Public Breastfeeding, Should It Be Allowed?

Public breastfeeding is often viewed as an appalling act. Things have changed so much over the years, that people get offended by women publicly breastfeeding.  Women have stopped breastfeeding because of the way they are treated in public. The function of breastfeeding is very natural and important for both the baby and the mother.  A good way to show the importance of breastfeeding, and why it should be ok in public, is to take a look at both sides of the issue, along with facts provided by professionals.

There are so many views and arguments that can be made. Being raised in a family with 2 other siblings, we were all breastfed. We would get feed no matter where we were.  That was in the ’80s. the youngest sibling was born in ’93, and our mother still fed regardless of the location.  It was seen as a mother taking care of a child, by some.  This issue being around today brings the thought about how our mother would have treated breastfeeding differently.

In order to show people why public breastfeeding is seen as appalling, we will have to look at the information collected on the issue.  “For many people and businesses who oppose nursing in public, the primary reason for their concern is decency.  They feel that a woman’s breast is a private part of her anatomy and that exposing it in public, even to feed a child, is morally wrong.” (Miller-Wilson, K., 2015).  This statement shows the view of those that oppose breastfeeding publicly.

A personal account of this view is from a relative of mine.  They refuse to breastfeed all together because “it is a sexual thing that shouldn’t be done”.  What brought them to believe this was the way they were treated growing up.  Another account of this is a person who talks about their experience.  They were at a swimming pool and decided to breastfeed their child at the poolside.  “I heard a voice say, “Ma’am,” and I looked up from peaceful Zara to see a teenage lifeguard standing before me.  “We don’t allow breastfeeding on deck; you can go in the locker room.” (Hinds, A., 2013).  The article continues with the rest of the situation, telling about how the law states breastfeeding can be done wherever legally allowed.  There were no laws against her feeding at that location.

Professionals around the world have stated, “It is important for the baby and the mother to breastfeed”, as one article states: “Public breastfeeding is a worldwide public health issue, which has a major impact on reducing child mortality and several long-term non-communicable diseases”. (Birch, L., 2015).  This necessity should show how important breastfeeding is.  It may not be enough to just see a general statement about breastfeeding.  There has got to be more to it than that.

Knowing the facts about breastfeeding, in general, would help determine the importance of breastfeeding.  It would also make a solid argument for allowing public breastfeeding.  “Colostrum coats your baby’s insides and helps prevent allergies, viruses, and infection in your baby.  Your colostrum is so important – it’s similar to giving your baby his first immunization” (New York department of health, 2010).  This information tells what the baby gets when breastfeeding.  This is pretty important for the child, and a good reason to breastfeed.  Knowing this fact, a woman publicly breastfeeding is actually providing a form of protection for the child.

Some other interesting facts have also been pointed out in regards to a mother breastfeeding.  “Have a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes and certain cancers such as breast cancer, May find it easier to return to what they weighed before they got pregnant, strengthen the bond with their children”. (New York department of health, 2013).  The reduced risk of cancer is a big motivator.  This risk is reduced because the milk isn’t just sitting there.  It is passing through and continuously moving.

A way to look at public breastfeeding is, imagine being hungry.  Then, getting told to wait until you are at home before you can eat.  Some people can’t wait those extra hours to get the food they need.  This is similar to how a baby feels when it is crying for mom to feed it, and someone tells the mom to go home to breastfeed.  The strange thing is the fact that the mom gets sent away, but if it was someone in skimpy clothes, they would be allowed to stay.

There are arguments that the breast has always been a sexual organ.  These arguments could be true, they could be false.  The side that suggests this to be true could be people that have had bad experiences growing up.  They could also be those that do not know about the function a breast has when a child is born.  The other side believing it is false could use the fact that women do not have sexual reactions to a baby breastfeeding.

