Received Monday, February 11, 2008-DAYCARE Warnings
I would like to alert people using or thinking of using the LA Fitness Kids Club in downtown Evanston, IL. I called their corporate headquarters first, since their local management is a joke, and got nowhere. I had read unfavorable things about the Kids Club online, but I went in there one day to scope it out,thinking about it as an occasional option for my 7-month old. It was worse than anything I'd read. The snippy woman running the place was breastfeeding her child with NO backup. Children, including infants,were all around the room with zero supervision. I stood there, waiting for some explanation, a welcome--anything. She stared at me in silence, didn't say a word. A man walked in to drop off his child and she greeted him by saying, "This is my baby, by the way." (Well I would hope a baby on the breast IS your baby.) She went on to say to the man, about his young child, "He can crawl around, I am tied up at the moment." I stood there for another minute or so, was horrified and left. I would like to be anonymous but people may email me -through Jane- with any questions. Thank you for getting this out!
Aren't there laws about the ratio of caregivers to children? I think for infants it is usually 1 to 4. So if there were less than 4 kids there, she could have been within the law, although she needs to learn to BF her baby in a sling so that she can also attend to other children's needs. (I don't think that her BF her baby in and of itself is a problem - would you have been upset to find her holding a baby and feeding it a bottle, similarly unable to attend to other kids?)
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I wouldn't leave my own baby at a place with only one caregiver for multiple infants.
Desperate Wive's Actress Marcia Cross and her nanny:
ReplyDeletehttp://celebritybabies.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/11/marciacross198804_cbb.jpg
ratios in most states only apply to children in care for more than 3 hours
ReplyDeleteSince you mention it more than once, it almost seems like your main issue is the fact that she was breastfeeding her baby.
ReplyDeleteEither way, she should have been paying attention to the children she was being PAID to watch.
As long as she had a eye on the other kids, I see absolutely no problem with her breastfeeding her baby. for all you know she could run a home daycare and do the same thing.
ReplyDelete7:06-You are right about the ratio thing. There is a ratio for every age group, at least in WI.
ReplyDelete1:32-You obviously don't know anything. OP's concern was that this woman wasn't able to handle watching so many children, and therefore, a child, especially an infant, wouldn't get adequate suprvision or he wouldn't get his needs met at all. I have worked in an infant room before, so I know about OP's concerns.
WI ratio for infants-2 year olds, is 1:4, with a maximum group size of 8. What this means 1:32, is that there is 1 caregiver to 4 children under age 2. Your max group size is 8 children, with 2 teachers. And it is not just for children watched more than 3 hours. It is all day. The average center is open from 6a-6p, M-F. Having worked in daycare for many years, I cannot tell you the chaos that happens when there are too mnay children and only 1 teacher. Yeah, in a family daycare you are alone with children, yet there is a thing called organization. This woman obviously couldn't handle the job, which she demonstrated to OP. Her comment was also inappropriate, and she should've had an assistant. What would she have done if a child got hurt? How bout if a child got bit by another child? OH, I forgot, she was ignoring the other children and breast feeding her own child.
from the i don't care responses.... how hillbilly to breast feed in public. and how rude to not aknowledge a client. i can't stand those desk people.
ReplyDeleteNot acknowledging the client is so rude. (Not that being unavailable to watch the kids is in any way OK either.) I hate it when I go into a business and the person behind the counter goes about their business as if I were not even there...making no eye contact or saying hello...and then going leisurely about their business until they are good and finished, and then greeting me as if I had, at the exact moment of their convenience, just then entered the business. I always think that if I owend that business and saw that happen just once, the person who did it would be fired.
ReplyDeleteThis is a bit off subject, but I was wondering what everyone thinks of breast feeding in public? I was taking my kids ice skating a while ago, and a mother just started feeding right there- in the middle of maybe 150 people. I was absolutely shocked. She didn't use a blanket or anything to cover herself, and of course, all of the kids around were making a scene about it.
ReplyDeleteIs it totally improper to breast feed in public?
It's totally normal and appropriate to breatfeed in public, in my opinion. (Although, I do admit that if you don't use a shawl or a blanket or something you do seem guilty of trying to make a scene.)
ReplyDeleteIt's normal, natural and you should have used it as a teaching experience for the kids. Hide your own shock because it's a product of how you were raised and try to do better for the kids you care for.
That is how I feel about it.
