Breastfeeding in Public places

mrsbyrne · 04-12-2014 08:36AM

It's hard to believe this kind of pathetic carry on still happens. I swear some folk seem to go out the front door with the intent of being offended in some way before they get home.
In the name of living Jesus if your in an eating house will you eat your bloody dinner and never mind what anybody else is doing and stop sitting there with a big cross swivel head on you. It's a baby and a boob . Cop on.

osarusan · 04-12-2014 08:49AM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Then maybe the manager should have asked the "old fashioned customers" to move to a part of the room where they couldn't see the breastfeeding mother.

I agree, they should have.

osarusan · 04-12-2014 08:53AM

How Strange wrote: »

Thankfully the law is here to protect breastfeeding women.

All of the above 'helpful suggestions' are completely illegal.

The shock and humiliation would be reserved for the place of business when they're prosecuted.

The story from the OP happened in London. I don't know what the law is there.

dubstarr · 04-12-2014 08:56AM

Have to say my experience is toddlers and young kids asking loads of questions and being really interested.Their parents are red in the face.Older generation,im talking 60.70 year olds are delighted to see you feeding and will often come over and say wel done,its lovely to see.Everybody in between can be a mixed bag really.I have only once been asked to feed in the toilets and that was in McDonalds 19 years ago.I told him i wasnt feeding my baby in a filthy toilet and he could swing.

He went away and an older lady came up and told me it was great to see a woman my age feeding.I was only 22 and the cheek of him asking me to move and i was right to stay where i was.It was lovely to get a bit of support.

Day Lewin · 04-12-2014 08:58AM

The law is the same.
And the mother was being extremely discreet as the photo clearly shows.
And anyone who goes to eat or drink in a public place - even Claridges - must accept that other people will be there and will be acting like humans, too.
Do you think the hotel have a right to ask any guest to stop doing other human things like farting, sneezing, blowing your nose, scratching or eating noisily?
No, I do not think so. Modest and dignified is the way to go. The lady was doing fine and should have been left alone.

COYVB · 04-12-2014 09:04AM

ash23 wrote: »

I don't think it's too much to ask for a woman to cover up a bit while feeding

It is. It's a breast. That's what they're for. There's nothing embarrassing about breasts, and there's nothing sexual about them when they're being used for their actual purpose. What's the problem?

osarusan · 04-12-2014 09:07AM

katemarch wrote: »

Do you think the hotel have a right to ask any guest to stop doing other human things like farting, sneezing, blowing your nose, scratching or eating noisily?

They didn't ask her to stop breastfeeding, they asked her to cover it up.

I don't know what the law is on that.

I completely agree that she should have been left alone, and that if anybody else had a problem, they should have been the one dealt with.

The only point I'm suggesting is that, even if the behaviour is reasonable and the request is unreasonable, being asked to cover up doesn't have to inevitably be a shocking and humiliating experience.

cyning · 04-12-2014 09:14AM

osarusan wrote: »

They didn't ask her to stop breastfeeding, they asked her to cover it up.

I don't know what the law is on that.

I completely agree that she should have been left alone, and that if anybody else had a problem, they should have been the one dealt with.

The only point I'm suggesting is that, even if the behaviour is reasonable and the request is unreasonable, being asked to cover up doesn't have to inevitably be a shocking and humiliating experience.

Do you know why it is though? Despite the fact it is a normal, natural thing to breastfeed, almost every woman will meet opposition to it in some way shape or form. And it's normally because, as a society, we see bottle feeding as the norm. So that is why the law is there.

Because of stories like this, a majority if women can be afraid or nervous feeding in public. And god forbid you may be feeding past 6 months, because then it becomes very unacceptable. So if you are then approached and asked to cover up when you are doing nothing wrong, it does become a shocking and humiliating experience. You might not see it that way, but believe me it is.

Day Lewin · 04-12-2014 09:18AM

@osarusan They didn't ask her to stop breastfeeding, they asked her to cover it up.

A fair point, but she was a darn sight more conspicuous with the huge napkin than without i!!

