Why do the British make such a fuss about breast feeding in public ?

Question

I mean , that's what the things were built for. Airbrushed images of b*****s stare daily at us from papers like the Daily Star, yet people still complain about mothers feeding their children in restaurants etc.. See the story about the nursing mother who was intimidated by a McDonalds manager ? She took half a dozen of her breast feeding chums back to the same restaurant the following day and they fed their babies en masse. Need less to say they weren't harassed !! Go girls, militant breast feeding, now there's a new feminist cause !!

Answer 1

It's not something which i think about, however when i have a baby i will NOT be breast feeding in public.

Answer 2

This is something I never did... firstly because i did not find it very private, to my own body, and the second thing is that my babies (two) were fed at home. In this day and age it is not the rule as usually there are some people who have nothing else better to do than gawp at women who do this, but on the other hand it is their own fault when they do it. There are times set for babies, but in todays climate lots of these new Mothers do not adhere to the times when it should be done, and I call it an after thought as they tend to forget.

Answer 3

It's probable that only a vocal minority do. How do they react in middle America for that matter, or the Middle East? I'd be surprised to learn we're the worst.

Answer 4

Stereotypical British reserve. I vote that wimmin feel free to breast feed in public.

Answer 5

because believe it or not some people get embarrassed. there are breast pumps available,in order for mothers to bottle their milk so the baby gets the nutrition it needs,without the mother unleashing her melons....think of it this way,if men had to feed there offspring by way of there genitilia,and slung it out with a kid sucking on the end theyd be banged up for life.theres times and places for everything.and while im no prude,and love the female form,its not called for now a days.

edit: to baby berry...whats muslces,and im only stating my opinion what this site is about,im not arguing just plainly giving my opinion,thats all.im saying with a sterilized bottle filled with extracted breast milk is more appropiate than flopping your bits out in public thats all,and why will a baby use more MUSLCES..feeding of a teat than a nipple,i dont get your logic on that one.

oh i get it....walked into another i dont know you click so bugger of,thanks spegali says it all, this site is getting worse by the minute.would it help if i didnt have my own opinion and agreed with what every user says on here,well ok then i think its fine,lop em out anywhere to feed your offspring thats fine by me,would you do it at a job interview though????????

Answer 6

breast feeding is a natural thing I agree but personally I don`t like to have my lunch watching women wapping there t*ts out everywhere, there are pumps you can buy for just these occasions when mothers do go out, it isn`t really the thought of it but some people do get embarrassed at things like this, we have rights too you know.

Answer 7

It already is an issue.  You can be asked to leave a restaurant if you complain about breast-feeding.  I'll never forget being traumatised as a young kid in a restaurant by some woman sitting opposite me and starting breast-feeding.  Put me right of my milkshake, I'll tell you.

It's not a feminist issue.  It's just bloody inconsiderate, like farting loudly in public.

Answer 8

I'm British & I make no fuss about it.

Answer 9

on a personal level I dont make a fuss and i advocate breastfeeding. I breastfed mine in public and no one hassled me. I think its down to the person who is comlplaining,their insecurities and embarrassment

Answer 10

I might give some militant breast feeding a try myself if this baby ever appears, sounds like fun to me!

edit to KIMOSABI & Michael W

Did you know that children fed via bottles are more prone to ear infections because of the difference in muslces used when feeding from a teat as opposed to a nipple?

If its ok with you I'd rather not carry all the frigging equipment out with me just because you don't want to be confronted with something natural, and as Spegali points out, I've never seen a breastfeeding mother expose anything, people are very discreet about it.

Feed the baby before you go out? lol nice one, do you know how often a baby feeds, should we be housebound now to please you?

Do you get upset when you go to the zoo and baby animals are feeding? Probably not!

Edit:

Thanks spegali, and you know for sure they don't give a d**n about boobies on the beach because b*****s are OK as a s*x symbol, just not for feeding your baby with!

