Breastfeeding in public

Nursing mom without a cover

        I was hugely disappointed after reading an article that one of my facebook friends posted today written by Shelley Fralic of the Vancouver Sun. It was, without a doubt, the harshest, most ignorant opinion on breastfeeding in public I have seen in a very long time. 

        The article begins in a brutally scathing tone “If it's a brand new year, it must surely be time for the latest instalment of The Young and The Breastfeeding, that perennial public soap opera whereby an earnest breastfeeding mother battles a villainous merchant because the retailer has the gall, the nerve, to ask her not to nurse her baby openly in his store.” See the entire article on breast feeding in public. Indeed the very title of the article “Etiquette lesson for breastfeeding moms: Cover up” is a stab at controversy. The articles goes on to recount what I am sure only accounts for parts of a story of a Vancouver woman in a furniture store who sits in one of the chairs on display and begins to breastfeed her baby without being covered and apparently, two people complained to the manager.  

        It is my personal opinion, and please pardon my “indignant maternal angst” as she so eloquently puts it,





 that the problem with this particular article, and indeed many discussions surrounding the “breastfeeding in public” issue, is the lack of any real discussion, solutions or valid points. 

        I see ten things a day that I don’t like and I simply look away. I don’t stare and certainly don’t complain to store managers when I see a male customer walking around the store with “plumbers crack” or when the girl at the checkout counter has her pants so low I can see the entire top half of her g-string and backside. I don't grab a manager and complain because that, of course,  would be rude.

        The article goes on to say that some people think breastfeeding in public without a cover is “sexual”, “vulgar” or “culturally inappropriate”. If you refer to breastfeeding as sexual then you want to see something sexual in a woman breastfeeding her baby. It's really that simple.  If you think breastfeeding is vulgar then lets talk about the men that scratch their crotch in public, people who pick their nose on the train, spit on sidewalks or pass gas in elevators. What? Oh, you didn’t want to talk about what I thought was vulgar, just what you thought was vulgar. Again, I don’t report these people to first authority figure or manager, because that is rude and embarrassing to the person. Here is a novel idea that works for me 100% of the time; I don't stare. And, last but not least, (because I go on for days on this one article) “culturally inappropriate”? Did someone actually write those words in a Vancouver, British Columbia paper where all cultures are celebrated? Breastfeeding is part of our Canadian culture. Oh, you didn’t mean my culture just yours.

        This article is, supposedly, about “basic common sense, and decency, and respect for others”. Let’s face it, this article was a publicity stunt, a flagrant grab at attention. Sara Palin would be so proud to see a Canadian woman throw a whole natural health movement under a bus just to further her career. 

        I always want to see, hear and participate in any good discussion around any topic. I want to hear a good argument for and against, and weigh in with a thoughtful opinion when asked. However this article was about personal gain at the expense of breastfeeding and nothing more. (discount on a couch maybe?) It was not at all intelligent, educated, thoughtful or even researched.

        I look forward to the day when dedicated, interesting people who want to work to further the cause of infant and maternal health and the discussion about freedom to breastfeed in public come to the table. Until then, people like this will continue to set business owners against mothers and gasp from their high horse “oh my good heavens I can see a small part of your breast!” when they need to up their twitter klout.