Nursing in Public

Group of mothers protest by breastfeeding in public - Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee (video and news article, and although they are nursing I promise you don't see any boobs)

It's Only Natural. Commercial Appeal Article

The comments attached to this photo are the reason I feel compelled to write this post.

The story: 
I am a part of the facebook group called Alternamama's of Memphis and I love it! It is a very active and very helpful group. One of the mamas in this group was waiting in the waiting area at a Social Security office here in Memphis last week when her little one needed to nurse/eat. She discreetly began feeding him and the security guard told her she couldn't do that and needed to go to the restroom. (really, who eats in a public bathroom?!) She calmly told her of her rights under the law and that she would continue nursing. The security guard got the manager who told her the same thing. So this mama told the other alternamas about it and asked for us to participate in a nurse in on the day she took her letter of complaint. Five mamas and babies peacefully protested by discreetly and respectfully nursing their babies outside of the building. I think this is awesome! Memphis needs some major PR about breastfeeding. People need to know that we are protected by the law to breastfeed in public and it is NOT considered indecent exposure. For the record, she did get a letter of apology and nursed her baby there again on this past Friday and had no problems.


My experiences with nursing in public: Unfortunately very few. Baby Girl had really bad acid reflux when she was a newborn and would cry during and after almost every nursing session. She would also unlatch frequently and I would have to struggle to get her back on. I usually nursed in women's lounges or dressing rooms because a screaming baby would have drawn too much attention for my liking. One time I tried to nurse her at Panera and she started crying a lot so I resigned myself to nurse in the bathroom. Ugh! Usually I would nurse her in the car before or after going into a restaurant. If she were a quiet nurser without acid reflux I think I would have nursed her in public way more often. When she was a little older and getting over her acid reflux I was able to nurse her in public a few times. One of my favorite memories with her is nursing her at The Journey in St. Louis during praise and worship. There is nothing sweeter than nursing your baby while participating in corporate worship. She actually fell asleep nursing that day and nursed and slept through most of the service. I didn't have a cover on but I was very discreet and showed no breast at all. Somehow being in St. Louis made me feel more comfortable to breastfeed in church. I don't know, I just feel like it is more common and accepted there. Memphis is not very breastfeeding friendly in general. When Baby Girl got a little older it was really difficult to nurse in public because she would get way too distracted and just want to people watch instead of nurse. Also, we are on a nurse, sleep, nurse, awake schedule so since she is nursing so often she rarely needs to nurse when we are out. 

All that to say that I haven't been able to experience too many nursing in public sessions, but I support it wholeheartedly. It makes me smile when I see a mama nursing in public. And actually, covers sometimes bring more attention to the fact that someone is nursing than otherwise. To the untrained eye, most of the time it just looks like the mama is holding a sleeping baby. Only another nursing mom can tell that they are in fact nursing. I have NEVER seen a nursing mom in public that was exposing unnecessary amounts of breast. No one is trying to give anyone a peep show, we are just trying to feed our babies. New moms need not feel trapped inside their home for fear of offending someone should they happen to need to feed their baby in public. This is how depression and post partum can set in, by mothers feeling trapped. A mother should feel confident to nurse her baby in any location where a mother would feel confident to give her baby a bottle.

About covers: most older infants will just pull it off or play with it, and it is really hot too. And like I said a cover can draw more attention to the fact that you are nursing than if you weren't using one. If a mom wants to use a cover, great! If she doesn't, great! It is possible to be discreet and modest even when not using a cover. You can wear nursing tanks under your shirt and by doing that basically no boob, back, or stomach shows at all. You see more skin when someone is wearing a bikini, or just a low cut top.

For the record, I am very pro-nursing in public, and at the same time very pro-modesty. Actually, to read what I think about modesty and swimsuits you can read this post. I don't even feel comfortable putting bare belly pictures on the internet from my pregnancy. I also go to great lengths to try to make sure I don't show cleavage (not that I have much) whenever I go out in public, and I also do not feel comfortable in two piece bathing suits. I think modesty is beautiful and that our apparel should draw attention to our faces and not our boobs or butt.

