The Lactating Nazis are Back...

Here and here you can read about a "nurse-in" at ABC.

It has been almost six years since the birth of my last child so I am not really up on what is "in" as far as new parenting goes, but I see that the Lactating Loonies have not gone away.

I think it is fine to breastfeed. I think it's great. I didn't do it, but hey to each his/her own. I didn't do it with the first one because after 42 and one half hours of labor I really didn't want anyone to touch me ever again. I didn't do it with the second and third because I am RH sensitized and to do so would have been a health risk to my kids--but I am not anti-breastfeeding.

I am, however, anti-breast feeding in public. Say what you want, I don't care. There is no reason I should have to look at your boobs. There is no reason I should have to let my children look at your boobs. There are a lot of women who have mastered the art of subtle breastfeeding. I have no problem with that. I do have a problem when you whip out your boob in the mall, at the playground or at a restaurant for all the world to see.

Yes, I know it is natural--so is using the bathroom, but you don't do that in public do you? (Unless you were in the military prior to the mid-1970S) It's inconsiderate. It's rude. It should stop. We shouldn't need laws that say you can or you can't do it in public, we need women who have just a little decency about themselves.

Chris

P.S. Oh and just to further piss you off--If a child can sit down at the table and eat a steak dinner he or she is too old to be breast feeding. Come on girls, use the brains God gave you.

Comments

[Trelaina]

We're not "back"...we never left :)

There are VERY few nursing mothers who "whip out...for all the world to see". Please stop hurting all good, polite nursing mothers by denouncing and insulting them for the actions of a few.

No, we don't go to the bathroom in public, but we do EAT in public, and breastfeeding is eating. A new baby needs to eat every couple of hours.

I am defiately in favor of subtle nursing-in-public. Just as I wouldn't expect someone to sit in front of me at the library and start chewing on a hamburger, I believe that a mother who needs to feed her baby should find an appropriate location. But having done so, and doing so in a way that does not "whip out a boob for all to see", I think nursing moms should be LEFT ALONE!

[Chris]

That's what I said. Discretion, please. And you know there are people who do what I describe--so my comments were directed at them not you. I also have a friend who breast feeds a child who can sit at the table and eat a steak dinner--you calculate how old that child is--there is something terribly wrong with that.

Thanks for commenting,
Chris

[hollabackdave]

I heard the term "Lac-tivists" the other day. Feel free to use it with or without the hyphen.

[Chris Sears]

The Barbara Walters comment on the plane really got me 'cause any nursing Mom knows that the best way to prevent the baby from crying when their ears are gonna hurt on take-off or landing is to nurse. Would she rather a screaming kid next to her?
I never had to explain anything to my kids when they saw a nursing mother and baby, as they were used to seeing it with me and my friends. I DID have to "hurry my sons along" at the mall when they were staring at the poster outside the Victoria's Secret store. Nobody is complaining about that!

[Chris]

Ok, but I'm betting you are one of those people who will argue that you have the right to determine what your kid hears in sex ed class--so I have the right to decide whether I want you to show your boob to my kid and I shouldn't have to explain it to my kid if I don't want to. You could have not taken your kid to the mall once you decided Victorias Secret was offensive I don't have that choice when I am sitting in a resteraunt and you pop out your boob. You can be discreet about it. You don't need to put on a show. So do it that way...

[Chris Sears]

I AM one of "those people" who want to sign off on the sex-ed curriculum. And, I always did.
I do have the right to never go to the mall, but we did go to the mall and I said"Common guys lets go to the candy store"
if something distracted them.This is life and there's alot of "Stuff" out there. There were many other sights in the mall I had to explain to kids. But, I handled it.

(Hey, we shop- in Northampton, Ma. - I have had to explain alot!! "Mommy, how come those two ladies are kissing like that?")

I have never "showed my boob" to anyone in public much less anyone's children! Noone ever knew I was nursing unless I was in my living room with my family. If you wear the right shirt and do it properly noone can see anything.
Your kids are young and you have a long way to go. I hope that your most difficult discussion is why the lady has her baby on her breast.

[Chris]

Hey Chris? You can stop now. What I said was it was rude to pop your boob out and feed your kid in public--I said you should do it discreetly. I explained it and other things when necessary and I always include it is rude to put other people out because it is but it's hardly the hardest thing I have encountered to date. But see I honestly think that in a civilized society people have an obligation to consider one another. I don't allow my children to get away with bad behavior because they are autistic--I don't walk around with the card that says please allow us to cut in line because it's hard for autistic kids to wait in line--I don't put other people out. I consider them. I am asking the crunch granola non armpit shaving women who think it is okay to pop their boob out in public or water their garden in the newd to consider me.

[Chris Sears]

Okay, gothca, (just thought your expressions seemed to WANT a response!)
I know what you mean and just to let you know - They don't even allow me in the Bread & Circus store 'cause I shave my legs and armpits. (No way am I earthy-crunchy)

[pam]

If you had breastfed, the autism might be less upsetting waiting in line.
Guess you might want to review the medical literature on autism incidence, inductions, and breastfeeding.

[Lisa]

Hey Pam,

If Chris had breastfed, it would have put her children at risk due to her RH factor. But I'm not here to defend Chris, she is fully capable of doing that herself.

I breastfed two out of my three children. The two that I breastfed had ADD and learning disabilities. The child that I bottle fed grew up to be an advanced student. Gee, what does the medical literature say about that.

Lisa

[Chris]

Pam--

For the record, I was RH sensitized because the Rhogam shot from the first pregnancy didn't work. Both subsequent pregnancies resulted in children that were seriously jaundiced and breastfeeding would have added to that and put them at risk. The doctors advised me not to breastfeed. I said that in my post--obviously you are so vicious that you didn't bother to read that. I have tried to work up anger at what you said--but I can't get there. All I feel is pity for the children you have because they are being raised by someone ignorant and hateful and they probably deserve better. Good luck with your children and your future.