Edit:

Well said Emily down there! People who feel uncomfortable with it need to check themselves or look elsewhere - nobody is saying here take a look at what I've got, they're simply trying to feed their child! Jeez, I bet you hate screaming babies in public too eh people??

Answer 11

i know it's natural but it's something you dont want people to see when you're doing it or other people dont want to see.

it's natural to pee and poo but do you really want other people to see or do you want to see they doing it???

Answer 12

it is now illegal to stop anyone breast feeding in Scotland, ie in a restaurant. I did it and nobody ever complained to me.

Answer 13

British people love to fuss about almost everything, it is what we do (got to entertain ourselves somehow as it is always bl**dy raining!)

I can't see why anyone should have a problem with a mum feeding her baby. The people who fuss probably don't bat an eyelid when faced with a beach full of semi naked women when on holiday. It is not as if you have to sit and stare at the mother, most mums I have noticed breast feeding are very practised at doing it discreetly.

EDIT: Hi Cranberry, am thinking of you.

I would much prefer to see a woman breastfeeding her baby than see women flaunting themselves on holiday. I would be most interested to know how many of the people who answered this question who are against feeding in public are the very same people who get their babs out as soon as they are away from home or the are the men who sit gawping at topless women on the beach!

Answer 14

I would be extremely surprised that Britain is the worst country  for breast feeding in public. My partner breastfeeds our 7 month old daughter in public & has never had a prob.

Try breast feeding in Iran.......or as someone else has mentioned middle America.

Answer 15

b***s are meant for men to enjoy not for little babies.  blokes get jealous when they see a child feeding and wish it was them playing with that breast.

ladies your jugs do not belong to you  they are for us men to enjoy how dare you use them to do something natural like try to keep an infant alive. get them out on page three that's fine and dandy, just dont use them in public to stop a baby starving to death - that just sick maaan

Answer 16

It's perfectly possible to breastfeed a child in public discreetly.I fed all three of my children in various public places when the need arose and no-one ever noticed.I can't see what the fuss is all about.If they don't like it then can they can just sit elsewhere,simple.Why do these people spend their time gawking at others anyway?They should mind their own business.

Answer 17

Why do mothers want to make an exhibition of themselves when there are plenty of places where they can feed their babies. Just because they have a baby stuck on the end of their oversized b*****s does not make it right. My advise to them all is feed the baby before you leave home or bring a bottle with you. Why do you want to offend others?

Answer 18

Because for some strange reason, they associate b*****s with s*x, or poo or wee or genitalia.

Why, I don't know.  If you're embarrassed, you need to adjust your emotions and thoughts.  You've got a dirty mind.

The problem isn't with a mother trying to feed a tiny baby - it's with you.

(Not you personally!)

Answer 19

Go Girls!!!! When I worked in my last job someone came in and sat in a quiet corner breastfeeding her baby. It didn't bother me at all but a customer came up and started tutting and complaining "it shouldn't be allowed" When I told the lady we live in a free country and that no harm was being done she told my boss I was being rude and inconsiderate to her feelings!!! I had stern words for both of them let me tell you!

Answer 20

Bitty.

Answer 21

Because people in Britain love to get worked up about things that aren't hurting anyone and things that actually effect peoples lives they don't bother to say anything.

Answer 22

Yes, I think we still have a wee way to go.  I used to breastfeed mine on the front downstairs seats of the old Routemaster buses whilst travelling around London, no Boris, sorry still do not support you.  I did an even more wicked thing later when I worked part time for a market research company who evaluated mystery shoppers eating in McDonalds among other places, and I had some editorial control and one mystery shopper complained about mothers breast feeding in McDonalds, and I deleted her whole contribution, oh, sorry, nasty.  Of course women should be allowed to breastfeed in public, no two ways about it.  It's so much healthier for the baby, but then I would also say that if women can't or don't  want to breast feed, bottle feeding can also be a healthy option if properly managed, and women should not be made to feel guilty about this if this is what they choose.