Dear Norma, All I can say is thank you for explaining why it is okay to cover up if that helps a woman breastfeed in public BUT-- I agree; it is not necessary! A baby does not have to be under cover. I have not seen women flaunting their breasts when breastfeeding BUT-- I have seen a lot of flaunting of body parts on the beach, in magazines, in movies, on TV, in the mall, etc. BUT- Do we ask those women and men to cover up? No, we can either look/stare or look away. That is the only choice/right we have in those situations. I like to think: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder; some think it is beautiful to see a child breastfeeding. :-) As for table manners, we do not have the right to ask an adult who exhibits obnoxious eating behavior to go eat in the toilet or under a blanket. Warm regards, Lee Lee Galasso, MS, LLLL, IBCLC, RLC Lactation Specialist Lactation Center of Westchester/Putnam Westchester County in NYS, USA 914-245-2206 [log in to unmask] Vice-President Westchester/Putnam/Rockland (WPR) Lactation Consortium "Children are Born with the Right to be Breastfed" (and it does not have to be under cover) >If a woman feels more comfortable nursing under a *nifty cover,* then by all means she should consider using one. However, most babies do not *adjust* to the use of such covers, nor should they have to. We certainly do not ask teenagers, for example, or adults, to cover themselves with a blanket every time they eat in public! Most mothers find that with a little practice in front of a mirror, they can nurse their babies without even the person sitting next to them realizing what they are doing. Throwing a blanket or shawl over their baby is a way of drawing attention to themselves, of saying, *Hey! Don't look at me feed my baby!* and defeats the purpose. There is no need to strip naked to nurse a baby. Wearing a two-piece outfit, especially with a knit top, allows access while preserving modesty. A jacket or cardigan adds further coverage, if desired. By the way, I am confused by your concern about allowing the baby some privacy for feeding being part of the socialization process. Isn't eating a social occasion? When I taught my children table manners, it did not include practicing eating alone, in the dark, or under a cover.< Norma Ritter, IBCLC, RLC *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html Mail all commands to [log in to unmask] To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask]) To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]