Sure breasts have a delightful function as a sexual organ.  So do
lips and the tongue, but noone (in our culture anyway) says you have
to hide the fact that you are using them for their usual functions
of eating and talking!

As to the argument that smoking is offensive and that is the reason
people can't do it anywhere they want to therefore breastfeding
shouldn't be done anywhere a mom wants to:  A bystander has no
choice whether to "participate" in another's smoking.  If someone is
ofended by breastfeeding or even another person's color, size,
clothing, impediment, etc. etc,. that offendee is not forced to
observe the "offending" person or behavior.  One can always look
elsewhere!  Valid arguments over whether the objection has any merit
is totally irrelevant to whether someone should stay out of sight of
the person taking offense!

I can certainly understand the mom (especially a new one) who may
not feel at ease nursing in public even "discretely".  That is
separate from the fact that we defend her right to do so and value
the attempts to shift public opinion.  All I have to do is remember
how I have changed.  I was nursing my first it in my pre-LLL,
pre-RN, pre-LC days when the most I knew about breastfeeding was
that it was the one thing my older sister hadn't done first,
therefore, by golly, I was going to do it!  We were travelling in
the car at night when he needed to nurse (note-this was in the dark
ages before car seats when baby was routinely held by someone or in
what today would be a totally inadequate seat or car bed) and I
didn't want to just feed him as we rode along lest someone be able
to look into the car and see what we were doing.  I held him off
until we could pull into a rest area.  I made sure we parked way at
the end of the parking area and covered up with a blanket.
(Remember, this is at night and it's dark outside).  I really
panicked when a truck drove past.  What if the driver from his
higher vantage point saw what I was doing?  Horrors!  Now fast
forward to when I was nursing my third and was a LLL Leader and
worked on the Area Council.  The oldest went for treatment once a
week and while there I would be sitting in a small waiting room
(about 15-20 feet square) with other parents.  My youngest was born
the day after a treatment, so I was there with the baby also from
the time he was 6 days old.  I nursed him whenever he wanted which
was usually at least once, and often twice while I was there.  While
I didn't "let it all hang out" I didn't make any efforts to hide the
fact that I was nursing.  At most, I would turn away from a guy
sitting next to me while I got Steve latched.  About two months
later, a mom came into the waiting room with a very fussy infant and
was frantically trying to find a way to warm her baby's bottle.  I
turned to the woman next to me (who had been there just about every
time I had) and said "Boy, I'm glad I don't have that problem."  The
woman appeared shocked and said "Do you mean your baby is weaned
from the bottle already?!"  In all those weeks, she was never aware
that I had been nursing right under her nose!
I frequently cite this experience (in a lettle less wordy fashion)
when I talk to new moms about nursing in public.  I feel it shows
them that it is something that becomes more comfortable with
experience and it can be done without attracting a lot of attention.

Lastly, a tip I picked up from a mom I was working with last week.
When working with a very young baby who needs help latching, mom
often can't handle her shirt and the baby.  Instead of taking
everything off, this mom simply lifted the hem of the t-shirt up
from in front of her and over her head so it was behind her back and
out of the way.  With a loose knit shirt it was a simple effective
solution.  In 30+ years, I had never sen anyone do this.  You CAN
teach an old dog new tricks.

Winnie Mading RNC, IBCLC

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