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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Breastfeeding in retaurants puts other people off their meals

115 replies

babyonboard · 14/05/2007 08:19

wtf!?

A woman on bbc news now, with pretty strange views

'women should breastfeed before they leave the house, it's not fair on others to sdo it in public'

OP posts:

foxcub · 14/05/2007 11:43

barbamama - I also had a pervie git deliberately place himself in front of me once in a park, to try and get a glimpse of my boob. I had to get DH to move the buggy to obscure his view

I used to have a male manager who regularly tried to peer down my summer tops during supervision meetings. He came to visit me once when I'd just had DS1 and was on maternity leave and was mortified when I whipped my boob out to BF. He was soooo embarassed LOL!!

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 14/05/2007 11:51

I breastfed DS and after the first visit from FIL and his girlfriend he called and asked me to be more respectable and do it in private next time.
This was in my own living room, and very discreet I might add!
Although it was the best excuse ever for avoiding the niceties and dull conversation and decamping to our bedroom with a book and baby on subsequent visits.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 14/05/2007 11:53

Funniest thing that I ever heard though, was one mum to another at playgroup.
'I would have tried breastfeeding but I can't afford a boob job'

littlepicklesmum · 14/05/2007 11:57

She was a total twat that cared more about how she looked! You can be descreet and breast feed it makes me bloody angry.
we have started researching breast feeding friendly places in our town and get them to put a sticker in the window. I never realised until having my DS how different the world becomes!

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 14/05/2007 12:02

Before I had children a very close friend came to stay and my DP asked 'What shall I do when you feed him, should I leave the room, or is it okay to stay?'
Bless him, lol. I'm glad he asked, as he was pretty clueless having had little contact with babies before, and she later commented she was really pleased as most of her male friends tended to awkwardly leap up and 'make coffee' or somesuch.

LieselVentouse · 14/05/2007 12:07

Fio, basically yes, I know it doesnt sound gross on paper but it was pretty gross to watch

theUrbanDryad · 14/05/2007 12:13

MIL always looked absolutely revolted when i fed ds. FIL, on the other hand, cheerfully said, "You prefer draught to bottle don't you mate?" when ds refused to take a bottle of EBM from MIL!!

FioFio · 14/05/2007 12:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LandSmum · 14/05/2007 12:20

LieselVentouse - what did your aunt do?

Before I started BF'ing I thoughr I'd never have the confidence to do it in public but at 12 weeks dd2 has so far been fed in a variety of public places - a few restaurants, cafes, soft plays, while walking round Primark, Tesco car park (parked of course). It is illegal to stop a woman BF'ing in Scotland mind you so I do suppose that gives me the confidence just incase anyone said anything - which so far thankfully no one has even noticed what I've been doing - well apart fromt eh first time I did it in a cafe and a dear old lady couldnt take her eyes or her big grin off of us. lol

LieselVentouse · 14/05/2007 12:21

I can understand people feeling uncomfortable with it - i.e people who dont have children, single blokes etc.

SleeplessInTheStaceym11House · 14/05/2007 12:53

liesel, see i just cant understand people feeling uncomfotable with it, it is completely natural and the best way to feed your child. i never had a problem as never managed to bf sucessfully but have always tried to give an encouraging smile to anybody breastfeeding in public!!!

.........oh except once when a young mum basically took her top off to do it, sat outside our local shopping centre at the foot of a pillar, surrounded by a group of her young male friends oggling........think that was more about making a show than feeding the baby, baby didnt seem particlularily bothered about it!!!

rabbleraiser · 14/05/2007 13:15

The lady on the news this morning was a little impotent and confused about what she was trying to say, but to refer to her as 'vile' and 'disturbed' is a little OTT.

I can also understand why certain people get embarrassed by it. Rightly or wrongly, it has never been part of the UK mainstream culture to openly breast feed in public. You can't change views overnight.

mamazon · 14/05/2007 13:16

my dad would be put off his dinner by trying to perv i think.

other than that i wouldn't give a toss.

its teh idea of a baby having to be fed in a toilet that puts me off my dinner

foxcub · 14/05/2007 14:06

mamazon - is your dad a perv?

Bethbe · 14/05/2007 16:34

My friend bf naked in the toilets at a wedding because she didn't want to get milk on her silk outfit!!!!

Fair enough I say!!!!

milkymill · 14/05/2007 17:58

Rabbleraiser, i personally did think she was vile, as she didn't put her (ridiculous) views across in any sort of sympathetic way, and was basically rude!

foxcub · 14/05/2007 18:56

I think she was definately disturbed as she had a very warped view of Bfing - she was basically saying its Ok to BF your baby as long as you hide away and do behind closed doors.

She also claimed that women should plan their feeds so they don't have to do them outide the home.

This would mean women being prisoners in their home, lest they offend vile women who can't cope with a vision of a mother feeding her infant.

Not to mention the fact that - lest face it - its impossible to predict accurately, when a small baby may need a drink.

maxbear · 14/05/2007 21:42

I will bf anywhere, if I didn't I would never be able to leave the house. When I had dd we took her to church for the first time when she was about ten days old and the chap who was leading the service said how lovely it was to see the newest baby in the church at which point everyone looked at me. I don't think most of them would have noticed that I was feeding but still a little embarrasing when getting used to breastfeeding!

ThomCat · 14/05/2007 21:45

LOL at breastfeeding before you leave the house. Oh yeah - it's really that simple. ANd even it were that simple - piss off with only doing it behind closed doors! A mother should feed her child in the way nature intended her to whereever and whenever she wants. It's other peoples problem if they don't like it, not the mothers and certinly not the childs. I breastfed in some mad places out in public and felt proud to do so.

ninja · 14/05/2007 21:56

Barbamama - I've breastfed while shopping for clothes in debenhams!! (dd was 5 weeks old and dh was trying to buy me a birthday present at closing time)( also done it in soft play areas, swimming pools, while answering the door)

I was always dying for soemone to challenge me so I could make my views known! But tbh as most people have said it's so discrete most people wouldn't notice

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/05/2007 21:57

Crikey - if thats what she thinks about b/feeding, I dread to think what she makes of sex before marriage

ThomCat · 14/05/2007 22:04

Me too ninja.

I fed DD2 walking round London Zoo. Was so cold thougth my boob would drop off. It was 20 Dec and iciy. Had that boob out for pretty muc the whole time we were there. In a crowd looking at the gorilla with DD2 latched on.

And fed her in restaurants ALL the time. It was Xmas and D and I were eating out a lot, inc NYE. I stood and toasted everyone in the restaurant with everyone else with DD2 latched onto my boob.

barbamama · 14/05/2007 22:08

I'm jealous of all these people who can multitask while bf, ds would only ever latch on if he had my undivided attention. My friend used to do the evening feed while cooking dinner! Saved hours!

foxcub · 14/05/2007 22:29

I BF while giving the police a statement tonight (I witnessed a suspected crime) - neither of the male detectives batted an eyelid

Said my baby is gorgeous though

I used to BF DS1 in church and our 75 year old priest used to praise me for "giving your baby the best start in life" saying that more mothers should BF, the way nature intended etc..

I'm just amazed how anyone can be hung up about a Mum simply feeding her baby !

theUrbanDryad · 15/05/2007 12:24

foxcub - that's lovely about the priest.

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