I think it's fine if done with respect for the feelings of others in the vicinity. I personally don't think its necessary to have the breast flapping in the breeze, when it is perfectly easy to be discrete and still accomplish the task. In my opinion, "just because you can" is never a reason to make others potentially feel uncomfortable...particularly since this is a very sensitive issue. People of older generations (and many from ours and younger as well) are very uncomfortable seeing the breast of a stranger in public. I think that covering it is an easy and respectful accomodation to make for them.
ReplyDeleteI breastfed in public, because I wasn't going to sit home all day in case my baby got hungry. And I would rather have had my older children continue playing in the park, rather than retreating to a restroom for a half hour to feed baby. However, I always used a baby balnket to cover myself, or even put the baby's head right inside a loose fitting cotton shirt.
unfotunately this EXACT same thing happens at the Easton Lifetime Fitness Children's Daycare ALL THE TIME! It is what made me choose the Dublin one!
ReplyDelete(both are located in Columbus, Ohio)
unfotunately this EXACT same thing happens at the Easton Lifetime Fitness Children's Daycare ALL THE TIME! It is what made me choose the Dublin one!
ReplyDelete(both are located in Columbus, Ohio)
A woman should be able to breast feed when and where she wants. She should NOT have to put a blanket or shawl over her baby, have you ever eaten under a blanket with the main source of breathing coming from your nose, have you ever done that in the 100 degree summers in California? You do that then tell me that a baby should be forced to eat in the heat and the dark.
ReplyDelete11:07- Why were you shocked? I've seen more tits walking down the street and more ass at the mcdonalds playground. If breastfeeding makes someone uncomfortable then don't look, what perv watches someone breastfeed anyways? You don't see any nipple and you barely see any of the top of the breast so why is it so "Oh my God, look at that woman?"
Really, when people stop thinking of the breast as a sexual object this will no longer be a debate. I mean hey it's great that breasts are senual and we get pleasure from them, but first and foremost they were created to nourish our children. They are specifically taylored to keep our babies thriving and healthy.
So the next time you see a wanna-be Paris Hilton walking down the street with more hanging out going on then a local arcade you go and throw a blanket over her, and when you see a BF mother you commend her and her choice to give her child the best possible nutrition she can!
~Lindsey, SAHM in Cali~
Thank you Lindsay!!! This is exactly how I feel!! Love love love!!
DeleteI just wanted to add a big LOL to "Breast flapping in the wind." It's as ridiculous as it sounds.
ReplyDeleteBTW the woman Breastfeeding her child while watching other people's children should not have been doing that if she did not have anyone to tend to the other children while she was pre-occupied.
~Lindsey, SAHM in Cali~
I agree with mom- I think that breast feeding is totally acceptable, and expected, in public, but I do think it's more appropriate to cover yourself while doing so.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I see Lindsey's point, I don't necessarily think it will ever happen. Unfortunately society will never escape the idea of breasts being sexual, or at least not as long as we have men around ;)
And yes, that was a joke, so don't jump down my throat for being sexist please lol.
Now Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteDo you really think that most moms who care enough to breast feed their children are going to wrap a hefty bag, or heavy wool blanket tightly over their child's head and force him to eat in total darkness, without an air supply, in 100 degree weather? Come on. That's as ridiculous as the breasts flapping in the breeze...only I trying to be funny.
Moderation people.
And, yes you have every right to do this natural thing in public. Go ahead if you want. I just tend to be very conscious of how my actions affect others around me...and if all things are equal (as I think they are with a light covering over the breast), I try to defer to the comfort of others.
I had a friend who used to just whip it out and sit there, while I was next to her with my breast covered. Many, many, many times people confronted her angrily about her immodesty. She had a quick comeback for every one of them, and good for her. Me, I always sort of wondered why she didn't just meet them halfway and try to cover up a bit.
Mom- Even a light blanket should not be expected. If the mom so chooses to put others feelings first then it is up to her. She should not have to, and should not be repremanded is she chooses not to. Not covering up is not immodesty.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I think the hefty bag thing was funny!
~Lindsey, SAHM in Cali~
You know, Sex is also a perfectly natural and nice event...intended specifically for the purpose of making those babies that our breasts were designed to feed.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to watch you do that while flapping in the breeze either.
Ratios don't apply in places where the parents are in the same building- such as fitness clubs (if that is really what it is), malls or hair salons. I guess I don't understand why this mom went to check it out when she had heard it was bad anyway. Desperate for a break much?
