Kathy Dettwyler wrote:

>Ditto for me Barbara, but I think this is the crucial difference -- women
>who are breastfeeding and not ashamed of it, not cowering, or covering up,
>or hiding, or worrying about what people think -- project an image of strong
>mother-woman-ness.  People are much less likely to approach them and ask
>them to move, because it is clear they are not going to.


I agree with you, Kathy,

I too have the impression that something in my behaviour must signal to the
others that I am sure about what I am doing (I am still breastfeeding my
son who is 4 years and 9 months old - but since a long time he askes for it
only for going to sleep and when he awakes) but nobody (except my husband,
but i think this is a different issue - and also he gave up and since a
long time he stopped to put me under pressure - as he recognized that it
was only a waste of time and energy) never said to me something negative or
even asked me to go to hide myself (I wouldn't have done it, of course),
and I also nursed him in every place for years. There are two
possibilities: I am very lucky, or people feel that it's not worth to say
something. I am living in Italy and surly it is easier here than in US. One
woman of my German breastfeeding-mailinglist wrote some time ago that she
is getting much less negative comments since she is enforced by the other
mothers of the list, than before when she felt unsure and was the only one
who "still" breastfed a 5 month old baby.

Greetings from Italy
Ulrike

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