There are cultures that have women who publicly breastfeed, sometimes without even covering up.  These places see nothing sexual about it.  “Ghanaian, Kenyan, Nigerian, Ugandan, Zambian, and many others breastfeed babies without cover and shame wherever they are, and it is completely normal. The culture in many African countries frowns on exposing the body in public, but show the breast for baby feeding purposes is encouraged.” (Fonseca, P., 2012).  These are not the only places that encourage it, as well as there are places that do not support the act.  These are the ones that believe it to be indecent or against their religion.

The places that do not support public breastfeeding are usually due to the religion in the country, or other cultural beliefs.  “In Jordan breastfeeding in front of the baby’s family is acceptable, but in public is considered an act of indecent exposure.” (Fonseca, P., 2012).  The religious reasons, along with the cultural choices vary a lot, depending on where you go.  This difference would not be a good way to pick which way is the right way.  It better shows that there may not be a right or wrong way to view the act.

One idea that has been brought for various reasons is if it is seen more often people will get used to it.  As one author says, “The more women breastfeed in public places, the more people would get to see women’s breast in the natural function of feeding babies.” (Fonseca, P., 2012).  This could be the way to get everyone used to it.  After all, they did create a breastfeeding doll for children, breast strap included.  Kids are starting to learn about this kind of stuff at younger ages.  With this occurrence, having them see the act in real life would teach them more than a fake strap and doll.

There are some things that prevent the capability to breastfeed.  Some of them are, medications being taken by the mother, Diseases that the mother has, the mother being ill, and other various circumstances.  This doesn’t mean they should be ignored either.  These reasons are why companies produce formulas to make up for that loss.

There has been some research done on women who do not breastfeed.  The following talks about one such research project.  “The National Institutes of Health reviewed more than 9,000 study abstracts and concluded that women who didn’t breastfeed or who stopped breastfeeding early on had a higher risk of postpartum depression.” (Baby center medical advisory board, 2014).  It is heartbreaking to some parents who hoped to breastfeed and find out they can’t.  This could be another reason for certain people not wanting women to publicly breastfeed.  Not many people enjoy seeing someone else doing something they can’t.

Some of the ones that view public breastfeeding as an appalling act are the older generations when breastfeeding was not done as much.  The way the older generations raised their kids, some of their personal feelings could have been passed down.  Think about the benefits of breastfeeding, compared to not breastfeeding.  There is no right choice really, on one hand, there are so many benefits that supporting breastfeeding, even in public would be the way to go.  On the other hand, there are some things that prevent breastfeeding altogether.

The illness of the mother is a major setback in breastfeeding.  The good thing is the fact that they have created a fix for this problem, a Breastfeeding formula.  It is supposed to imitate breast milk for the baby.  The formula companies even want mothers to breastfeed before going for the formula.  This cannot always be prevented.  With the knowledge gained from research and talking to others, a mother should be able to make the choice that is best for them.

The things that take place in public are more hurtful than some people realize.  An example of the after effect is when a mother is too afraid to go anywhere because they fear getting criticized.  There have been too many cases of people afraid to go have a life because they have a child breastfeeding.  The choice is everyone’s to accept the importance of breastfeeding and allow a mother to feed in public.   It is also their choice to not accept it, they should learn about the act before talking against it.  There is always a choice, and eventually, we will have the answer as to what is acceptable and what is not.  Like one of the articles said, maybe someday public breastfeeding will be seen as a natural act.

References

Birch, L. (2015). Public health: Breastfeeding battles. British Journal Of Midwifery, 23(6), 438-441.

Board, B. C. (2014). How breastfeeding benefits you and your baby. Retrieved from www.babycenter.com: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-breastfeeding-benefits-you-and-your-baby_8910.bc?page=3#articlesection8

Health, N. Y. (2010). The Hospital Experience. Retrieved from health.ny.gov: https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/4347.pdf

Health, N. Y. (2013). Breastfeeding For My Baby. For Me. Retrieved from health.ny.gov: https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2953.pdf

Miller-Wilson, K. (2015, April). Why Are Some People Against Breastfeeding in Public? Retrieved from www.Lovetoknow.com: http://baby.lovetoknow.com