ReplyDeleteLindsey,
ReplyDeleteOf course, what you say is also right. This is all a matter of personal opinion. But if moms choose to do that then they're going to also be subjected to hearing the unfavorable and unsilicicted opinions of some unwitting and offended viewers...which should also be acceptable (even though I find it rude to actually reprimand the mom as well.) But if the idea is that we each are entitled to do and say what we please no matter what others may think, then what is good for the goose must also apply to the gander.
Offend somebody with your boobs and they might offend you back with their commentary. But really, in the end, this is not a huge issue either way.
NOW, I must get off here and go to the gym...or my boobs really might become the sort with the actual ability to flap in the breeze!
Breastfeeding is normal and healthy for the baby and mother. Why do people make such a big deal about it? Theres nothing sexual about it. Look at the women that walk around with their breasts practically coming out of their shirts and no ones says anything about that. Have you ever watched reality tv. Example: I Love New York. Or Rock of Love, look how their bodies are just out there. But is it that disgusting to have a child nursing from you? I don't think so. Heres is something that is so natural from god and people feel uneasy about it. It makes no sense to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading
and having sex is normal and healthy too? in fact recommended 3 times a week. should i start doing that in public with my husband and say oh- excuse us we're just attempting reproduction. come on people have some class. i make sure to let every breast flapping in the wind person i encounter know how discusted i am. seriously ladies look at the people's faces around you. GROSS! find a mothers room or A/C car for goodness sake- with tinted windows!
ReplyDelete231 Come out for the cloak of anonymity and bare your breasts, ye so that little children of the world; from Lithuania and Nepal may swing upon them like vines and find swiftly the nutrients, so dense, warm and ready for the starving child.
ReplyDeleteWhat's this? The Song of Solomon---LIVE---coming soon to a park bench near you!
ReplyDeleteJust a bit off topic: Last night on the news I saw footage of a woman being strip-searched and I could swear I saw something that was way beyond acceptable for television viewing. Was it just me or did anyone else notice this?
ReplyDeleteOh for heaven's sake. My husband was very adamant that he did not want me to use my breasts as bottles. The whole thing seems quite barbaric, doesn't it? The very notion of women hooked up to pumps, like dairy cows. Senseless.
ReplyDelete3:10:
ReplyDeleteWas your husband OK with using your uterus as an incubator?
LOL
ReplyDelete2:31
ReplyDeleteYour a moron. Grow-up. I am sure people are disgusted looking at your ugly face.
Maybe, one day one of these mothers will slap you silly.
See. This is what I don't get. Some people are offended by the sight of a breast in public and some people are willing to fight for the right to bare their breasts in public. It just seems to me there are better hills to die on than this. Toss a kleenex over it for gosh sakes and save the public brawls for important things...like the next time you are late and need to cut a bunch of people off in traffic to make your appointment on time. At least that serves a useful and practical purpose! What useful is there to be gained by enforcing the right to leave your breast uncovered while feeding a baby, when it bothers a good many people? (For instance, I imagine some 85 year old grandpa would practically have a heart attack on the spot.) It seems like just good manners to me to go ahead and think of their feelings, since it is so very simple to be just the least bit modest.
ReplyDeleteI'm just saying....
3:10, you seem OK with your husband using your brain as a toilet. I'm sure you'll be very happy together!
ReplyDeleteOn the BF topic, I agree with Lindsey. It varies from state to state but in California, the LAW is that a mother is allowed to breastfeed whenever and wherever she chooses. Seriously, would YOU want to eat your lunch standing in the corner of a public bathroom? Not sure why anyone would have a problem with a baby being given their meal and some love? If they do, in this case I say screw 'em. No point in politely accomodating a$$holes at the expense of your own family and self.
mom, LOL about the gym!
mom, we posted at the same time! If an 85 ear old grandpa has never seen a breast before, it's about time he learned what they are for.
ReplyDeleteI don;t think there's anything wrong with breastfeeding in public. It should be encouraged rather than discouraged.
ReplyDeleteBut, while people have mentioned the thrill that some old geezer might get when he sees a glimpse of a young breastfeeding boob, I think actually of the group of 12 year old boys whose day would be made by catching such a glimpse.
AND, a 12 year old boy, much more than an 85 yr old grandpa, needs to be educated about what breasts are for.
