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Breastfeeding in Public

Who has a problem with it?

By Samantha ReidPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Breastfeeding is a controversial topic. Some people love it, some people dislike it, and most people don't care. At least that has been my experience so far.

As I approached my delivery date, it seemed that every other article I read was about how people are rude to individuals who breastfeed in public. There seemed to be endless amounts of people talking about how judgmental people are. There seemed to be endless stories of harassment and insults.

I couldn't wrap my head around this. Everything I read made me hesitant to embrace breastfeeding, but then I remembered that I don't give a crap what other people think.

It has been almost a month since I had my son. I was out and about with him the day after I got home from the hospital. I was breastfeeding him from my recliner while family sat and chatted. I was breastfeeding him in stores and at friend's houses. I breastfed him in at appointments and meetings. I breastfed him while I ate my lunch at restaurants.

And in all this time not one person has so much as looked at me strange or made a negative comment. Some people offered advice or told me stories about their experiences or their spouse's experiences. Some people talked about their children and grandchildren. But no one told me to go to another room, to cover up, or that what I was doing was wrong.

The worst I have experienced thus far was a young male waiter who simply didn't look directly at me when he spoke to me while serving us. I didn't take offence to this. The guy was barely out of his teens.

For the most part everyone has been indifferent to me breastfeeding. I haven't been approached by strangers who are set on harassing me. I haven't been stared at in a disapproving manner. I haven't been asked to go sit in the family room or bathroom to feed my child.

I think part of it is that I don't care. I am not self-conscious about pulling a breast out in public to feed my child. I am not concerned about what other people think about it. I am simply focused on tending to the needs of my hungry baby.

I think that a lot of the issues with breastfeeding in public are internal issues. I think that people search for those disapproving stares. If you look hard enough for something, you will find it. If you feel self-conscious then you may think that everyone is judging you.

The reality is that no one cares. No one cares if you are breastfeeding in public. People don't care what other people do for the most part. And most people don't care enough to walk up to you and comment.

We are a mostly indifferent society. We mostly leave other people alone.

Now, you will encounter assholes in your life. You will encounter people, men and women, who feel like they need to comment on your life. But this doesn't mean there is some large problem. Some people are just terrible people.

So as far as I'm concerned, I will continue to breastfeed wherever I have to. I am not going to hide in a bathroom or never leave my house. I will continue on with my life, go where I need to go, and feed my son wherever I have to.

There are certain things in life you simply need to embrace and be confident about. There are sometimes in life where you just need to not care what other people think. And there are plenty of times when you need to ignore the terrible people.

Because, as the old saying goes, "those that mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind."

humanity
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About the Creator

Samantha Reid

I have been a creative writer for over 10 years, an academic for 7 years, and a blogger for 3 years. Writing is my passion and it's what I love.

Follow me on Instagram @samreid2992

Find me on Twitter @SgReid211

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