SuperS54 · 04-12-2014 09:28AM

My wife currently breastfeeds our son but she would never dream of doing so in public, even though we live in a country which is very actively encouraging breastfeeding and passed laws to make interfering with it illegal;

www.taipeitimes.com/News

And has issued a few fines for instances similar to this lady's experience;

www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan

Almost every subway station and all major supermarkets and department stores have dedicated breastfeeding rooms for moms who want more privacy. I was very surprised at the level of facilities and support available in what many consider a developing country compared to good old Eire.

anonyanony · 04-12-2014 10:22AM

kylith wrote: »

And if it's not possible to go to the mothers? Maybe a friend is visiting from out of town, maybe if she has to spend one more minute sitting in her living room watching daytime fcking television she's going to start gunning people down in the street. Do you think you'd like to stay in your house for six months, practically non-stop?

You said that your problem was with noisy babies, well babies generally cry when they're hungry so, if anything, you should be pro-breastfeeding in restaurants because shoving a boob in their mouths usually shuts them up. IME it's toddlers who tend to be more annoying and harder to quiet.

Just wanted to say I never said they could never leave the house, they can go to family places, parks, shopping hey I am fine with breast feeding and having a baby in a cafe or the like as they are not expected to be quite. A six month period where you stop going to places you expect a quite relaxing atmosphere is not a huge sacrifice till you feel comfortable to get a sitter, also would you take your baby to the cinema. Also I would like to point out I am ok with the baby and feeding on buses, trains and flying as people need to travel.

About the baby being quite when feeding, there is a certain amount of suckling noise when the baby is feeding, and when eating food it's not the most pleasant noise to hear can be off putting to eating food, the baby can cry for other reason then being hungry so no guarantee the parents can quite the child so the other patrons can have a relaxing evening

tinkerbell · 04-12-2014 10:29AM

osarusan wrote: »

They didn't ask her to stop breastfeeding, they asked her to cover it up.

I don't know what the law is on that.

I completely agree that she should have been left alone, and that if anybody else had a problem, they should have been the one dealt with.

The only point I'm suggesting is that, even if the behaviour is reasonable and the request is unreasonable, being asked to cover up doesn't have to inevitably be a shocking and humiliating experience.

Being asked to cover up is pure and utter ignorance again from preciois gob****es. Have you ever breastfed? Clearly not because otherwise you wouldn't be so blasé about saying just cover up. It's actually quite difficult and uncomfortable to manage to drape a muslin cloth over yourself and baby without drawing even more attention to yourself. And besides, would you want to eat your lunch with a cloth draped over you? Obviously not.

People need to get a grip, FFS. I've tried covering up with a muslin cloth and it's a pain in the ass. I'm not gonna spend an extra 5 minutes trying to arrange a muslin cloth over me and baby when baby is hungry, just so that the imbecile in the vicinity is offended by me feeding my baby the way nature intended baby to be fed. And no, I'm not gonna sit at home practicing covering up with a muslin cloth. I've enough to be doing with my time than to pander to idiots.

Breastmilk is created for a baby, as part of the process of pregnancy. Are we gonna get offended next by pregnant bellies? It's what happens biologically when a baby is created. People need to get over themselves and stop being so pig ignorant.

SparkySpitfire · 04-12-2014 10:29AM

anonyanony wrote: »

About the baby being quite when feeding, there is a certain amount of suckling noise when the baby is feeding, and when eating food it's not the most pleasant noise to hear can be off putting to eating food, the baby can cry for other reason then being hungry so no guarantee the parents can quite the child so the other patrons can have a relaxing evening

SHAKING MY FCKING HEAD.

That is the stupidest sentence I've ever had the misfortune to read.

IvyTheTerrible · 04-12-2014 10:30AM

SparkySpitfire wrote: »

SHAKING MY FCKING HEAD.

That is the stupidest sentence I've ever had the misfortune to read.

Sure according to anony's logic, we should also ban adults who eat noisily from public places!

Shrap · 04-12-2014 10:32AM

anonyanony wrote: »

there is a certain amount of suckling noise when the baby is feeding, and when eating food it's not the most pleasant noise to hear can be off putting to eating food

You poor delicate flower. :rolleyes:

SparkySpitfire · 04-12-2014 10:33AM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Sure according to anony's logic, we should also ban adults who eat noisily from public places!