ReplyDeleteSo is the consensus is that baring one's breast and recognizing it as a tool for feeding a child is a thing of intelligent and savy people today - or is it archaic?
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 707,
ReplyDeleteIts a good hurt.
Isn't this a free service provided so you can work out? I don't know, I'm just asking. Maybe it is progressive and she is one of the mothers. That sort of community childcare can work. In small sects.
ReplyDeleteCali Mom- Here is CT it is also a LAW for BF moms to be able to nurse wherever, whenever they choose.
ReplyDeleteWe recently had controversy here b/c several young (male), uneducated mall security guards told a nursing mother that she couldn't BF her baby at the mall b/c it was private property and public law does not apply. It was ludocris.
Anyway, after nursing 5 babies, I have no problem nursing in front of anyone. I usually had my babies in a sling, therefore I had a natural covering, but if I happened to not have it, it didn't matter. Nourishing my babies was more important than the comfort of those around me.
1:41- if you had ever been chastised by a middle-aged woman (the age group I have found to most "anti-breastfeeding) you would think that this is a HUGE issue.
Quoting mom:
ReplyDelete''Children are people, and anybody who takes advantage of the fact that they are to young and too small to stand up for themselves is pure scum.''
Hmmm . . . I guess until they become teenagers, mom?
Wow.
ReplyDeletelindsey
ReplyDeletei like your 1:01 post. very funny!
4:01
that will go in my book as: BEST response EVER! Bravo!
i've nursed all three of my children and i'm currently still nursing my three year old. i've just always done it wherever and whenever the babies were hungry. my kids never liked to be covered up with a blanket. the fact is that usually the baby's large head covers the breast once they are latched on. people who have the ability to be scandalized over a baby eating as nature intended need to get a life or just avert their eyes. breastfeeding needs to be normalized and encouraged in this country.
ReplyDeleteLindaLou (looks like we can't do nicknames right now.)
click on :
ReplyDeleteName/URL and type in moniker.
I was laughing at some of the posts, especially the "Song Of Solomon", and the brain as a toilet. I personally thing that women should cover up while breastfeeding in public. I have nothing against breastfeeding, yet, when I was a nanny, the mother breastfed a 9 month old, and what offended me was that if she was out and called the house to see how things were going, she might hear the baby cry before I put him down for nap and race home to feed him. I usually rocked him to sleep if she wasn't home, and it took awhile, yet he went to sleep. What offended me was that she hired me 2 days per week, and she didn't let me do my job. It was like she really didn't need the help, to be honest.
ReplyDelete3:14-Breastfeeding a 3 year old? Um, you really need help. He is 3 years old, not 3 months. Do you change his diapers and clean his booty? Do you feed him? Your son will have problems.
C'mon Missdee, don't be so archaic. Don't you know that most Drs. recommend breastfeeding up UNTIL 3 yrs. of age, IF possible? Heck, I once even saw a mom breastfeed her 5 y.o.! Now that is WAY too old! I had to ask her: How old is your daughter? She answered like it was nothing. I admit that at her age, I about fell over. But not 3 y.o., I think that should definately be the cut-off.
ReplyDeleteBut any die-hard BF will tell you to go to hell and that she will do it as long as she pleases!
I would've loved to have gone until my son was 2, but could only make it to 6 mo. because of health reasons.
On a side note:
Did you know the Ancient Egyptians
thought breastmilk was magical and BF their children (and they also shared in the breastfeeding of each others children!) ... until they were teenagers?
Just something I read awhile ago that I thought was interesting ...
there are loads and loads of benefits to extended breastfeeding should you care to research them. i'm sure you have a search engine. i couldn't care less if anyone else approves. i know that i'm doing a warm, wonderful, healthful thing for my children. it's something that should be the norm, but isn't in our country. children should nurse until a minimum of 2, and as long thereafter as the mother and child choose. scientist discover more and more benefits for both mother and child every day.
