Oh we have such horrid hang ups over the female body.... I can understand the act of procreating as something not to be seen in public but naturally feeding a child? Hey, the baby has NO problem whatsoever with it. All they see is foooood. Not booooob. Well, maybe they do equate the two in their mind and start furiously salivating in response to seeing one but seriously- WHAT is the big deal??? It's not like a woman is flashing you in a sexual way or anything. We have milk bags and sometimes they're used for what they were created for. Most moms hang a small blanket over their shoulder for privacy anyway and to keep their baby comforted.
The accompanying vid to the article is more informative but here's the article itself:
By Cory Perrin 12/29/2011 10:06 PM ET
Breastfeeding Flash Mobs – Breastfeeding moms are so upset that they are taking their anger out in a protest against 100 Target stores. The mothers have created a flash mob and have joined the cause to support a fellow nursing mother who had an unpleasant experience.
Yesterday mothers around the US went to their local Target in full participation.
This was an act to support Michelle Hickman, a Texas mother, who felt she was being harassed by Target employee’s last month when she was nursing her infant son in the Fortune 500 retail store.
These flash mobs took place in 35 states following the story of Michelle Hickman being aired. According to the mother of four, she was nursing her baby in a remote area of the Target store in TX when employees approached her and asked her if she wanted to use a fitting room.
Hickman is receiving way more support than she ever imagined she would. She feels hopeful that the actions taken yesterday, December 28, will encourage Target to educate their employees about their breastfeeding policies.
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Good for you, moms!!! And according to Target's corporate offices, they do allow breast feeding mothers to do so anywhere they wish so it was the employee who was out of line, not the mother.
The more women push back and fight for what is natural and right then our laws will reflect this. My mother never fed me in a bathroom or a closet at work when I was nursing; she fought for the right to be comfortable and the men in her office spoke up in her defense as well. At break time and lunch she'd come and get me from the office nursery and feed me while chatting with co-workers. She fed me in restaurants and stores. And when another baby cried nearby, yes, my mother was the one running out to the car to change her shirt because she let down in a flood. It's natural.
Hilariously, my own husband thinks public breast feeding is 'indecent.' I told him that if our boys were still at that age I'd whip a breast out anywhere I felt like it and feed them. He looked at me like I had two heads. Then again, he's never had a great relationship with his own mother or the mother of his children so.... perhaps more a more prudish attitude was the result? I love him anyway but wow we butt heads on some weird stuff! lol
5 comments:
I read this the other night also, and the article also said that not only was she in a remote section of the store, she DID have a blanket covering her. I wondered if people get offended when they see puppies or farm animals nursing. Think about how people feel when they hear a screaming baby. Yeah, by all means, feed the baby LOL
Paul, you brought up a very good point: would the public rather hear a kid scream at the top of their little lungs(ouch! man their voices carry and echo) or glance over to see a woman taking care of her child's hunger in a natural way?
I'm one of the cringing people in the store with my fingers jammed in my ears when dealing with the screaming baby scenario thinking, "PLEASE shut that kid UP!!!" and glaring at the parents when they don't do anything. I'd much rather see a mother feed her baby than hear the screaming. I have a very sensitive set of ears and a screaming baby can sometimes make tinnitus set in for a few hours. Not pleasant!
When my boys are with me and they hear the screaming right along with me my eleven year old always says, "Aren't you glad we're not that little any more?" to which I always reply, "Yes. I got you when you were still in diapers but at least at that point you could be talked down and be rational. Babies can't be rational. They can only act instinctively. It's not their fault."
I say, pull your shirt up, mom! Give the baby what they want and everyone will be happier. Besides, if you CAN breast feed then you're not using questionable formula. How many recalls on baby formula have we had in just the past five years???? Quite enough to scare the shit out of me if I thought I was pregnant!
And about the nursing animals, yes, you're absolutely right. I see a momma cat with a pile of kittens at her tummy and coo. I can't help myself! I think it's adorable. And any animal for that matter. If it's ok for animals then why can't it be right for humans if our babies want to be fed right then and there?
My husband said, "So pump milk at home and then we don't have to see it!" I said, "Do you have any idea how unnatural pumping milk can be? It can throw off the natural schedule a woman's body has along with her baby's appetite. Plus, it's a pain in the rear(bust, really) and requires too much preparation."
The more nurse-ins like this we see the better off our society will be, I think. We've too far removed from nature to appreciate what our bodies are capable of doing.
As men, I think the uneasyness we feel when we see a woman breast feeding in public comes from the fear that they'll think we're gawking if we look at them. But, for a man to see his wife feeding their baby free and uncovered I think has got to be one of the greatest moments for a family to bond. I just don't understand how people can look at a baby and feel that all they are is a problem or inconvenience, we all started out there.
I understand what you mean, Paul. Men don't want to be seen as rude or gawking but they do like to peek and enjoy the sentimentality of the moment. I'm guessing that deep down some of that is perhaps a bit(5%?) of anxious jealousy, too. Most women have such a fiercely instinctive connection to their children and fathers usually don't. Fathers have to practically insert themselves in the dynamic and learn by the skin of their teeth because for the first year of the baby's life all their thinking about is food and whether or not their comfortable. Most guys are wringing their hands saying, "uh... what can I do? You've got the food!! What am I just diaper duty?!" Resentment can build there.
I think the best place for a father the first year is right there beside mom, with the baby between them. Talk about comfort and being surrounded by all that love!! WOW! That way all three are having their needs met and love is shared. By being there and sharing love, Dad IS helping to feed his baby.
And I think maybe a man's possessiveness of his wife's body has something to do with that feeling you're speaking of- when he sees his wife feeding their baby. Something primal comes to the forefront of his spirit. It's pride and love. But on the other hand, what about what's normal by society's standards?? Moms can be sexy too. And by breast feeding in public(even modestly covered) we're not trying to DE-sexualize the breast but just do what feels natural to us-- to feed our children.
Problem and inconvenience comment you made: shit, man. What's NOT inconvenient about them? The diapers and tons of outgrown clothes and sniffles and.... Seriously, though. If that's all children were then we wouldn't have them and our species would die out. We love the human spirit too much to let ourselves die out though thankfully, because otherwise the tigers would own the Earth.
We all started there but some of us don't want to be reminded of it, I think. lol I think once we grow up and learn to see other people in a sexual way we may feel that seeing breast feeding out in public to be an indecent thing UNLESS such an action is 'normalized' through frequency in public. The more women fight for it and do it anyway then the more natural it will become to the next generations.
I look forward to the day when my two boys(or theirs) wont flinch at seeing a woman breast feed and only see it for what it is: a meal be had by an infant who needs it.
Thanks for the dialogue, Paul. I thought my response post about the breast feeding article would get a cursory glance and nothing else from most people. Or an "Oh my lord. What is that goofy lady thinking?! This is a gnostic blog??" But I like being inflammatory. So I'm glad I inflamed you enough to give one man's perspective on this topic. Thanks!
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