People Explain How They Feel About Women Breastfeeding Openly In Restaurants
Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay |
As if being a mom isn't hard enough, why does society want to heap on more stress. Women who can breastfeed need to be able to breastfeed. They need to do it whenever and wherever.
This has been a contentious, dramatic issue for generations. Some people just can't handle a boob out in public. A boob that is nourishing a child, I might add. When you're hungry, you don't want to wait, so why should a mom, make her baby wait until a more "appropriate" time?
God grow up.
Redditor u/Brace4Landing wanted to chat about what women have to do what they do, by asking:
What are your thoughts about women breastfeeding openly in restaurants?
Ok!
Cartoon Yes GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy"Breastfeeding, sure no problem. Changing diapers on the table/booth/chair, no freaking way. There's a reason most bathrooms have a change table."
- LuntiX
Be Clean
"As long as you don't leave your dirty flip-flops on the table that's disgusting."
"Last week I was at a cafe terrace and I saw a woman breastfeeding her baby and afterwards changing the diaper on the table (which was a tad odd since they have a nice changing room there). After she left I noticed she left the dirty diaper on her plate, didn't even bother to close it up."
- domin8r
Silence
"A baby can't scream with a mouthful, so I'd say it's a win-win."
"My son used to do the same. The thing is his twin would get right to feeding and would stimulate the let down on his boob too, so it would be 20 seconds of screaming and 30 seconds of vague drowning noises before he clicked that food was happening."
Who Cares?
"The baby's gotta eat. Plus I don't even pay enough attention to other people to even notice or give a crap either way."
- Jikal
"I agree lol!! I've noticed moms breastfeeding their babies at a restaurant maybe a grand total of TWO times in my whole life, and I go out to eat all the time. However, I ALWAYS notice when a baby is screeching so loud nobody can enjoy their meal."
"I don't even mean just crying, I mean that SCREECH they do sometimes where if you're anywhere close to them you can't even continue talking, you just have to stop and WAIT for the kid to finish. (I promise I don't hate kids LOL this is just my opinion)."
No Adults
Oh No You Didnt GIF by happydogGiphy"Acceptable if she's breastfeeding her baby, weird if she's doing so with her husband."
- maajyc
So far, so normal. Stay in your own conversation. If you're that interested about another person, you're sounding like a stalker.
Whateves
Let It Go Whatever GIF by Hannah Bronfman Giphy"The more it happens the less people will care."
Couple Issues
"I was once breastfeeding my daughter on the beach, aside from my boob being *kind of* out (mostly blocked by the baby) I was wearing shorts and a shirt, more covered than most of the people on the beach. Apparently a dude started watching me that I didn't notice and his girlfriend took offense to it."
"She started to approach me, but my mom was with us and gave her the stink eye to end all stink eyes. I have to think if they had been just a little more exposed to breast feeding this wouldn't have been anything. I'm also 99% sure that incident resulted in the couple fighting."
When in Public
"I walked with my head down the majority of my life because I felt like everyone was staring at me as I'm a very tall female. Started looking up a few years ago and realized how very wrong I was. I cared WAY more about this made up scenario in my head while assuming the worst and causing MYSELF to feel shame over it- than anyone else ever cared about my height. We're all busy doing our own thing and I don't think MOST people care about women breastfeeding in public as people think they do."
The Best Questions To Ask During A Job Interview | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
In the UK...
"I went to a mall in London, England once with a room dedicated for baby care. There were comfortable chairs and a microwave and sink. There were also little rooms with rocking chairs and low light floor lamps. Now, I would feed my baby wherever the hell I needed to, but this was luxury."
Free!
Mothers Day Mama GIF by reactionseditorGiphy"I'd rather a happy baby having a meal than a hungry miserable baby screaming and crying for nourishment. I am however against the restaurant charging an opening fee."
Didn't Notice
"You know, I don't think I've ever noticed anyone breast feeding. I'm sure I've seen it happen while I was out but I've never noticed. I think that says something about the people who do make a big deal out of it."
