A few more comments and one question before I slip out of this
discussion ...
I *do* think -- although I am not absolutely certain -- that most of us
agree that this is about the mother's comfort level and not that of the
people around her. What I object to, I think, is the assumption that it
is wrong to be sensitive to her concerns, or to her ideas about wanting
to keep covered, because it is reinforcing social ignorance or prejudice
about breastfeeding. I figure I am not there to judge a mother's
interest in keeping her nipple covered any more than I am there to judge
her refusal to shave her legs (which was a big thing when I was
discovering feminism, but seems silly to me now as a manifesto) or her
desire to wear blue with green (which my mother said should never been
seen, but I can't see why). But I can understand it and support her
better in this because I feel it is a valid point. Things change, and I
think we are putting on blinders to think that *our* ideas of openness
are not culturally-based just as the opposite ideas are, though. I know
lots of women who seek out quiet corners, and I also know several who
pump so they can bottle-feed at gatherings, and the fact that the women
in the second group are, predominantly, not born in the same country as
I was only reinforces my need to remind us to think beyond the comfort
level of the poster when we are posting.
So: here's the question.
What do you say to a mother who says "I am getting stir-crazy because I
wouldn't dare take the baby out; he'd want to nurse as soon as I get to
the mall." It's an actual question.
Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes, Canada

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