ReplyDeleteback to the OP, I think the problem has nothing to do w/ breastfeeding, if this woman was bottlefeeding her child but in such a way that she could not appropriately take care of the other kids, THAT is the problem. both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding can be done in such a way that you are not totally incapacitated for the duration of the feeding, and I don't mean propping bottles, but just being creative and also realizing baby will be ok if he has to be un-latched from the breast or bottle while mom attends to something else. now the exception would be a newborn but anyone with a brand new baby should not be doing childcare with that baby in tow IMO, that just seems like a recipe for illness
ReplyDeleteI agree with the modest approach. I breast fed all three of my children and I bought nursing tops and jackets that allowed me to discretely breastfeed. The baby wasn't suffocated, but I wasn't exposed. Motherwear.com has made a fortune on me since with the gaps in my kids, I was breastfeeding for over four years straight. (Although I would never bf a five year old--longest I made it to was 2 years and shortest was 9 months because he was a biter--ouch)
ReplyDeleteLindaLou: OK, yeah, whatever. My psych professor said that 3 is too old to nurse. I think over 18 months is too old to nurse, and no, I don't have any kids. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMissDee
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that you are allowing your Psych Professor so much influence. Who says that since he has a Degree that he's absolutely right?
I suggest taking the opinion of a dozen breastfeeding Mothers, and then coming to your own conclusion.
Or how about once HE breastfeeds, he can make such a statement.
Or better yet, once you decide to have kids of your own ... figure out how long YOU want to breastfeed. I guarantee once you have a little life depending on you to sustain him for comfort, warmth and love ... you just might change your mind! ☺
oh, brother! i'm sure the *psych professor* bit isn't true and certainly not worth debating, especially with someone who doesn't even have kids. like i already stated, the info is out there should she chose to educate herself. hopefully she'll chose to do that before she has children, for their sake.
ReplyDeleteMissDee, get over yourself. I'm glad to hear you don't have kids. I worry about the fact that you consider yourelf capable of taking responsibility for OTHER people's kids.
ReplyDeleteAt my son's preschool, there are several children between 3 and 4 who are still in diapers. (Including mine.) Should they be shipped off to baby Boot Camp and taught a lesson because you bought into all the crap your "psych" professor read from some books? Children reach different developmental milestones at different ages. If you've never heard that, let alone observed it, you have about 20 more years of schooling ahead of you before you should consider yourself knowledgeable in child develoopment.
You go, girl!
ReplyDeleteCali mom is %100 RIGHT!
BTW, my son was potty trained at 2. Decided after about a week he didn't like it and reverted. (He just wasn't ready).
ReplyDeleteHe finally decided at 3 1/2 that he wanted to try again, and wanted to wear 'big boy' underwear.
Never push a child, they will let you know when they're ready. It's not a contest, folks.
I am soooo glad to hear that the "potty training babies as they exit the womb" phase is apparently OVER.
ReplyDeleteI got so much crap from people when I moved to Texas with an UNpotty trained 2yr4mo old BOY. Apparently the whole neighborhood full of two year olds were already trained (or so I was informed, with many an upturned eyebrow)...and there was much social status to be gained here by having your children in undies before age 2. It had not been like that in California at all. I was shocked. We went ahead and waited, despite the social stigma. One day, somewhere abouts his third birthday...a little after I think, he told me he wanted big boy underwear and that was that. So easy. (Hafta say it helped immensely though that he wanted to be like his big bro. First one is the hardest...after that it's all "peer pressure.")
I don't know mom, I think "elimination communication" is very much still in vogue with some people.
ReplyDeleteI don't personally see the allure in helping a newborn "use the potty", but that's just me!
And WRT breastfeeding, why the heck can't people just accept that every woman/parenting unit is different, and that people will make different decisions based on what they feel is best for baby , mom, and the family?
I don't throw blankets over women who breastfeed in public, and in return I expect to not be yelled at for bottle feeding.
True story: I am feeding my charge, 12 weeks old or so, in a "mother's room". A woman comes in, starts to breastfeed her kid, and sneers at me. I smile and say hi, and she tells me formula is bad for babies, and asks why I am not BF'ing. I simply say "I can't." (because it's none of her business who I am or what I do with my boobs.)
She starts off on this lecture about how anyone can BF, it's easy, and it's not too late, and she'd be happy to set me up with people who can help me "re-lactate", blahdeblah.
When she stops yammering long enough to breathe, I say, "I can't because I did not give birth to this child, but thanks."
"Oh, lots of adoptive mother..."
"I am her NANNY. Her parents make the feeding decisions. Not me. And I highly doubt that they would appreciate mo going all "Hand That Rocks the Cradle" on them."
Then she shut up, and my charge finished eating so that I could RUN away from the crazy lady.