Sure I think people should be banned from restaurants, their grating laughs, distractingly coloured clothes and cheap haircuts are putting me off my food. Only me and mine should be allowed in at any one time!

I actually think I have to unsubscribe from this thread from fear of a spike in blood pressure.

Delighted to see that intolerance, pig ignorance, and the love of being offended are all alive and well.

Fck you people and thanks for being a scourge on society.

I'm out.

anonyanony · 04-12-2014 10:33AM

SparkySpitfire wrote: »

SHAKING MY FCKING HEAD.

That is the stupidest sentence I've ever had the misfortune to read.

Are you saying there is not a suckling noise? Cause there is.

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Sure according to anony's logic, we should also ban adults who eat noisily from public places!

People get told to be repectful is eating with their moth open or slurping their food.

iguana · 04-12-2014 10:34AM

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

What I found annoying about the story was the fact that it made it onto the English news. I mean ffs, it's hardly a news worthy story, possibly she thought she'd get some sort of freebie from Claridges if she made enough of a fuss about it. Again, I can see both sides of the argument for breastfeeding or not breastfeeding in public and I really don't think that it's unreasonable to express milk and bring it to a restaurant. Having said that most of these discussions end badly as many breastfeeding mums tend to be quite militant about it.

All said and done, it's a bit like 56 year old Madonna whipping her boobs out for a nude photo. Some people will think 'Jaysus, put them away already, nobody wants to see them' others will talk a lot of sh*te about it being great.

Gets a freebie from Claridges? Under English law she is entitled to considerable compensation because their action was a serious breech of civil law.

As for the just express nonsense do people really not understand how breastfeeding, a base human function works? Or are you being deliberately controversial? When the mother is with her baby and the baby is hungry her breasts fill with milk. If she doesn't feed the baby that milk she will be in considerable pain and very quickly at risk of serious infection. And that's just if she can't feed for some reason. If she had recently expressed milk, her body assumes the baby fed as the milk was produced, so when it responds to the baby being hungry later, it drastically increases milk production and produces far more than is needed and will do so for days after. This causes the mother pain for days, increases her infection risk and makes the baby vomit as oversupply leads to forceful let down. And that's just 1 reason of many, many reasons not to express.

blacklilly · 04-12-2014 10:35AM

anonyanony wrote: »

Are you saying there is not a suckling noise? Cause there is.

Just how close do you sit you women who are breastfeeding? It's a human baby not an elephant

tinkerbell · 04-12-2014 10:35AM

anonyanony wrote: »

About the baby being quite when feeding, there is a certain amount of suckling noise when the baby is feeding, and when eating food it's not the most pleasant noise to hear can be off putting to eating food, the baby can cry for other reason then being hungry so no guarantee the parents can quite the child so the other patrons can have a relaxing evening

Jesus Christ almighty. Unbelievable. You think the sound of a baby feeding is offensive? It's a baby!!!!! :mad: They are drinking milk - they are gonna make noise!! Even adults make noise when eating or drinking. Are you gonna go over to a noisy eating adult in a restaurant and tell them to STFU? Unbelievable. I can't believe there are people on this planet who think the sound of a baby feeding is off putting to their dinner. Stop being so precious and just stay at home if you're that easily offended.

I'm actually disgusted. There is something seriously wrong with society today if this sort of attitude exists.

anonyanony · 04-12-2014 10:36AM

SparkySpitfire wrote: »

Sure I think people should be banned from restaurants, their grating laughs, distractingly coloured clothes and cheap haircuts are putting me off my food

You do realise some restaurant do have clothes standards?

anonyanony · 04-12-2014 10:42AM

blacklilly wrote: »

Just how close do you sit you women who are breastfeeding? It's a human baby not an elephant

I don't always get to chose, I had mom's sit beside me on trains and breast feed, which was not a problem people need to travel and baby needs to eat.

blacklilly · 04-12-2014 10:42AM

Perhaps we should all just ignore anonyanony, it would seem that they are trolling

How Strange · 04-12-2014 10:44AM

blacklilly wrote: »

Just how close do you sit you women who are breastfeeding? It's a human baby not an elephant

I just spat my tea all over my desk!