Women that nurse in public are NOT flaunting their breasts or being skanks (as some of the commenters said on the news story). They/We are feeding our babies! It is the most natural way to feed a baby. It is the way that God designed for babies to be fed. If people are uncomfortable with it they should look away. No mother should be told to feed her baby in a bathroom or made to feel that she should feed her baby in a bathroom. I have never seen a mom giving her baby a bottle in the bathroom or seen an adult eating a meal in a public restroom. Boobs have been so sexualized in our culture that mothers can't even use them to do what God intended for them to be used for without facing ridicule. This should not be! I hope everyone reading this will take time to think about whatever stereotypes they have placed on moms nursing in public and replace this with truth and facts.

Disclaimer: I have several friends that would love to nurse (and nurse in public) but for one reason or another have been unable to breastfeed. This post is not an attack on you or an insult to you for formula feeding. It really saddens me when my friends are unable to nurse because I know it deeply saddens them. Regardless, just as someone who is struggling with infertility may get sad when they see children, they wouldn't expect us to not write blogs about our children or post pictures. Same with nursing. Although it may sadden some moms when they see posts about breastfeeding because they aren't able to, it is still a topic that needs to be discussed.

Why I'm Not Babywise: Scheduling, Boobs, and Bottles

Feeding "on demand" during Baby Girl's 12 month photo shoot

If you are just now joining us for the Why I'm Not Babywise Series, Welcome! Please take some time to read the previous posts, especially my Intro/Disclaimer so you can read the rest of the posts in context. I am seeking to be very sensitive to my readers who may implement Babywise. I pray we can all show one another grace as we seek to parent all of our babies in the way God leads us. I invite considerate comments, whether you agree or disagree.

God is Creator. I believe that and I hope you do too. Someday soon I will share my story of how I came to know Jesus. But for now, let us operate under the assumption that if you follow my blog regularly you probably believe God is the Creator too, or are at least open to this idea. When I think of the human body and how God so intricately created it, it amazes me and I have to praise Him! Our heart beats, our lungs take in oxygen, etc. without us even thinking about it. We aren't plugged into an electrical outlet to keep going, God sustains our life. He is the author and creator of life. He also created our digestive systems, and mama's milk. (whole other post or series on breastfeeding coming one day soon) Let me just say, I believe it is God's design for women to breastfeed. Now obviously we live in a fallen world and sometimes things happen to interfere with this, but in most cases most women are able to breastfeed. And I believe it is the best option for baby and mama. (we can still be friends if you formula feed, just in case you were wondering) :)

Breastfeeding is different than formula feeding for many reasons. Formula doesn't have all the amazing immunities and antibodies that breastmilk has, it digests slower, and it is usually dairy based. It comes from a bottle instead of a boob. Those are the main ones that come to my mind right off the bat.

Scheduling feedings became popular when formula feeding became popular a few generations ago. Although I would still argue against strict scheduling for even formula fed babies, it is more feasible than scheduling a nursing baby. With formula feeding you can know exactly how much your baby is taking in at each feeding session so therefore you know exactly how many ounces they are getting each day. Not possible with a nursling. (unless you have one of those expensive Medela scales) Formula digests much slower than breastmilk so it keeps the baby full much longer. Formula has the same consistency and properties at the beginning of the feeding as it does at the end. Not the case with breastmilk. It changes throughout the feeding and throughout the day.

Let us remember that God is Creator and created each and every one of us and our bodies and digestive systems. Now let us talk about babies. Obviously some babies have smaller stomachs than others. Some have fast metabolisms, and some slower. This is true whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. So because of this some may be hungry every two hours, and some every four. And since we never really know how much a nursing baby is getting they might only take in a couple ounces at one session and then be hungry again in thirty minutes. Especially in the evenings, when breastmilk is lower in volume (although it is higher in fat), cluster feeding might occur where a baby is hungry more often than at other times of the day.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I want a snack, sometimes a drink, and sometimes a full meal. Shouldn't it be the same with babies?

Briefly, let us talk about mamas. Boobs. They come in all different shapes and sizes. Regardless of the size, women have different storage capacities in their boobs for milk. Since there is no way of knowing exactly how much milk we make at each feeding, wouldn't it be best to just feed our babies when they show signs of hunger? Since we don't know exactly how big our baby's stomach is, or how fast their metabolism, or exactly how many ounces they are taking in, or what the fat content of our milk is like at that exact feeding session, wouldn't it be best to just feed our babies when they show signs of hunger?