Chick,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely hilarious:
... "going all "Hand That Rocks the Cradle" on them."
I remember when I was around 6 or 7 months pregnant a group called "The La Leche League" got their claws into me. I showed interest in breastfeeding and I swear they turned 'cult-like' ... kind of like the lady you described.
I know they meant well, but being a new Mom ... they totally came at me fast and hard and I got real nervous and ran the other way.
And yes ... I was able to breastfeed just fine without them!
Chick, LOL! And MPP, oh yeah...La Leche League. They are MORE than fanatical about the topic.
ReplyDeleteI do wish I could have BF my little boy more and longer but due to medications I take, doctors wanted me to hold off for a bit while he was still in the hospital, so they could decide how much he'd be affected by traces of the medication in my milk. THEN, I did it as much as I could but was never able to produce copious amounts and also didn't want Daddy to miss out on the feeding aspect AND didn't want to have the problem my best friend had, which was she was never able to be away fom any of her babies for more than 2 hours at a time for about 6 years because none of them would EVER take a bottle. So it is what it is. And another friend of mine has encountered snotty looks while bottle feeding her baby, so people do need to just accept some differences.
Cali mom
ReplyDeleteI had your same exact problem. After I had my son, I wanted to "do the right thing for my baby", and breastfeed until he was at least 2.
Didn't happen.
I lasted only a few months because of the medication I was on. And let me tell you ... it was hard. I was able to breast feed only a few meals myself, the others I had to pump because I had to wait a certain amount of time before & after I took my meds. so that it wouldn't pass through the breastmilk.
At first I felt like such a failure, but my sons Pediatrician made me feel so much better by saying that the colestrum (the "gold" before the milk comes down) ... is the most important, and every day after that is a bonus.
I had no control over the way it went, but I definately know I did the best I could.
And by the way ... the new baby formulas came out right about that time with the DHA (found in breastmilk), so that also helped to take the sting out of it.
You can claim it's a natural thing so it's okay to do in public, but pooping is natural and I wouldn't take a dump in a restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI suppose my opinion is shaped by the fact that everyone in my family was bottle fed.
I worked at a children's event last summer and a lady whipped'em out to feed her kid. I'm NOT comfortable with that, and my knees weakened and I nearly dropped when I saw this. It's natural, you want to do it... My not being okay with it doesn't make me a jerk. It's something I've been raised with. It's horrifying for me to see, but where is the consideration for ME? I can look the other way, but that doesn't take away the initial startle. I really think women should go off out of sight to do this. Face a wall maybe. Their kid will get fed and I won't feel traumatized.
And yes, I have my own child. He was bottle fed and he's perfectly healthy.
hellcat,
ReplyDeleteyour version of logic is ridicluous. i can't believe you would compare having a bowel movement with feeding a baby. really, it grosses you out less that you feed your child cow lactation? @@.
btw, you don't have the g-d given right to be accomodated and made comfortable for every second of your life. just because you are uncomfortable doesn't make the nursing mother wrong. what makes you a jerk is your suggestion that everyone ought to cater to you. if you don't like it, maybe you should be the one to face the wall or go somewhere out of sight.
You said it LindaLou. If hellcat is so grossed out by seeing people eat, I'm surprised it ever goes into a restaurant to begin with. And if one person out of 100 is upset by something, sorry but the one should deal and not expect the 99 others to accomodate its squeamishness and insecurities.
ReplyDeletelindalou I'm proud of you!
ReplyDeletewhat a great post!
i couldn't have said it better!!
Lindalou
ReplyDeleteCow lactation? That is perfectly gross ... now I can't eat my cereal!
Love your post! ☺
Guys,
ReplyDeleteI think this is really one subject where people on both sides of the issue have a perfect right to their opinions and that neither side is perfectly right or wrong.
Breastfeeding is perfectly natural and great for the babies when it can be done. (And thank goodness for formula because think of how many babies probably died in times past when the mom didn't make enough milk and had no idea why baby was not thriving. Not everybody can do it. It's not a character flaw to be unable to breastfeed.
People who were raised with a high degree of modesty probably cannot help being a little squeamish about seeing a breast in public.
On the other hand, it is feeding a baby. I personally hid my breast (I was one of those raised to be exceptionally modest)...but that doesn't mean everybody else has to. I also don't like confrontation or to anger people...but if you're willing to take it to the mats on this one...OK. For me, it wasn't worth it to fight over.