"So often it just looks like they're holding the baby. You usually can't see anything. There were a couple times random people struck up conversations with me while I was nursing in public, and I could tell they had absolutely no idea."
Cover Up
"As a woman, I think women should be able to feed their baby wherever. As a matter of personal preference though, I always cover up. I have had soo many creeps stare at me that I don't like to openly do it."
"I have breastfed in public before, and would continue to do so if I had children who were nursing. I always used the two-shirt method to keep myself as covered as possible, which was for my comfort as my breast was much larger than my baby's head."
In America...
"Just to add to this... In America, public breastfeeding is protected by federal law and state law - in all the states."
"In so many comment sections, I always come across the argument that the federal law only protects breastfeeding in public so women can't breastfeed in restaurants or stores because they're private property—the law must only apply to municipal parks and government buildings. I tell them to look at the text of the law because it doesn't say "public", it says "anywhere the mother is otherwise permitted to be", like a publicly-accessible-yet-privately-owned store. Idiots."
Who cares?
mind it talk show GIF by iOne DigitalGiphy"I try not to think about other people's business. Especially stuff that doesn't affect me in any way."
Gotta Eat
"I think everyone, including babies, should be able to eat in restaurants."
"Restaurants should also set policies though. I'm cool with those that allow everyone, but it's fair as well to have adults-only restaurants. Kids can be quite disturbing. As long as policies are disclosed, s'aulgood, man!"
- Bytewave
Drink Up
"It's pretty much the same as any customer. Don't disturb the other guests and you are fine. So drink up little human. At least you are silent."
"This is the most reasonable. As long as you aren't making a scene while doing it, it's not a problem. If you take your boob out and then wait for someone to look and then decide to throw a fit, then you should be thrown out just like any other unruly customer."
Summer in the South, fun!
"My thoughts are that I hope she doesn't give a crap what anybody else thinks when she breastfeeds her child in a restaurant."
- MRS300
"I am extremely self conscious about it because I've had people make nasty comments to me while feeding my baby in a restaurant (and elsewhere). If my baby gets hungry, I don't give a f**k about anyone else. I will always feed my hungry baby no matter what, no matter where."
"I even wear specific nursing tops so no boob is visibly exposed. For this reason, and the fact that the baby gets hot and uncomfortable (Summer in the South, fun!), I also refuse to cover with a blanket. However, I always feel judged and frowned upon for doing so. It's just hard not to."
be clean...
Sick Black And White GIF by Fleischer StudiosGiphy"Breastfeeding = fine. Not washing your hands in the bathrooms? Not cool."
On Display
"If we look at high fashion we see women with stickers covering their breasts. In high street fashion it is acceptable to expose any part of the breast as cleavage, sideboob, underboob. Basically the only part of the woman's breast we've censored is the nipple, which I find especially odd given that's the bit men have as well. Regardless, in this case the baby's mouth covers the nipple so the breast on display isn't anything out of the norm really, and even if the nipple were out, get over it."
It is what it is. Be free ladies. Whatever keeps the kid quiet, works for most of us. Do as you need.
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Mom's Foster Kitten Acts As Her 'Lactation Assistant' By Kneading Her Breasts In Viral Video
It's a common saying that it takes a village to raise a child.
But according to one animal foster mom, what's to say that our village can't also include our furry kids?
Carley Sercovich, 32, a new mother and a long-time foster mom to animals in need, posted an adorable video on Instagram of one of her foster cats helping her breastfeed her then 10-week-old son, Foster, who was named for her love of fostering animals.
In the video, the foster kitten, Doppel, can be seen massaging at Sercovich's breast, effectively making the milk flow for Foster to breastfeed.
Sercovich confided:
"The first time Doppel tried to help me I thought it was very funny and sweet."
Doppel's actions were typical for a young kitten, doing what many call "kneading" or "making dough," which is common for kittens who find themselves in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
Nonetheless, the moment was adorable, and Sercovich felt the need to record it so she would have something to remember Doppel by after he was adopted by his forever family.