Perhaps I should be sent home!

How Strange · 04-12-2014 10:46AM

anonyanony wrote: »

I don't always get to chose, I had mom's sit beside me on trains and breast feed, which was not a problem people need to travel and baby needs to eat.

Are you sure it was a baby? Next time get in really close and get a proper look

?Cee?view · 04-12-2014 10:47AM

anonyanony wrote: »

About the baby being quite when feeding, there is a certain amount of suckling noise when the baby is feeding, and when eating food it's not the most pleasant noise to hear can be off putting to eating food,

Life must be so difficult :rolleyes:

kylith · 04-12-2014 10:48AM

anonyanony wrote: »

Just wanted to say I never said they could never leave the house, they can go to family places, parks, shopping hey I am fine with breast feeding and having a baby in a cafe or the like as they are not expected to be quite. A six month period where you stop going to places you expect a quite relaxing atmosphere is not a huge sacrifice till you feel comfortable to get a sitter, also would you take your baby to the cinema. Also I would like to point out I am ok with the baby and feeding on buses, trains and flying as people need to travel.

About the baby being quite when feeding, there is a certain amount of suckling noise when the baby is feeding, and when eating food it's not the most pleasant noise to hear can be off putting to eating food, the baby can cry for other reason then being hungry so no guarantee the parents can quite the child so the other patrons can have a relaxing evening

Oh, ok, so only in 'nice' restaurants. What's a 'nice' restaurant? Is it something over a certain price bracket, or with a certain style of décor? And if you can demand that no babies are allowed in your local Four Seasons what's to stop someone else demanding that they're not allowed in their local McDonalds? 'Nice' is a totally subjective concept after all. If discrimination is allowed in one restaurant then it has to be allowed in all of them. And if in restaurants why not other places? Babies are noisy on buses too, so by your logic people could call for them to be banned there too.

And the noise of them sucking? It's no louder than the noise of you cutting your food, and certainly less than you talking to your friend over lunch.

I have a much better idea. How about you don't go to any restaurants, then you can be certain that you won't be irritated by other humans going about their daily lives.

anonyanony · 04-12-2014 10:54AM

kylith wrote: »

Oh, ok, so only in 'nice' restaurants. What's a 'nice' restaurant? Is it something over a certain price bracket, or with a certain style of décor? And if you can demand that no babies are allowed in your local Four Seasons what's to stop someone else demanding that they're not allowed in their local McDonalds? 'Nice' is a totally subjective concept after all. If discrimination is allowed in one restaurant then it has to be allowed in all of them. And if in restaurants why not other places? Babies are noisy on buses too, so by your logic people could call for them to be banned there too.

And the noise of them sucking? It's no louder than the noise of you cutting your food, and certainly less than you talking to your friend over lunch.

I have a much better idea. How about you don't go to any restaurants, then you can be certain that you won't be irritated by other humans going about their daily lives.

Usually I would expect the mom to have the the sense to determine if a baby is a good fit for the place, but I guess from the comments it's time for the establishment to see of they can set their standards.

I would never stop a mom and child on a bus or feeding on a bus, transport is vital. I wish more parents would just have some respect for other patrons.

dan1895 · 04-12-2014 10:56AM

anonyanony wrote: »

Usually I would expect the mom to have the the sense to determine if a baby is a good fit for the place, but I guess from the comments it's time for the establishment to see of they can set their standards.

I would never stop a mom and child on a bus or feeding on a bus, transport is vital. I wish more parents would just have some respect for other patrons.

They're doing nothing disrespectful in the first place.

tinkerbell · 04-12-2014 10:57AM

anonyanony wrote: »

Usually I would expect the mom to have the the sense to determine if a baby is a good fit for the place, but I guess from the comments it's time for the establishment to see of they can set their standards.

I would never stop a mom and child on a bus or feeding on a bus, transport is vital. I wish more parents would just have some respect for other patrons.

And thankfully there is a law that protects breastfeeding mothers to prevent people like you dictating to where she should and should not go. You talk about respect but you have no respect for an innocent baby who needs to be fed too. Stay at home if you're that sensitive.

Breastfeeding in Public places

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