In the news

holley79 wrote: As I was walking out the door this afternoon to come to work I overheard something about breastfeeding coming up on the 5 O Clock news. Due to being en route to work I was unable to watch it. I read it when I got to work. Just thought I would share this with you.

Breastfeeding

CAMSMOM1 replied:


I agree, I think breastfeeding should be allowed in public. I couldn't believe the statement, that a woman should only do it at home! I think that mother & her child deserves the right to feed when needed. And we aren't always at the luxury of being able to do it in private. But like the above quote says, there are ways to bf discreetly, with a blanket, ect. And I have never seen anyone making a scene while breastfeeding, most women try to be discreet. I'm glad they are pushing for this bill. And I like how they added the benefits to breastfeeding. I wish more people understood the benefits to bf.

holley79 replied:

Was it NOT ALLOWED before?

I'm done now.

EvesMom replied: I'm glad NJ supports BF.

New Jersey Breastfeeding Task Force
presents
PUBLIC BREASTFEEDING IN NEW JERSEY
Every mother has the basic human right to breastfeed her baby. It is not illegal to breastfeed your baby in public in New Jersey or in any state in the United States. New Jersey law specifically protects the right to breastfeed in public, permitting every mother to breastfeed in any place within a place of public accommodation where she is otherwise entitled to be. The law is as follows:


N.J.S.A. 26:4B-4
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a mother shall be entitled to breast feed her baby in any location of a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement wherein the mother is otherwise permitted.

kit_kats_mom replied: Health experts say there are alternatives to breastfeeding in public. Women can pump and still give their child breast milk. "They can express milk with a breast pump and fill bottles with breast milk and then they will take it with them and when they're out in public, they will give it to them in a bottle," says the owner of Springhill Medical Supply, Ann Lodwick.

Ok, that statement just got my hackles up. How ignorant and presumptive of Mrs.Lodwick. Of course I can see why she'd say that, she's in the medical supply business and probably hopes that the law doesn't pass so that she can sell more pumps.

To be honest, my first DD who was nursed for almost two years, NEVER would accept a bottle of expressed milk. I only had a few bottles in the house and she refused each and every one. She'd gag and choke whenever we offered it.

Lynda836 replied: I didn't know that breastfeeding in public was against the law in some places. In Canada, the right to breast feed anytime/anywhere is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and some of our provinces have special parts of the Human Rights code that specifically deal with the rights of breastfeeding. I breast fed everywhere...airports/ restaurants....I did use a nursing cape...more for my benefit than for others. Noone ever gave me any grief about it...a lot of people were actually happy to see that I would breastfeed in public.

It ticks me off that some people say that breast feedings offensive. I actually found a provincial doc on the internet giving info to immigrants on Canadian customs which stated that many Canadians feel bfing in public is offensive. I couldn't believe in this day and age a provincital org would print that. Giving them the benefit of the doubt that it may not have be updated in awhile, I nicely sent them an email alerting them to the breastfeeding reality these days.

ashtonsmama replied: They shouldn't need a LAW to say it's ok to BF in public!
That's ridiculous!

Nina J replied: I don't understand why people want breastfeeding mothers to take there babies home to feed them. Do they want mothers to go into a public toilet or something so we arn't on the street feeding our babies? I often see mothers in public toilets breastfeeding. No one would want to eat there lunch in a dirty bathroom, why make a baby do it?
It's just so silly. If people don't like seeing women feeding babies, look away.

EvesMom replied: There are only 2 people in mine and DH's family that are uncomfortable about being in the room while I BF Evelynn. DH's father, and my step son Dave. Dave is getting better about it. I nurse in the living room ofetn, and the first couple of months he would come in and realize what was going on, get all red in the face, and high tail it to his room. I told him not to be so freaked about it. "You have boobs too." I said, "Mine are just bigger".

gr33n3y3z replied: When my children were nursing It didnt matter where we were I nursed them

Bee_Kay replied: People, in general, are such hypocrits!!

Think of it this way...

A toddler, in a resaurant is more tolerated. Kids at that age are unpredictable for the most part.

They can have tantrums, throw food, talk incessantly, pass gas, vomit, make messes.... all kind of things (non of which I really mind).

BUT, a baby, quietly nursing is thought badly of??

It's unreal!!!

Lynda836 replied:
I know what you mean. When I was preg I didn't think that I'd feel comfortable bfing in public. But out of necessity I had to...and the more I did it the more comfortable I felt...and I think the more comfortable everyone else was around me. The first time I bf in front of my dad, he strolled into the livingroom and then back out. But by the end of the holiday, it was nothing to him.

I think the more people see women bfing, the more comfortable they'll become...and the more people will bf. I remember some woman on TV saying...that you'll know we'll have come a long way as a society when you see a little girl holding her doll to her chest as opposed to giving her a bottle

holley79 replied:

My stepson Brandon is 17 years old. When I became pregnant his first question was if I was going to bf. His mother bf his little brother up until recently at 4 years of age. Brandon does not have a problem at all with anyone bf anywhere.

His mother tried to give me grief a while back about bf in front of him but I set her straight in a heartbeat.

EvesMom replied:
If Dave's mother ever tried that, boy would she regret it. (Dave likes me better than his own mother) But that's a whole other story.

coasterqueen replied:
It irked me too!

BTW, federally we are legally allowed to breastfeed anywhere. We don't NEED state bills to do this. The states are doing this so there isn't a question on whether you can breastfeed. SO even if your state doesn't have a bill on record, it doesn't mean it's illegal.

A&A'smommy replied: UM i didn't know you weren't "allowed" to breastfeed in public, but um okay I guess i"m glad they are making where you can..


alabama is so dang backwards sometimes I though it was our right to feed our babies wherever we need or want too!!!!

holley79 replied:

I think the thing that got me about the whole thing was the need of a bill. Call me crazy but when are people going to quit complaining about all the "little" things in life. The only reason there is controvery involved in this whole deal is because people NEED something to complain about.

Bamamom replied: I think you're onto it with the "more you do it the more comfortable you are" thing. I know the more I make myself bf in public the better I feel about it and the better Tripp responds to it. The first few times I think he could feel the tension in my body and just refused to eat. Now he just gulps it down like always.

Just a notable about Logan's Roadhouse - I've been there twice recently and it was feeding time for Tripp both times. Each time I told the host/hostess that I was going to need to nurse the baby while I was waiting on my food and asked if they would sit us in a corner booth. Both times they were extremely cooperative - the last time they even opened a section of the resturant so that I could have complete privacy!!! I was SO impressed by the young man who was the host - he waited our table himself. Talk about a young man that was raised right!

holley79 replied:

We have a mexican resturant here that I have known the owner since he first open in the neighboring county. His wife is very pro BF and everytime I come in with Annika he makes sure we have a semi quiet area to sit in. Annika is easily distracted. I have never had a problem with someone saying anything. No stares, yet. I'm sure it will happen one of these days I will just turn the other cheek. My theory, "You feed you kid, I'll feed mine."