As much as I find these stories disturbing at all, I find the frequent reference in such situations to the fact that the "mother was even covered" even more concerning. Even within the breastfeeding community, there has been a slippery slope in the past decade that subtly suggests that the covered mother is the *even more" deserving of not being harassed. 

I have seen far more discussion of and promotion of covers in the last ten years than in the fifteen years prior. That breastfeeding organizations and websites sell covers with all kinds of demeaning names and childish prints on them is no advocacy for breastfeeding. Mothering is not some infantile act that involves cutesy devices and It is fierce and organic and 

If a mother truly desires to cover herself while nursing, she does not need breastfeeding advocates to help her figure it out (and cash in as well)--she will figure it out for herself. And if she really wants "discretion", she is not going to wear some huge tent over her head with pink bunnies on it like a big neon sign anyway. Nothing could be more indiscreet or scream more loudly "I am indoctrinated into the cultural idea that bfing mothers need to hide their breasts when a baby is attached and make it known to everyone that they are in cultural compliance by shoving a huge tent over their babies in public". 

Any discussion about nursing needs to avoid noting "and the mother was even covered". Nursing babies need to nurse. There are no qualifiers. There are no more righteous "public" breastfeeders than others. I think we need to check our own language on this issue, bc it has become extremely contradictory. 



Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, USA & France
Intuitive Parenting Network, LLC



 

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