Comments on: Breastfeeding Mother Asked to Leave Olive Garden

By: Nursing Mother Called “Immoral” At Vancouver Museum

Nursing Mother Called “Immoral” At Vancouver Museum — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:47:28 +0000

[...] by Cate Nelson on August 19, 2009 · 15 comments Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic. Augh. It’s happened again. [...]

By: HowardG

HowardG — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:15:21 +0000

What the f**k are breasts FOR????!

That stupid people are ‘offended’ reveals THEIR prejudices and inabilities to cope witrh the most natural function!

They should not be respected – even accepted!

As a father of a 25yo son and 16yo daughter here in Australia, where we have similar stupidities, I have for those many years fought off the ignorance while my children were actually being fed. Not a pleasant task but I will defend their right to be properly looked after!

Any questions ignoramuses????? (They do lurk in the shadows – it’s safer there for them)

By: Cate Nelson

Cate Nelson — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:45:23 +0000

Marianne,
Thanks for enlightening us breastfeeders on how to cover. Never thought of that.
Actually, here’s my situation: While my older son was accepting of a cover, my younger son is not. Still, I nurse quite discretely, because I’m a discrete person with my body.
But if I tried to put ANYthing over his head, he would squirm and fuss and even screech, thus exposing my entire breast. Which would certainly upset those with delicate sensitivities, such as yourself.
Like all human beings (and their variance in preferences), babies are different from one another. It’s not a cover one, cover all situation and it is ridiculous to think that those of us who don’t use covers choose not to because we’re trying to do anything besides feed our children.

By: Marianne H

Marianne H — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:04:01 +0000

If the baby was crying and had to be breast fed right there and then, she could have placed a napkin over her breast so as not to be exposed. There are other people to consider and being arrogant about feeding your baby and let everyone see your breasts is, frankly immodest and inconsiderate. Just because you want to feed your baby doesn’t mean you should be stupid about it.

By: Do You Know Your Breastfeeding Rights? | Mama 2 Mama Tips

Do You Know Your Breastfeeding Rights? | Mama 2 Mama Tips — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:20:22 +0000

[...] in was staged in a Chick Fil-A after a breastfeeding mother was asked to leave. Another mom was asked to leave an Olive Garden for breastfeeding her toddler at the table. A mother at a science museum was told it was [...]

By: Cate Nelson

Cate Nelson — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:21:28 +0000

Hi ladies, and RH, who is almost certainly a man.
I’ve been mostly silent here, and I thought it was high time I commented again. (scootching soapbox up)

I am discreet when I breastfeed in public. Not for anyone else’s comfort, but because I am a pretty discreet person overall with my body.
But I think by the last paragraph in my blog, you know where I stand. I think it is no more proper for a business (or anyone else) to stop a woman from FEEDING her CHILD than it is to stop an interracial couple from dining in public because racist people are uncomfortable. And having been half of such a couple (and living in the South), I feel alright using that analogy.

We have rights as breastfeeders. And it’s not so much our right to show our breasts (which no one is advocating here) as it is the child’s right to EAT.
Many of you have probably hopped on Eco Child’s Play for the first time to advocate for modesty. We don’t argue otherwise. But here are a couple of my posts–which some of my awesome regular commenters are already aware of–that may help clarify my position and that of a few other ladies ’round here:
On going to the bathroom:
http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/08/14/you-want-me-to-feed-my-baby-where/
Thank you for nursing in public:
http://blog.thenatureschild.com/2009/08/little-nip-will-do-ya.html

I want to make my point clear again, here, if you don’t feel like checking out those links:
-No one breastfeeds in public to make you feel uncomfortable or as an excuse to be an exhibitionist.
-I can’t play by your rules. I say that not because I’m such a GD rebel, but because I DON’T KNOW THEM. I don’t know your body issues. I don’t know your friend’s history of sexual abuse. I don’t know your grandfather’s puritanical beliefs. So please, please, let us feed our children quietly and efficiently, because making a big fuss just calls attention to that thing you were trying to avoid seeing.

Finally, thank you all for reminding my why there are laws protecting my child’s right to eat.

Oh–and a great nursing-in-public blog fronm a mans perspective:
http://www.mekeliki.com/behavior/breast-feeding-in-public/

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:14:42 +0000

This isn’t about the Mother’s modesty, smoking rights, gay rights or sex. It is about the LAW. She has everyright to breastfeed in public and is protected in Indiana under that law. Everyone else can go suck on a lemon. Any lawyer worth his salt could sue the pants off of Olive Garden. I’m not a lawyer either. I’m a Mother who breastfed 3 children and a Obstetric Registered Nurse and I support breastfeeding anywhere, anytime when your baby is hungry in Indiana.

By: Patty

Patty — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:07:56 +0000

@TheFeministBreeder:
But hiding your bigotry behind some Puritanical belief system is just about what I expect from your kind.
Read that sentence, It’s oxi-moronic…. “My Kind” now who’s the Bigot? Sorry about this Karyis, but The Feminist Breeder, is also an Idiot Breeder. You didn’t even read what I said, you’re filled with hate and can’t see passed it. I don’t give a Flying “F” about offending anyone while NIP, I worry about the person who might get sexally arroused by it, and don’t be naive enough to think they’re not out there, or maybe that’s what you want to do in the first place. And as far as exposing a big boob, Feminist Breeder, you are a BIG BOOB. Please just stay right where you are, safe inside your house at the computer.
Bye Ladies, it’s been a slice. Now, although I’m not lactating, I’m going to go breastfeed my gardener..I am afterall “Puritanical” WTF?

By: C Lo

C Lo — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:03:37 +0000

Karyis

I think we can agree on that.

I will say that one point that can come out of it is that it should be socially unacceptable to persecute women for NIP. So, I can also see the reasoning behind “calling a spade a spade”, so to speak. It’s not especially nice to call these people names, but it does make an effective point.

By: Kayris

Kayris — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:57:12 +0000

When *I* was a new mom and attempting to NIP for the first time, I went way back to the layaway dept of the store I was in and found a deserted bench in a deserted corner. I was still new at it, and also didn’t want anyone to see my mushy postpartum tummy. Plus, I needed to look at the latch to get it right. And just as I’m about to get him latched on, this man showed up and stood there and kept glancing at me. And I was like, “Is he staring at me? Waiting for someone? What the hell, I went to all this effort to find a spot with no one around and now he’s going to stare?” And finally I said to hell with it, pulled up my shirt and fed my baby and when I looked again, the guy was gone. So who knows, maybe he was lost or maybe he just wanted to see a breast, but if he had complained I would have been really pissed. If I went to all that effort to be discreet and then some guy shows up and happens to see my boob because he’s STARING at me and it makes him uncomfortable, then tough shit.

I must have misunderstood the previous commenters post then, because she made it sound like she’s spoiling for a fight.

I have no problem with women who feed any which way they want, and I fully support a woman’s right to do so. And had I been in that Olive Garden, I would have stood up for the mother, even though she was feeding in a manner than I wouldn’t have chosen.

I’m just saying that the name calling isn’t neccesary. If I disgree with someone and they call me a shithead, I’m not going to suddenly see their point because they got nasty. A lot of things are generational. My MIL had her first child, my husband, in the early 70s when no one was breastfeeding. And while I may not identify with her being uncomfortable and I may not agree, it certainly doesn’t make her a bad person or a horrible person or a jerkwad or any of the other names I’ve seen directed at people who may be a little uncomfortable with the idea of an exposed breast in public.