To think you shouldn't breastfeed in a swimming pool

[HappierThanEverBefore]

Went swimming today & as I was walking to the steps there was a lady sitting on them breastfeeding.

I carried on as if nothing was wrong but the mentioned it to the life guard as I walked out. The lady looked disgusted that she was told to stop or carry on else where

AIBU to think it's wrong to breastfeed in the swimming pool

Really you wouldn't offer to pay for cleaning a suit if you spilt drink? Well I have. It wasn't taken up. Some pretty rude behaviour on here.

It's not poison but really the idea it's just funny if it sprays on unrelated strangers is bizarre.

5Mad I'd prefer if you've got a cold that you use a handkerchief and I'd definitely prefer you not to spray your milk or any other of your body fluids over me.

I don't think it's particularly funny tbh.
But a tiny splash of milk, by accident. It would sponge out in a second.
I would apologise. But no, I wouldn't offer to pay his dry cleaning bill.

If I caused an incident whereby his suit would need dry cleaning then that would be different.

It was on his paper wasn't it?

Did you not offer to buy him a new one?

So in summary, some breast feeding mothers would choose to feed in a pool, others would not.

And some people are intolerant to breast feeders, it makes them uncomfortable and they feel that people should not do it.

The point is, the law says you can, it's a personal preference, and we should live and let live.

End of discussion? (I suspect not)

I'd offer him a wet wipe. That would get breastmilk out of a suit.

Well I think we would all prefer that no one sprayed bodily fluid but even with a handkerchief (I prefer a tissue) then the odd droplet often escapes, ditto some people occasionally spit a bit when they talk or they cough or splitter a drink and people sweat etc. On crowded public transport you are likely to come into contact with all sorts of shit, most of it so tiny you don't even notice. So a few drops of bmilk is no big deal, it was awkward and embarrassing at the time as I was young and getting to grips with being a parent. An apology is fine.

And yes if I spilt a drink on the tube etc I would apologise but not offer any money, nor would I expect any if the same happened to me. Accidents happen.

Has there been a mass feed-in in a swimming pool yet?

Oh yes always have a wet wipe for spillage and no no offer to but a newspaper, it was still readable clearly as he ignored my apology and carried on reading. You know I think it may have been the Sun, so a bit if bmilk was an improvement, make page three more natural at least :)

Lynette....

Think that will be imminent following this thread

I think they have had a mass feeding at the cafe of a leisure centre that stopped a woman bfeeding at the pool but not in the pool as they didn't want to pay to swim and thus help their business iyswim? I remember reading about it.

I do find it funny how people are so squeamish and sometimes a bit freaked out by bfeeding and bmilk. Of all the bodily fluids bmilk is surely the least squeamish? And the majority of people drink cows milk...

I settled in for popcorn at the beginning of this thread and my god it has not disappointed!

The warnings of catching HIV from breastsmilk in a pool, the catsbum mouth at the mere thought of someone exposing flesh at a swimming pool, the totally irrelevant insults being slung from both sides of the argument. Priceless!

I have to say I don't really understand the 'its the law so your opinion means nothing' stance - surely you are allowed to debate things even of they are legal/illegal?!

And fwiw, I would be a bit if someone sprayed breastsmilk on me on a tube, its not really the same as spilling a drink, it is juice from a person after all.

I'm really squeamish about breast milk...I was once feeding a friends baby with expressed milk and got some on my hand, and found it bleugh...why I don't know!

Think the point about the law is quite relevant. Because the op (gone now ) was asking if it's reasonable to say that one shouldn't bf in a pool. And because she "reported" the woman who was asked to stop bf.
When ppl say that it's not ok to bf in a pool, then try to back that up with so called legitimate reasons, then that needs to be challenged. None of the "reasons" for not feeding in this situation hold water.
It's erroneous to suggest here is a valid argument for stating that one should not bf in a pool in the way the op describes. Ppl really should be more honest about their prejudices.

Oh shit. That didn't really make sense. Sorry.

I think what I mean is that it's valid to say that they don't like to see ppl bf in public. We know that's the case. Lots of ppl have a problem with it.
But ppl don't like to admit hey have this prejudice. So they invent reasons for it not being a good idea in certain situations. Those points are not valid because they are both erroneous and disingenuous.

And the op was stillbu because there is a law to protect babies from that prejudice.

I hope the woman concerned complains about her treatment.

Oh my goodness, really? I can't quite believe this or even bring myself to comment further.
I have skipped lots of the thread but can I just check, have I really missed risk of HIV, blah blah blah.
I am truly speechless.

There are loads of things that are legal that I personally wouldn't do and would rather other people didn't do. I'm entitled to have these opinions except when it comes to bf in a pool threads on MN it would appear

I am very jealous of your squirty boobs. Mine have never done this. Would be very useful in boring meetings.

Families, you can rather it didn't go on, what you can't do is complain and stop someone from doing it (due to the law) which was what the op did, hence her being unreasonable.

Talis the thing is so many people, in response to a single woman BF in a pool, jump in to say "well I did this" or "I did that" to imply the woman in the OP was being unreasonable as she could have done what the poster says she did, and these examples they give are of course is so much more "polite", "considered" and "reasonable" to the world at large, whilst largely being pro BF as all these people say they are.

Which is laughable really. The woman in the pool did what she did. As she is entitled to do. It made the OP (allegedly - I don't believe they have been back have they) feel uncomfortable even though she thinks she is "pro BF".

So arguing "she is U, she could have done it on the side on the pool/changing room/toilet/given it a bottle/what I did etc" along with the constant lament "for goodness sake why don't people consider the feelings of the entire world around them" and "oooh all the ghastly germs in nasty BM will get in the pool" all the while claiming to being pro-BF, is irrelevant, pointless, often ignorant and really judgemental.

It's just the same as "I'm not racist but ...." or "I'm not racist I love the brown people next door" - some people completely lack the ability to self examine - they just get so het up and defensive about it.

THe thing is this woman and thankfully many many others will feed wherever they need too - completely oblivious to the torture they are subjecting the horrified uncomfortable folk around them too (I don;t believe these people actually exist outside of MN - never experienced them myself).

And that is irrelevant - she's living her life, feeding her baby, supported by the law and how the professionally offended feel about it matters not a tot outside of a thread on MN.

One of the things I've always loved about living in London is how tolerant it is - how everyone bumps along together and completely different worlds co-exist in really close quarters. It's threads like this that remind me that much of the tolerance in the UK is very conditional and really thinly veiled.

But yes it's all fantastic popcorn material.

Overly squirty boobs are a bit of a pita, I always had oversupply so babies would cough and choke and it sprayed, embarrassing at times. I used to have to use a breast shell to collect milk from one side whilst I fed on the other! It did settle down but I always needed breast pads and it meant I was prone to blocked ducts and mastitis. I could express easily but the madthings would never take it from a bottle.

And I can see people might not like being squirted by bmilk but I didn't much like having copious supply, sadly not much I could do about it and it doesn't pose a health risk. I could hardly stay in all day lest my baby want feeding, so I had to get on with life and pack a spare Bra and top and have a muslin cloth to hand at all times!

Oh, okay. Sorry mum of madthings. . P'raps it might be fun for a day. A bit like having a willy for a day but nothing like it at all really

Oh it had its fun moments! I used to count the jets of spray when my milk let down and it was amusing at Times :) plus I was confident in my milk supply etc. I am sure you could come up with some great party tricks! I got used to it and it settled down a bit as the babies got older.

I am not sure I would want a Willy for a day tbh, dangling about men seem to have to rearrange them all the time!