You can watch the video here:
Sercovich shared that Doppel and Foster had a lot in common in their time together, and that this became a frequent bonding occurrence between the three of them.
Sercovich said:
"Doppel was one of our first foster kittens and was born around the same time as my son. They were both around 10 weeks old when I took the video."
Doppel has since found a home with a loving forever family.
Sercovich confided that Doppel will always have a special place in her heart, and the video holds a special memory of him.
Sercovich said:
"Doppel was always such a sweet and affectionate foster kitten. I was so proud of him for being gentle."
Since Doppel's adoption, Sercovich has made it a regular practice of taking videos and pictures of her son, Foster, with their various foster pets, surely for ways to keep the memories alive after they've found forever homes, and to ensure that all of them do find those homes.
Here's another adorable video of Foster with the fosters:
The comments have been resoundingly positive and heartwarming on all of Sercovich's posts of her son with the foster animals.
@fostersfurryfosters / Instagram
@fostersfurryfosters / Instagram
@fostersfurryfosters / Instagram
@fostersfurryfosters / Instagram
The moment between the little boy and his foster kitten is such an incredibly sweet moment, particularly in a fast world full of negative news.
Hopefully Carley Sercovich will continue to share sweet videos and photos of her foster pets, and they will all find forever homes.
Looking for a more permanent kitten and cuddle buddy, the Oh So Soft Kitty Cat is available here.
Amazon
Runner Breaks 268-Mile Marathon Record While Pumping Milk For Her Breastfeeding Daughter
Last week, runner Jasmin Paris became the first to cross the 268-mile Montane Spine Race finish line, which has been long regarded as one of the world's toughest endurance races.
Paris not only won, she did it while breastfeeding her 14-month-old daughter.
We know what you're thinking:
Wait, what?
Yes, you read that correctly. Jasmin Paris is a certified badass.
She beat 136 other competitors, including 125 men, from 15 different countries while shattering the former record by 12 hours..
Our Montane Spine Race 2019 winner and course record breaker, Jasmin Paris, is been getting a lot of well-deserved… https://t.co/4kmHkDKO92— Montane Spine Race (@Montane Spine Race) 1547733353
Paris, a 35-year-old small animal veterinarian from Edinburgh, Scotland told The Guardian that she had planned to wean her daughter before the race began, but that two back-to-back viral infections altered her plans.
Baby Rowan refused to take anything except milk for five days, so Paris had to keep breastfeeding her to avoid mastitis.
"I had to express during the race so it didn't get uncomfortable," she said.
"At the first checkpoint, it slowed me down a lot and I had to hurry afterwards to catch back up."
"In the end, it was less of a problem than I'd feared," she added, noting that she produced less milk as the race progressed, which made expressing quicker.
The hardest part, she said, was the first 24 hours of the 82 hour race.
"It's weird, but I missed my family most then, and I still had so far to go," she said, revealing that she began to experience hallucinations due to a lack of sleep.
"On the final section, I kept seeing animals appearing out of every rock. And I kept forgetting what I was doing out there."
Episode 6 - Spine Race 2019 - Winner Jasmin Pariswww.youtube.com
Paris has spoken about the difficulties of returning to competitive running after giving birth, saying she struggled after sustaining injuries and that it was hard to set aside time to train while contending with a lack of sleep.
In a blog post dated January 5, she wrote:
"When I first started training again it was a bit of a shock to discover how unfit I'd become, friends I'd run with comfortably in the past now seemed impossibly fast."
"Trying to do too much too soon, I picked up a tendon injury and had to reconcile myself to the gym for two miserable months."
"With the return of the light came a return to the fells, but all too soon also a return to work. Training became a juggling act with baby time, training frequently taking second place, or losing out altogether."
"To reconcile the two, I started to train from 5-6.30am before work, whilst my little family were cosy warm in bed, but it wasn't easy, especially after a night of broken sleep (our offspring is not of the 'sleep through the night' variety)."
