AIBU to think KLM's breastfeeding 'policy' is absurd?

[Celebelly]

'Breastfeeding is permitted at KLM flights. However, to ensure that all our passengers of all backgrounds feel comfortable on board, we may request a mother to cover herself while breastfeeding, should other passengers be offended by this.'

This was posted on their official Twitter today.

'Permitted'. Thank god it's 'permitted' to feed your child.

AIBU to think this is ridiculous?

I managed to bring up my DC to full grown size. I do not need to go back to primary school to know that there is a choice.
If you choose to breast feed you are likely to find those who are not comfortable with that.
Do any breast feeding mums actually ask if those around are comfortable with them exposing parts? Do they even care if they upset others?
I didn't go into the town square to find a breast feeding mother. I was crossing through to get to the next shop I wanted to visit. It seemed to me that there must have been plenty of places to go to be more private for her the baby and the general public

The Dutch “toegelaten” means more ok or allowed in a much nicer way than “permitted”
I think in context this is more a general announcement for all. It’s not ideal but yes some people are a bit uncomfortable around breastfeeding. Folks cannot help the way things make you them sometimes. In a closed environment like an aircraft I don’t see why it would be too much of a problem to cover.

If someone finds it embarrassing, then that's their own issue I'm afraid. It's fine to be embarrassed by it, although a bit weird, but it's not fine to demand special measures be taken because you find it embarrassing. It's your own issue to deal with - maybe work out why you find something natural and normal so embarrassing and start working on that.

Do any breast feeding mums actually ask if those around are comfortable with them exposing parts?

Do any of the people around me ask if I am comfortable with covering myself up for their benefit?

I hate this. It smacks of some kind of pandering to religious intolerance.

Do any breast feeding mums actually ask if those around are comfortable with them exposing parts? Do they even care if they upset others?

No and No
Because I am only concerned about my baby eating. If someone gets upset by that then they are pathetic.

Totally ridiculous KLM should be saying that anyone who doesn’t like it should look the other way close their eyes or just bloody grow up no nursing mother should be asking to cover up.

@celebelly See what I mean about militant now? Four women all breast feeding and just dare anyone say anything.

That sounds very close to gang mentality. I would not want my DC to learn that.
My DC are healthy and strong without me exposing anything.
If you were on an escalator and your baby needed fed would you do it right there on an escalator? Or getting off a bus. I don't believe that breast feeding is such an instant thing.

Do they even care if they upset others?

Me personally - I did care a lot. It really upset me actually that just because I wanted to have a drink in a cafe or y’know just leave the house for a bit, that I would be judged a vilified just for feeding my child. So I barely left the house with my postnatal depression. Does that make you happy?

Goodness what will they do if they get a curious baby or a fusser. Mine hate having anything near his face and often pulls my scarf off when am feeding. Unless I have a proper ( expensive) peekaboo breastfeeding type garment it’s hard to be completely discrete.

I wouldn't do it while on an escalator or getting off a bus as it would be tricky while walking. I'd do it while sitting on the bus, though, no problem.

It's horses for courses, innit? I wouldn't want my DC to learn to have bizarre hang-ups about a perfectly natural way of feeding a baby.

Four women all breast feeding and just dare anyone say anything

I’m confused shewhomustgowithoutaname what exactly needs to be said?
And yes if I was on an escalator and my child needed to be fed, I would find a way to quickly and safely feed them before they became upset. It’s really very simple.

Shame my next child will be born in the summer, otherwise I may have to purchase one of these;
😆😆😆

• I would not want my DC to learn that. My DC are healthy and strong without me exposing anything.*

You are a much better parent than all of us awful breast exposing sluts, right?