Chris

[Chris]

This is the comment I posted on the website of thw woman who wrote the rh thing---

Hi I am the annoying one from twobabesandabrain. So we are clear--when you are RH sensitzed your blood attacks that of the babies. Breastfeeding transfers these antibodies to the baby which ads to their billirubin levels causing the baby to develop severe jaundice. Since my children were already severly jaundiced due to the RH factor issue it was considered not safe to breastfeed.

And I have witnessed those women who are not modest. One of many examples: I sat in a room with a woman who whipped out her boob completely bared both of her breasts to do this and fed her child in front of my sons...

Do your thing--feed your kid however you see fit but do it modestly and becareful who you judge and what you blame other mothers for because since you are members of this website you probably have children too and although they may look perfect right now you can't always tell--and I'm not sure you can possibly understand the guilt that goes along with having a child with a disability--and that is just because you wonder what you might have done or if it was you gene--I would love to be angry enough at the assinine comment that got put on my blog to wish it on you--but I wouldn't wish it on anyone

So thanks for commenting on twobabesandabrain.com--come back anytime

Chris

[me]

Would you rather see my child quietly nursing and *potentiall* see my boob, or would you rather a red faced screaming baby? Kids gotta eat.

[me]

And for the record, the term 'Breastfeeding Nazi' is not only offensive to nursing mother's, it's offensive to Holocaust survivors. Are you trying to offend as many people as humanly possible in one fell swoop?

[Lisa]

Dear Me,

As you can see by the picture of the little boy on the front page flipping someone the bird, we aren't very "Politically Correct" around here, so if you are offended by the term "Lactating Nazi", may I suggest you blog elsewhere.

Hang around here baby, and you can't hold your own......we'll chew you up and spit you out.

Lisa

[me]

Lisa, you may not chew me up and spit me out, but you may bite me.

tongue-in-cheekily, Me

[Rick]

To all the people my wife is offending this time:

Two things to consider please. First, I would publicly agree with your position, but I'm afraid of my wife. Secondly, please stop yelling at her. Tonight is "Slutty Sex Saturday" and your screwing up my night.

[Lisa]

Very good Me....spoken like a true smart-ass.

I'm beginning to like you.

Lisa

[pam]

"I breastfed two out of my three children. The two that I breastfed had ADD and learning disabilities. The child that I bottle fed grew up to be an advanced student. Gee, what does the medical literature say about that."

The medical professional would want to know how long your breasfed and did the two with problems self wean, or did you wean them? The duration makes a BIG difference, not just the few days/weeks all those moms tout that they breastfed and then say who many problems their babies have now.

[Lisa]

Pam...

How's six months for you. I breastfed each child for six months.

Let me guess, now you're going to tell me that just wasn't long enough.

What's this self weaning crap. I weaned them. I fully agree with Chris. A child who can chew a piece of meat does not need to be nursing on his mother.

Lisa

[Kristi]

I just recently was made aware of the whole Barbara Walters/breastfeeding in public uproar. We were on vacation. Oh, and then we had a baby. So, forgive my tardiness in chiming in.

Honestly, what do you care? I think it is no one's business how long a baby breastfeeds. If the sight of a nursing mother is so "offensive", don't look. If you think a child is too old to nurse, don't say anything. Would you tell an obese person at McDonald's "DON'EAT HERE!" or, "shouldn't you order a salad?" So why stick your nose in where it doesn't belong ?

In our so called "civilized" society we hesitate to call the police when we suspect domestic abuse, yet feel free to harp on the dumbest things. Let it go!

[Chris]

congratulations on the birth of your baby

chris

[Christina]

Chris-
The following is from The Breastfeeding Answer Book, Third Revised Edition: In it's 1994 practice guidelines for pediatricians, the American Academy of Pediatrics states: "The AAP discourages the interruption of breastfeeding in healthy term newboards and encourages continued and frequent breastfeeding (at least 8 to 10 times every 24 hours)" *If* further treatment is needed according to the most drastic guideline set forth by the AAP, breastfeeding would be SUPPLEMENTED with formula and phototherapy would be started. I could say more specific information if I knew what their bilirubin levels were at what number of hours/days after the birth according to AAP protocol. I am sorry for you if you were given misinformation by your doctors at the time of your births. For any other women out there reading this: There should be no reason that a baby born to a RH negative mother cannot breastfeed or recieve breastmilk at all (at least not for that reason alone). Once your milk was in how was that dangerous to your babies??

On a personal note, when you become a mother it is not just about *you*. It's now about a little innocent baby who depends on you to give it the best. You say after a long labor you didn't want anyone to touch you ever again. Did you not have to hold your baby to bottle feed it??? Wasn't your baby touching you then? If your child grows up and by chance wonders why it wasn't breastfed will you really tell them that you had a long labor and didn't want to touch them? That's a cop out. Also, for future reference there is a possible link between induction with Pitocin (if you were induced with Pitocin) and autism.

I realize many people in our culture are shocked/offended by a nursing toddler. However, human breastmilk continues to provide many, many benefits, both physical and emotional, to mother and child for the duration of the breastfeeding relationship. The AAP (American Association of Pediatrics) currently recommends breastfeeding for 12 months and then as long as mutually desired and the WHO (World Health Orgaization) recommends a minimum of 2 years.

[Cindy]

I think you are upset that you did not breastfeed your children, other wise you would not be so angry in all your postings.

You don't sound to satisfied with your choice to formula feed your children.

If you find public breastfeeding so offensive, I would stay away from the beach, many public billboards, fashion magaaines etc etc. There's a lot of see through clothing and boob action in the above areas.

You're an idiot.