can/should/would you breastfeed an upset 1 yr old in a public swimming pool?

[preggerspoppet]

By popping your boob out right there and then?

No twiglett, you're mistaken
a child who is comforted by bfing is associating the comfort with the person, the closeness, and the physical intimacy
not the food
I comforted my ds with bf, when he wanted to, until he was old enough not to want it any more, and now when upset he asks to sit on my lap and have a cuddle, not for chocolate, or a drink, or any other kind of food
it just wouldn't occur to him

yes defo

the thing about bodily fluids in the water reminds me of the woman who was asked to stop bfing in an art gallery

in case she sprayed milk on the paintings

I definitely approve of militant/up yours attitude to those who are uncomfortable with bf in public. I used to love breast feeding in nice warm bath. But my local public pool is grim -if you wear goggles and check out underwater view you see bits of loo paper and plasters in the water. And I was once in the pool with a group of special needs adults and saw one of them poo in water. Probably TMI i guess

It's a pity about that (our culture) really isn't it pp? My local pool doesn't even have any benches poolside so it would have to be back to the changing rooms.

I went to centreparcs in belgium over the October break and there were loads of women BFing poolside and one sitting in the shallows. I was really self conscious, trying to cover us with a towel (DD was 16 weeks at this point), and squeeze my boob out the side of my costume until I saw how normal everyone looked and that no-one else was taking a blind bit of notice. My cossie just got tugged down after that!

rolf franny, you have got to be kidding..non?

oh no it is true sadly
will google

lol starlight

sorry can't find it

was probably this one
i distinctly remember one article quoted someone from the gallery saying that she might have got milk on the paintings
honest

exactly daisy, that is what made me sad, that a lot of people just don't bf, in public or even at all because of the weird attitude people have about it here. it's only a boob, blimey there were bodies of all shapes and sizes and colours and hairyness hanging out of costumes today in that pool, what on earth is so strange/awful/embarassing about a baby on a boob?

one of my best friends would have been embarassed if she were with me, but she an't explain why

franny I've seen it all now. it's bonkers....sigh.

"I would like to say that the difference between a breastfeed and a cuddle is the food and the suckling"

...but they don't always get food when they suckle...and what's so wrong with suckling anyway?

Wouldn't bother me - you see so much flesh in swimming pools anyway that a bit of boob won't hurt! And given the amount of wee that must be in the pool, a tiny bit of milk won't hurt!

Aaargh. The picture of the baby in Franny's link has made me VERY broody.

Quite, SM and FAZ. Like people dont sneeze, cough or perspire (in a gallery as well as) in a pool. Incontinence - a little drip here, a little splash there etc etc...

It's not something I would do, that's bf IN the water.. as to why, I am so cack handed still, DS2 would end up with more water than milk or just water if wanting comfort I am sure down him!

I probably wouldn't bf in the water, I need to be sitting down

I bf DD poolside last summer on holiday at the municipal pools - noone batted an eyelid but we were in Sweden

ds3 always associated cuddles with bfing, so it was very hard to give him one without the other!

Hooray for you pp. The more people do things like this the sooner we will be able to have a society where breastfeeding in public especially an older child is seen as normal.

I always think its a lovely when I see a mum bfing her dc in public. They both always look sooo serene and happy

I have one thought about doing it in the pool. Does it not restrict others in the pool. I only say that because I personally wouldnt swim/splash too close to a feeding child for fear of upsetting the feed.

If its only for a minute or 2 this wouldnt be an issue. I am thinkng in terms of a full bf.. which might be better done at the side of the pool.

or am I being unreasonable?

I think you have a good point fraswersmummy.

For a full bf (which can vary in length) a mum can get out of the pool to feed, swimmers can not do the same to have a swim!

IME it is the women who do get their boobs out in the sun to sunbathe are the ones who are most disapproving about public breastfeeding. Obviously this is just an unscientific sample of people I've met.

On a different note I watched a woman breastfeed her toddler in a restaurant in Majorca. The toddler was tall and I'd say she was about 2 years old. At the time my son was 6 months and I was starting to feel self-concious about feeding in public. So, if you were that woman in June last year, I have you to thank for giving me to breastfeed my son in public.

Back on topic, I would feed my 18 month old in the pool if he asked for it.

I wouldn't breastfeed in a swimming pool, I wouldn't breastfeed a one-year old and I wouldn't breastfeed to stop a child of that age being upset (I would breastfeed a baby to stop it being upset). SO I guess my answer is no.

And I know I go against the MN grain here. Nothing against anyone else doing any of the above (although I think it would probably be more sensible to take the child out of the pool and try and calm it down at the side first and then if necessary feed discretely).

I don't understand demand breastfeeding at this age. Won't they always think they can have food whenever they want it? Surely a time comes when they have to realise they can't have everything they want right here right now?

Oh and just to re-iterate I DO believe in breastfeeding in public, I wish more women would. But I think it is best to do it discretely, it is the ones who get their baps out in full view of everyone in inappropriate places who give breastfeeding mums a bad name.