This infuriates me. It's breastfeeding, it's what a baby is 'designed' to do! Why do people think that it's acceptable to say that breastfeeding mum's should hide away, find somewhere discrete, be less obvious. Why? Are your eyes going to fall out if you catch a glimpse of a breast? Why does no one complain about the amount of flesh on show on a beach or in any town centre on a Saturday night? How are our children ever going to know that breastfeeding is completely normal and natural if mum's are constantly shamed and expected to hide away? Have you ever tried to keep a hungry baby quiet while you try and find somewhere discrete, away from unapproving eyes? I have, with my first, wandering around a shopping centre trying to find somewhere (that wasn't a toilet) that was away from the mass of shoppers. After 20 minutes of hurriedly wandering around, with a 6 week old baby screaming the whole time, I ended up finding a large shop where I went and sat on the floor, in a corner, behind a clothes rail...and I cried while feeding my distraught baby. NEVER AGAIN! How is it still acceptable to be saying 'we don't want to see it, you need to do it behind closed doors'? Would it be acceptable if I said I'm embarrassed by seeing people kissing in public or I don't want to see 2 men holding hands in public or I don't want to see a black man and a white woman together in public? No it wouldn't because it's completely ridiculous and no one else's business. When are we going to grow up and realise breastfeeding mum's find it hard enough without having to deal with public shaming just because they want to give their baby the best start. I'm sure if men could do it there'd be high fives all round!

Do any breast feeding mums actually ask if those around are comfortable with them exposing parts? Do they even care if they upset others?

No to both.

I care about meeting the needs of my baby and my own health (mental and physical).

Frankly that’s loads on my plate. It’s overwhelming at times. Strangers hang ups are no concern of mine, they can manage themselves surely.

If men bf I can guarantee you no one would be asking questions about their concern for others comfort.

Shewhomustgowithoutname, I often feed in a sling when out, so probably would feed on an escalator. And the last twice I've been in a bus, I've been feeding in the sling at the same time.

There are very few places that I wouldn't feed in if baby was hungry, though I do prefer to be discrete so often it will be in the sling which covers up well.

My previous comments were about having some regard to the circumstances in determining how you want to feed (where there is a choice), but as for not doing it at all, screw that. If baby is hungry in a plane I'll feed on a plane, if they are hungry in the town square I'll feed there too (and have done without a second thought). I'll give consideration to your comfort and do it discreetly, but my baby isn't going hungry!!

@Shewhomustgowithoutname I've breastfed in the middle of a town square. I was approached and told there was a feeding room in a shopping centre a 10 min walk away. I thanked the person and explained my son was hungry now, not in 10 minutes.

An escalator and a plane are not comparable situations. Can we engage our brains here please?

When DS started to cry, I had about 5-10 mins to find somewhere I could feed before I couldn’t bear the crying anymore. I got off buses if needs be. Sadly I never mastered feeding in a sling.

@Shewhomustgowithoutname an escalator is a dangerous place to feed. So it would be helpful if you were to stop being fucking stupid deliberately obtuse.

@Hugtheduggee

I’ve never added it up, but when you include all the night feeds I can well believe my baby fed for much longer than 5 hours per day on average and still feeds frequently now (4 months).

Why is it ridiculous?

They are simply asking for discretion: they are not saying you can't breastfeed your baby and they are not asking you to cover your baby, only yourself.

As a mother of 6, I can say quite plainly that you CAN feed your child on a plane or anywhere else WITHOUT flashing your cha cha's ....... revolutionary I know, but there you have it.

This argument has been done to death and it's nothing more than emotive clickbait....... NEXT!!

I have no wish for any baby to go without feeding. I ff for medical reasons. I am glad of this now that I have health problems. If I had bf I would worry that I had more likeliness of passing this on.
Bf mums give the impression that babies need feeding this instant and could not cope like a ff baby who indicates hunger waits for bottle to come out of bag or fridge possibly being heated and then being fed. Babies survive waiting a bit. I would expect a store to have a place to be quietly feeding a baby even a changing cubicle would be better than a central atrium.

I noticed the mum with a baby in the town square because I love babies. It took a second to realise what was happening and I thought it was much more of a show than quietly feeding a child

Babies survive waiting a bit

Sorry, i think it’s extremely cruel to make a newborn “wait a bit” for the sake of a bit of bloody privacy for something which is not in the least shameful. Horrible.

I thought it was much more of a show than quietly feeding a child but she was quietly feeding her child. I don't get what your beef is with this.