Eating in Public. A national scandal...

TV's Seoige & O'Shea 'Talking Point' from 11 March - is breastfeeding in public appropriate?

Give me a break. What's next? 'Sleeping in Beds - good or bad?' or perhaps 'Breathing - best done behind closed doors?'

It's depressing that the debate hasn't moved beyond this. Yes, some people persist in the view that breastfeeding equates to public indecency, conveniently forgetting that breasts were created for the purpose of feeding children; not lads' mags. But we're surely past the stage of arguing that breastfeeding is natural? The right to breastfeed in public is already enshrined in the law.

Worst of all is the argument that it's discreet. (Women who actually breastfeed know that it's generally the flabby midriff that gets a public airing when whipping up a top and not the boob). But this promise of discretion is unhelpful; it lends support to the idea that it's somehow unsavoury to feed a baby. It's not a floorshow. It's lunch. 

The majority of breastfeeding mothers will tell you that they have little or no negative response to feeding in public. It's rare for someone to experience harassment or molestation in this context. They are far more likely to experience resistance from their own (often well meaning) friends and family, asking 'are you still feeding?' or 'how long are you going to keep this up?' as though they were only doing it to prove a point.

All of this chat about public feeding merely serves to distract from the real reasons that breastfeeding rates are so low in this country -  the shortage of midwives and lactation consultants in our maternity hospitals, the inconsistency of the advice being dispensed  and the sporadic, poorly funded support in the community which comes from overworked and underresourced public health nurses. There's not a whole lot of benefit in having weekly support clinics on a Tuesday - particularly if you're the new mother experiencing a midnight crisis of confidence on a Thursday. If more women get the support they need at the outset, more women will breastfeed. In turn, more women will be exposed to other breastfeeding mothers and the feeding culture will begin to change.

It's time to address the real issue which is how babies are fed, not where. That's just geography. 

While I completely agree with the 'Breathing in Public' premise - especially in regard to Seoige and O Shea, god help them, this is an issue for a lot of women who are breastfeeding for the first time in their families. They come from communities who bottle feed - they don't have role models in their mothers, sisters, aunts or friends. In fact they have a lot of negative or ignorant responses, and they don't necessarily have the answers to hand that will negate those undermining comments.

For them, feeding in public is a huge issue, one that makes them sweat, and shake, and feed only ebm, and give up feeding.

Not that the moronic 'discussion' on the show is a help, I agree that there should be no debate - but it is certaily an issue.

For those of us who feed in public wihtout fear or discomfort - we're doing something educational, polictical even, sad as it may seem.

So while there is no need to debate it, there is lots of need to talk about it.

Jo, you're right, you're right, you're right! The cheek of me - who am I to tell people what to talk about? But my problem with talking about feeding in public is that it somehow legitimises the argument against. I think we need to narrow the focus - breastfeeding in public is a matter of confidence. Give a woman the necessary skills and support and she will feel confident doing it, even allowing for that initial wobbly period. Other women will see her doing it and absorb it consciously and/or subconsciously. Over time it will become the norm.

Start with the antenatal and postpartum support and the rest will come. The first hour of my son's life was spent with my midwife teaching me how to feed. At the time I was none too impressed. The baby was completely stealing my thunder. I wanted to put him down (on the floor perhaps?) and say "Look at me! I've just given BIRTH! Let's drink champagne and talk about how clever I am.' But looking back, it was among the most wisely invested hours of my life. I'm very grateful for the support I had. It made the difference.

Yep - one word: imprinting!

I had that on the floor feeling too - I just wanted to get the bloody placenta out of me and stop those unamusing post birth contractions. Then get comfy, THEN have the baby.

I agree completely about not arguing pros and cons. I still hear some silly bloodly comments about it on RC though - perhaps slapping is a better response than 'talking'.

Maybe feed-ins should be weekly not yearly