Many have praised Paris on social media, lauding her as an inspiration (she won the race while taking a week-long break from writing her Ph.D. thesis).
An amazing outright course record for Jasmin Paris, who makes history by becoming the first female winner of the… https://t.co/LkSZ84YWHw— Trail Running Mag (@Trail Running Mag) 1547667064
This is truly epic. Woman wins mixed (men and women) 286 mile ultramarathon, EVEN THOUGH SHE STOPPED TO PUMP BREAST… https://t.co/zj11XuTz9Z— Emma Graham-Harrison (@Emma Graham-Harrison) 1547729582
I'm in awe of Jasmin Paris who last night won what is arguably Britain's toughest endurance race. 268 miles over mo… https://t.co/TbTX10UngQ— Mike Bentley (@Mike Bentley) 1547715454
"Everything is starting to hurt now but it's not that far anymore," Paris said during the race, according to race officials.
"Once I get to the finish, I'll have my little girl there."
An inspiration indeed.
Airline Attendant Breastfeeds Baby After Mom Runs Out Of Formula—And She's A Sky High Hero
Flight attendant Patrisha Organo knew her flight on Tuesday, November 6, was an important one: she was finishing her final certifications and tests to become a assistant line administrator. Before the flight was over, however, circumstances would call upon her to step up in a way very few flight attendants ever have, and the story of how she rose to the occasion is inspiring people all over the world.
During her flight, which took place in the early morning, Organo heard the sound of a baby crying and knew immediately it was because the baby was hungry. She told Yahoo! Lifestyle:
"You know the difference between a cry of hunger, a cry of sleepiness, or a cry of something else."
A new mother herself, Organo approached the crying baby and its mother, asking if the baby needed to eat. The mother revealed tearfully that she had run out of formula to feed her child. Organo told the story in a Facebook post:
"Passengers started looking and staring at the tiny, fragile crying infant. There's no formula milk onboard. I thought to myself, there's only one thing I could offer and that's my own milk."
After checking with her supervisors, Organo pitched her plan to the mother, who emphatically responded "Yes, yes!" Organo then led the mother and baby to a secluded private area where she could feed the little girl:
"The other passengers had no idea what was going on. The baby was so hungry, the way she latched on."
The mother was immensely relieved her child was now able to eat, something Organo can empathize with, considering her own early struggles with breastfeeding:
"In my early days of breastfeeding, I would really like to give up, but because I have the strong support of my husband, I kept going. He kept encouraging me. It was a storm of emotion and without my husband's support, I could never do it."
Organo posted about the entire encounter on Facebook, hoping to help normalize breastfeeding but having no idea her post would go viral and inspire a deluge of accolades and shock. As of the writing of this article, the post has been shared over 35k times and has garnered around 173k reactions on Facebook.
"When I posted that on Facebook, it was to inspire other people and to normalize breastfeeding...I am so overwhelmed with the positive comments!"
Beautiful story, and something I'm sure any one of us mums would have done if we could! The drive to nurture is so… https://t.co/hMv2Ol3sU5— DaisyBirthShrewsbury (@DaisyBirthShrewsbury) 1541866030.0
This flight attendant breastfeeding a passenger's hungry baby is our new hero 👏 https://t.co/Wwpl0pwrjj— Aliza Jimenez-Garcia (@Aliza Jimenez-Garcia) 1541840223.0
now this is real news so compassionate https://t.co/5tNGMeWm2V #FoxNews— rwadyko (@rwadyko) 1541787314.0
@Yahoo That is amazing. That was vary loving on her part.— jim johnson (@jim johnson) 1541860749.0
This flight attendant deserves a promotion. https://t.co/veIpkr6cNe— David W Cole (@David W Cole) 1541773699.0
On that day, Organo truly stepped up to help her passengers. Not only did she manage to gain internet virality, she also passed her evaluation as a line administrator! All in all, it was an incredibly successful flight.