After all, don't we as adults eat when we are hungry, regardless of the clock?

Why Wean? Nursing Past One

As my baby girl approaches her first birthday (she's 11 months old today) many people may assume that I plan on weaning her, or maybe people have figured out by now that I do things a little differently and won't be surprised that I am not going to wean her. 


First, some background:
My mom nursed all of us (myself and 2 brothers) for around 2.5years each. She didn't have anyone telling her to do this, she just did because it felt natural to her to practice extended breastfeeding.  As I grew up and became an adult I thought this was "weird",  although I probably didn't think it was weird until I found out that most people weren't breastfed this long. Also, two of my aunts also breastfed their toddlers, as well as my cousin. My cousin just weaned her 2.5 year old twins. Now, that is awesome! When I got pregnant I planned on nursing, but "not as long as my mom" I would tell people. Well, now that has all changed. I hope to nurse each baby at least as long as my mom nursed us. Here are some things I learned that changed my mind:


1. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for 6 months, then for at least a year or as long as mutually desirable by mother and baby. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years, as does UNICEF.
2. Breast doesn't stop being best at 1 year. Human milk is still best for a growing toddler. Cow milk was meant for cows, and human milk is meant for humans.  (but yes, I do drink cow's milk) Breastfeeding has nutritional benefits past one year of age, such as 75% of vitamin A requirements, 94% of B12, 60% of vitamin C, and more
3. Breastfed children are sick less often.
               via kellymom.com 

• Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).

• Per the World Health Organization, "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness." [emphasis added

4. Breastfed children have fewer allergies. 
5. Extended breastfeeding can help with behavior issues in a toddler because of the bond that breastfeeding provides
6. It does not psychologically harm the child:
        via kelly mom

•         The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child... Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother... There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer." (AAP 2005)
• The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that breastfeeding continue throughout the first year of life and that "As recommended by the WHO, breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is not the cultural norm in the United States and requires ongoing support and encouragement. It has been estimated that a natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years. Family physicians should be knowledgeable regarding the ongoing benefits to the child of extended breastfeeding, including continued immune protection, better social adjustment, and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency. The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer." They also note that "If the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned." (AAFP 2008)

7. Mothers benefit greatly from extended nursing by significantly reducing the risk of many types of cancers as well as osteoporosis 

If you and your almost 1 year old are still enjoying the breastfeeding relationship, why wean? If you want to continue nursing your toddler there is plenty of research to prove the benefits of it. For some reason it has become the cultural norm to wean at one even if it is not what the mother and child want to do. If people are pressuring you to wean your one year old just show them the research and then do what feels right to you. Don't worry about what your family or friends may say or think, just do what you feel and believe is best for you and your child. In biblical times children were breastfed much longer than today, and there is proof of that in the bible (Hannah and Samuel is one example). The Creator God is the one who designed the amazing properties of breastmilk, and those amazing properties are still there after your baby's one year birthday. If you decide to wean your child at any time make sure it is because that is what  you feel is best, not because someone is pressuring you or that you feel pressured by society in general. Extended breastfeeding will only become more "normal" and accepted as more mothers and babies continue their breastfeeding relationship past one year. 

I love the breastfeeding relationship I have with my baby girl and I am very thankful for a supportive husband. We look forward to continuing our breastfeeding until she decides she is through. And who knows, maybe I will get the privilege of tandem nursing too! I love nursing my baby girl. Our breastfeeding relationship has already changed so much from the time she was a newborn. Now she squirms all over and plays with my face while nursing and practices her nursing acrobatics. She also takes breaks to look up at me and "talk" to me. And nothing can beat that milky grin! 


What about you? How long did you nurse your child(ren)? How long do you plan to nurse? Do you plan on letting them wean themselves or when do you plan to wean them? And why? 

Some links for your researching pleasure:

Breastfeeding Past One Fact Sheet @ Kelly Mom

Breastfeeding Beyond a Year, exploring benefits, cultural influences, and more @ LLLI

Extended Breastfeeding (past one year) @ LLLI

Ask Dr.Sears Extended Breastfeeding and Handling Criticism

Here is a video about extended breastfeeding discussed on The Doctors

A video about myths and facts about breastfeeding. You will see breasts and a few profanities. 


Some great books about breastfeeding: