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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Breastfeeding in church

77 replies

Soozey1 · 18/03/2011 17:24

Hi all

I have an 8 week old baby and am breastfeeding him but he does take a bottle in the evening too. I am going to church for the first time in ages and am wondering if it's ok to breastfeeding in church?? Or should i give him a bottle? My initial reaction is 'of course' but thought I should just ask to get an mn answer!

Thanks in advance
Su

OP posts:
BaroqueAroundTheClock · 19/03/2011 12:56

ahh but nickel - lots of organists don't have someone else to conduct while playing the organ so have to indicate dynamics with their head..........so in theory one could conduct with one hand while breastfeeding with the other

(playing the piano while breastfeeding is much harder.........it was a case of "would you like milkshake DS3" Grin

confuddledDOTcom · 19/03/2011 13:05

I don't care where I am and the only offense I'm avoiding is my daughter's. I've fed many times in church, I have a picture of me breastfeeding at my daughter's Dedication. Only had one comment, someone tried to pull my top down over my baby, she came off, grunted, pushed it out the way and carried on. Who needs to complain with a baby like that? Grin

Clergy story. Our pastor is a school teacher and has taught girls classes whilst breastfeeding. If my understanding is right they're about building self esteem in girls, so what an example?!

cairnterrier · 19/03/2011 13:39

I have too! I did move to the back of the church though, all v subtle until my nephew came running to the back of the church and in the piercing voice that only toddlers can manage said 'Aunty Cairnterrier, what are you doing?' there's an awful lot of eyes in a congregation:)

Everyone did smile and get on with what they were doing though. Apart from my nephew of course........ Grin

nickelbabysnatcher · 19/03/2011 13:41

Grin confuddled - shame on them!

B - I was referring to conducting during an unaccompanied anthem or such-like, but yes, you're right, not everyone has the luxury of a conductor.

"how many body parts can you use while you're playing the organ, conducting and breast feeding at the same time?"
Grin

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 19/03/2011 13:43

2 arms for playing, one for feeding and changing the stops (he didn't like that bit Wink), feet for playing and head for conducting Grin (oh and eyes Wink)

nickelbabysnatcher · 19/03/2011 13:46

one of our choristers keeps saying we need automatic conductor arms - that the organist can just pop up with his eyebrows when needing to bring us off. Grin

confuddledDOTcom · 19/03/2011 14:19

I was once breastfeeding during the Easter play, sitting in an aisle seat but lights down. The cast ran out the back and the spot followed them... ok Mary would have breastfed in the temple but bet she didn't do it on the stage! I was a little Blush

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 19:25

nickel I had spotted the treble/tenor error but was too polite, being a relative newbie and not "knowing" baroque that well yet, to mention it. An old boyfriend, now deceased, who was a fairly well known conductor, despised the overt indication of dynamics and claimed that all that was needed could be done with eyes and eyebrows. Hmm He didn't work with parish choirs though, or are you both cathedral organists?

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 20/03/2011 20:54

nah I'm just a humble, run of the mill parish church organist Grin

My choir (when we have on Hmm) ifsvery good at following eyes and eyebrow conducting Grin -actually one bloke that used to sing in the choir but no longer does still looks to me from the congregation when he's singing the tenor line to make sure we're going the same speed at the end of verses hehe

neepsntatties · 20/03/2011 21:05

Yes! I did it today.

AKMD · 20/03/2011 21:07

Yes, go for it. The church I go to has a special room for breastfeeding mothers with a really comfy chair zzz and speakers from the pulpit. It's small though so when two other women had babies after me I just stayed put during the service. No one ever said anything negative and I never felt uncomfortable.

Zettelbox · 20/03/2011 21:14

Whenever DD's screams threaten to drown out the vicar, I feed her. I think church may be her favourite place :) I don't go anywhere special for it, I'm either in the children's pews with my eldest two or at Sunday school. Noone bats an eyelid. I think there may be a stained glass window with Jesus getting some nice warm comforting nutrition the same way from his mum.

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 21:19

Why snigger, baroque?

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 20/03/2011 21:21

coz I'm a bit crap rubbish at playing the organ these days - haven't actually been and practised between services for years Blush

AngelDog · 20/03/2011 21:21

Interestingly, BF has often been used positively as an illustration for aspects of the Christian faith.

The 16th century reformer John Calvin described the church as our mother, adding that Christians should suckle at her breast every day of our lives.

Augustine of Hippo in the 4th/5th century compared the two testaments of the Bible to the two breasts which give us spiritual nourishment.

Similarly, the Puritan Thomas Watson described the two testaments of the Bible as the two breasts from whence we draw the milk of consolation. I do like that phrase. :)

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 22:25

Baroque, I see. Smile Well, you have my utmost admiration nonetheless. As I said, I only get roped in occasionally when they really do have no-one else and sit in open mouthed awe at the feet of those who can use them properly! Grin That having been said, our usual organist isn't much better than me actually, he decided to treat us to Albinoni's Adagio for strings during communion this morning, only he spent most of the last section sitting on a pedal E for some, unaccountable reason! Confused

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 20/03/2011 22:32

oh gawd Albinoni's Adagio has to be played with the strings for it to sound nice.........ROLF at the sitting on the pedal E Grin

I find playing with my feet much easier than my hands Confused

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 22:42

Well, as a string player I'll agree with you Wink. Oh he likes that E so he does, pops out at all sorts of inopportune moments (middle of the sermon, moment of consecration etc) Hmm Hits us in the middle of any hymn in any key, he just doesn't usually sit on it for so long. Confused Don't think he'd turned his hearing aid on this morning! Grin

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 20/03/2011 22:45

I once came >.< that close to playing that Albinoni with Yehudi Menhuin conducting...........then actually I can't remember why I didn't play it in the concert but it never happened

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 22:55

How on earth could you manage to miss a treat like that! Sad

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 20/03/2011 22:57

I don't know what happened 'twas a long time ago. He was the Patron of the school and came to conduct a concert. I was supposed to play in it........but didn't (think the other organist at the school got to do it instead or something Sad).

Menhuin was lovely though Grin

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 22:58

Were you at Menhuin, then?

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 20/03/2011 23:00

no St. Mary's Smile

frantic51 · 20/03/2011 23:05

Ah! Scotland! I intend to retire to Scotland! Grin Don't know why I love the country so much, haven't a drop of Scots blood in me as far as I know. Just love the place and the people!

nickelbabysnatcher · 21/03/2011 12:23

Shock Baroque, what a fab claim to fame!

I play vicariously through DH. He's the organist, I'm just an organist groupie.
But I am getting better at playing the piano - I was able to sight-read an entire line of Arcadelt's O Lord my God to thee, and it only took me 2 minutes to play the whole line (as opposed to the 2 minutes previously for finding the right keys to go with the notes on the stave)