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Confinement Sydrome
Thursday, March 22, 2007

One of the most strategically used arguments for public breastfeeding is that mothers will be confined to their homes if public breastfeeding remains taboo or indecent, so to speak. I bring this up because a couple of people have relayed this argument to me and I also read it again today in an article that talked about the Wisconsin breastfeeding bill that's currently on the table.

My simple response to that argument is, "Huh?" To my knowledge and simply based on what I read, the vast majority of breastfeeding moms who get asked to nurse elsewhere are in malls. First of all, it's understandable that mothers would like to congregate at malls because there's plenty of food, it's a big space, and most often, malls cater to moms with mini playgrounds for the kids. That said, a mom can still get out and about with her nursing baby while also not stepping on the toes of those around her.

Every mom has to allow some concessions and adjustments in her life. That's just the way parenting is. But moms also don't have to be confined to their homes like the breast is some sort of virtual ball and chain.

Having a baby never kept me inside and I was a sling-wearing, breastfeeding, stay-at-home mama, like most of these moms. But I knew that between a certain time, my daughters needed to be napping and I wasn't out on the town during this time. I knew exactly when my daughters needed to eat and again, I wasn't out. Sure, there were times when I needed to nurse the girls because, let's face it, children, especially babies, are quite unpredictable. During these times, however, I would simply nurse in an intimate space where I knew I wasn't offending anyone. I've been known to nurse in a changing room or even in one of those nice lounges that department stores have that lead into the women's bathroom. These lounges weren't designed for nursing moms, but heck, they have chairs, nice lighting and it's not in the bathroom.

All I'm saying is I never had a problem feeding my children and not offending others. And just because I had to take a few extra steps to nurse, I never felt my rights were being stepped on. I'm a firm believer in respect. I respect people around me and I expect respect as well.

Labels: breastfeeding in public