed. However I can not see any good reason why a mother and child shouldn't BF in the pool. I would even encourage it. I would prefer my DW to do this if she wanted to, rather than take all our DCs out to the cold side of the pool while she fed or comforted our youngest.

I feel quite shocked at people who say they are pro bfeeding thinking this is wrong, unhygenic etc.
The reasons they give just do not make sense to me. In fact, I personally find their arguements illogical and bloody ridiculous.

Any reason not to breastfeed in the pool, is a reason not to have ANY babies in a pool, IMO.

A baby not feeding could swallow water/piss/puke/etc. So could children of any other age. A baby could puke at any time. When DD was a baby, she very rarely was sick after a feed. If she was sick, it was randomly and with a gap after a feed.

I'm bored of hearing about how people get offended by seeing things that they do not have to look at.

Why the fuck would she feed her child in the pool? Would you take a bottle in to the pool? Or chuck an older child a sarnie?

Bloody breastfeeding militants just can't resist whopping them out and expecting the rest of the world to pin a medal on them.

I've BF mine at the side of the pool. Meant I could go for a swim in between screams. Mind you it was a private pool ( in the days when I had money). I would BF anywhere , if they were hungry, they got to feed.
I have 6 dc's. The youngest is 6 and BF until he was nearly 4. I have NEVER EVER had a comment from anyone.

Ignore Santiago, she's goading.

Thanks Redshifter, it is good to hear you saying what I am thinking

As for the illogical comments about no drinking / eating in a pool. This says it for me: memegenerator.net/instance/42625822

SantiagoToots

Bloody breastfeeding militants just can't resist whopping them out and expecting the rest of the world to pin a medal on them.

To me you have just proved this point - how similar MN can be to the DM reader demographic,

Jeez!

or rather this

and who is the Pato Banton fan?

All the reasons people are giving on here for why a mother who chooses to BF her child in a pool shouldn't do so are bloody idiotic. Do any of you actually think about your reasons before posting because they are all null and void. Unless you think babies shouldn't be in a pool at all.

I'm not just talking about Santiago here either. Go think about it.

Take it all back 20 years, and you have exactly the same attitude to breastfeeding in a cafe.

'Around food? Yuk'
'other people are eating, you might get milk on the table'

'it's a bodily fluid'

'I don't know why, but it just feels wrong'

Just listen to yourselves.

Wrt the comments on not bottle feeding in the pool - why would you bottle feed in a pool? You'd have to get out to get the bottle, warm it up, get back in the pool to feed then get back out to put the bottle away, what would be the point of that? Breasts are there and ready to go at all times so it makes perfect sense to use them when they are needed! I agree 100% with Lililly it is sad that this is even an issue.

I wouldn't object to a bottle in the pool either, and you tend to get more spillage with a bottle ime.

Babies don't understand 'wait half an hour'. Mind you the whole swimming thing is way too much hard work for me so I have been about once with each child. And the water is already pretty unclean.

Pato the staff perceived it to be dangerous. Right or wrong that was their call as lifeguards, no?

(Love your username btw. Oh the memories. ..)

katese no that is not what happened. the lifeguard said it made her uncomfortable, she found it distatseful and said it was distracting from.her job.

the leisure centre only came out with the health and safety line after they had recieved a formal complaint.

they are wrong and they are acting illegally.

It's not dangerous. ..how would staff consider it dangerous?
Tis bollocks.

I've done it by the side of a pool on holiday but actually in the pool seems a bit strange.

Sorry just reread OP was at side!

It could only possibly be dangerous because the lifeguard was so busy staring at a woman's breasts that she couldn't do her job properly.

If that's the case maybe she should reconsider her career choice, as she's clearly going to find it unsafe to do her job on many occasions if she feels the need to stare at a little bit of flesh.

It's not strange, it's encouraged by many baby swim classes to help settle the baby if they are in the pool.

Not strange, not dangerous. Seems perfectly normal, safe and natural to me.

Btw to anyone who says "but the child might be sick"...
When I bf 1 year old ds2 in the pool (swim up bar, as I already said above, thus negating "but you wouldnt drink in the pool") he was not sick at any time. However non-Bf (any more!) 2.5y old ds1 seemed to get seasickness every time he entered the pool and would throw up. Everyone there (apart from me, I was morfified) thought it was funny and would help him swoosh his sick towards the filters. And before you say they didnt really find it funny, we met friends on holiday that we see frequently now, and who often suggest we go swimming together.

katese11 - (Love your username btw. Oh the memories. ..)

I remember seeing Pato at Glanstonbury or some other festival in the eighties. Memories indeed. sigh

5madthings there seems to be a few different versions of the story... hence me being a bit about the whole thing.