Plus, for me, my breasts were quite something to behold just before a feeding....but after the baby was done eating, not so much. I guess if I had my choice I would rather have "accidentally exposed the "good" one while baby chowed down on the other side!
I don't have a problem with seeing women breastfeed at all. If you want to completely uncover in an all women setting why not (we all have them so why feel embarassed), but who would want their breasts exposed in front of strange men? To men, breasts ARE sexual, and I would have had a problem with guys other than my husband looking at my breasts.
ReplyDeleteDUH! I KNOW children reach developmental milestones at different ages, and it was my Developmental Psych professor, who is a MOTHER and that stated she thought 3 was too old to nurse. It was an OPINION, so everyone chill out!
ReplyDeleteMissDee said...
ReplyDelete3:14-Breastfeeding a 3 year old? Um, you really need help. He is 3 years old, not 3 months. Do you change his diapers and clean his booty? Do you feed him? Your son will have problems.
9:11 AM
Uh, yeah. Just repeating your psych professor's opinion on breastfeeding. Thanks for clarifying.
That's a good point. Who's opinion is it? Yours, or are you just regurgitating?
ReplyDeleteAnd no need to get mad ...
Who's mad?
ReplyDeleteMissDee's most recent comment was that she was simply relaying her psych professor's opinion on breastfeeding. I quoted her earlier comment to remind her that there was a bit more to it than that.
LOL
ReplyDeleteNOT YOU cali, sorry. I thought your post was dead on! My comment was to missdee.
Oh, OK! :)
ReplyDeleteI wish any of this was addressed to the original post, because it isn't so much the breastfeeding in public that is the issue, it is that there were infants in the room not being supervised, kids running around, and really...if you walked into a playroom and the caregiver told you to leave your baby on the floor while she attended to her own child, wouldn't you be taken aback?
ReplyDeleteSo true, but some subjects tend to be very delicate ... and obviously, breastfeeding is one of them.
ReplyDeleteROFL
ReplyDeleteI have to say, this has been very amusing and you all had me rolling on the floor.
Yes, this is a very touchy subject but I also see nothing gross or disgusting about a mother breast feeding.
Personally, I find that mothers breast feeding their children is beautiful and nurturing. Not that I sit there and gawk with the hopes of seeing "breasts flapping in the wind", but it's the idea behind the fact that we still have mother's that are willing to go through the pain and aggravation with the thought in mind that they want what's best for their children.
Many of my friends chose bottle feeding over breast feeding because of the embarassment, the leaking breasts when the baby wasn't around to feed, the pain (soreness), etc.
The fact is, babies that are breast fed tend to have more connection with thier mothers, there is more nutrients in mother's breast milk (provided they eat properly), breast fed babies tend to have higher immune systems than bottle fed babies.
I find women's bodies to be a beauty to behold, and I am not a lesbian, but I know beauty when I see it. A mother who can be selfless enough to breast feed (if she can) is a beautiful thing indeed.
It is my opinion that men that cannot handle the sight of a woman breast feeding is a man that has sexuality issues.
We, as women, have been blessed with beauty and blessed with the ability to procreate and to nurture what we have created.
It's sad that our society in this country views nurturing as an embarassment or "gross" and liken it to "milking cows".
It's no wonder we have to teach "sensitivity" in this day and age because it's gross and uncomfortable to see someone who has the ability to nurture.
This is a disgrace!
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that these places don't care a hell about the kids they look after. I have seen babies crying and the staff just forgetting to give them breast milk.
....places like gym daycares many times will NOT allow food in the "day care" because it isn't a true day care. At my LA Fitness they will page you if your kid is in need of food, a diaper, or is out of control/inconsolable.
DeleteThe woman who runs our LA Fitness kids center in Chicago is amazing. However, one of the others in town, the woman who ran the center was horrible and on her phone the entire time I worked out and was yelling at a girl for crying. We never went back to that location after that. I did speak to management.
As a parent we just have to keep our eyes open and be aware and observant.
what the hell? it's like people came on here immediately wanting to argue with the original poster. geez she wasn't making it about the woman breastfeeding. if the woman was sitting down at the desk breastfeeding she clearly wasn't tending to the kids. is she wasn't walking around feeding her child and watching the other kids she should not have her child there. did you guys even read the rest of what she said? she was using the job to have the benefit of bringing her on kid with no regard for the other kids.
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