I am going to respond from my gut here.  This is just my opinion...maybe
even that is too strong... it is my *feeling.*

Anne and others, YOU don't have to be the one who instructs our culture that
children breastfeed.  If your fear level is high when you are in a public
place then you should not feed your child from your breast.  Your fear
energy doesn't stop at your skin, as none of our emotions do. You may
attract to you people who would be a threat.  You know how dogs can sense
fear in a person and then be aggressive?  I feel that the woman who just
does it without thinking about it, and continues chatting with the waiter or
maintenance man or older woman on the park bench will be the one to let
others know that it is just normal and expected. She perhaps doesn't know
about CPS or anyone's possible objection.  Strangely enough she is safer
than those who know all of the possibilities.

I've seen mothers of infants nurse in public with others not paying any
attention, while others who made sure to cover up or turn away were noticed
by many others.  We don't know how this all works, but we know that people
who fear criticism are criticized more, people who fear harm are harmed
more.  Folks can READ us.

As more mothers are breastfeeding there will be fewer people who haven't at
least seen it done,then when they see an older child they won't be as
surprised.  And mothers whose babies have grown into toddlers(+) will have
fed them in the presence of many others and will not send out fear signals
to strangers.

I do agree with Katherine and Rhoda that those of us with BIG children need
to tell people that we nursed them for 4,5,6,7, years and say it with
confidence and a sense of the natural.

But our first responsibility is to our children.  So long as a mother is
afraid to nurse her toddler in public then she needs to accept that that is
where she is now and leave the examples to someone else.  Don't feel bad
about it. We all have areas where we wish we felt differently. We do what we
can do and let go of what we can't.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee
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