Nursing in Public is Offensive

Before my pro-nursing friends spit fire I'll get right to it...

Nursing in public (NIP) is offensive...but should that matter?

There's a mentality going around that NIP isn't offensive. So what if it is?  I find scantily clad women to be offensive (seriously, it's okay if your skirt covers your butt...) and have been called "anti-woman" because of it. (Because women have the "right" to show off their bodies) 

If you are in your own home you have the right to limit the offensive material that enters it. You can ask someone to go in the other room to breastfeed, you can ask someone to stop smacking their food at the table, or you can request someone put on a jacket if their outfit offends you. In public, however, you can't. You have to accept that when you leave the house you will be presented with things that offend you. 

When I go to the zoo I accept that there will be pro-evolution rhetoric everywhere (and "old Earth" stuff). I don't get mad at the zoo...if I didn't like it I would leave. If I get offended at the amount of skin I see at the store I'll leave. "But I'm trying to do my shopping and she's flaunting it." I can all but guarantee that she's not "flaunting it" when she's nursing. (If she's following you around screaming "LOOK AT ME BREASTFEEDING!!!!!!" then I'll retract my statement)

Now this is where people will say (and have said to me) "You have to be respectful of people. If it offends someone you shouldn't do it." or "If it could arouse someone you shouldn't do it." These kind of go hand in hand (because the line is kind of thin between the two).

Here's a list, off the top of my head, of things that pertain to my appearance that could possibly offend people when I leave my home:

- I cut my hair

- I have pink in my hair

- I wear makeup

- I wear pants

- I speak in a loud voice (some people do believe that women should only speak in meek, small voices)

- The language I use ("lame" is offensive apparently)

- I don't cover my head

Do I take any of these into consideration when I leave the house? Nope. Should I? I don't believe so. 

There will always be something that offends *someone* in the world. The only way to be 100% sure that you're NOT offending someone is to never leave your house...and even then people will get offended that you keep turning them down when they invite you to things. 

What about arousing men? Should I be afraid that my NIP is arousing someone? No. I have no control over that. My stand-by phrase for this comment is this: "People have foot fetishes and I still wear sandals." 

There was actually a study done on fetishes...

It was concluded that the most common fetishes were for body parts or for objects usually associated with body parts (33% and 30% respectively). Among those people preferring body parts, feet and toes were preferred by the greatest number, with 47% of those sampled preferring them. Among those people preferring objects related to body parts, footwear (shoes, boots, etc.) was most preferred (64%) source

So you're not even "safe" if you wear shoes! The mere act of leaving your house means that someone, somewhere, will be aroused. That isn't your responsibility.

I'll end this long post with one of my NIP photos! Me nursing the baby at the zoo.

Breastfeeding

Finally! I can write this!

There are numerous benefits to breastfeeding: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-breastfeeding-benefits-you-and-your-baby_8910.bc names a few!

Some of my best advice came from here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1010100&highlight=


A few things that normally come up

Pain - Yes, it is painful when you start. Not only are your nipples sensitive from hormones, but they're doing something they aren't used to doing! A problem means pain, but pain doesn't always mean a problem. It took about 3 weeks for the pain to go away for me. That's not on the side with the cracked nipple...

Injury - Another thing that happens, but is treatable! We had trouble latching on the right side and I developed a crack in my nipple. A week of pumping on that side (the pain was toe curling and I couldn't nurse) and offering a bottle, neosporin, and lanolin and I healed up. It's kind of cracked again, but I can handle it this time so we're still nursing.

Latch - Learn what a good latch is BEFORE you give birth. Yes, there are people at the hospital that can help...but if you get a nurse like my night nurse (I felt more educated about BFing) you'll be glad you were well informed.

When to start - IMMEDIATELY AFTER BIRTH! Even if he isn't strong enough or awake enough to really suck, trying helps! Relationship needs to be developed ASAP and this helps. As soon as they're done with the evaluations you need to try nursing again. Don't be discouraged if he "doesn't get anything" because that's not true. During this time you produce colostrum which is more nutrient dense than breastmilk. As my day nurse told me "A tablespoon of your breastmilk right now has more nutrition than an entire bottle of formula." It can take several days for your breastmilk to come in (not in my case, I was engorged on day two)

Watch the baby NOT the clock. Some will tell you to feed every 2 hours (my night nurse for example) Your baby will wake up to eat! You shouldn't have to wake him up... unless it's several days later and he's going 4+ hours without eating...then wake him. DO NOT try to "develop a schedule" or "train" your child. (Stay away from Babywise books!!!) He may want to eat every 20mins or every 2 hours. He knows best! The first few weeks are hard because he'll probably eat constantly. As long as he's dirtying plenty of diapers there is nothing wrong with your supply. I had a similar issue early on. He eats like that to boost your supply (usually happens during a growth spurt) It's hard, but stick it out.


Hmm....any questions? I'll answer them in the next note.