Dear Public Breastfeeding POOPIES (People Opposed to the Occasional Presence of Infants Eating in Society),
It must be hard to be a Poopy. So many women. So many breasts.
One can only imagine the terrible anxiety you must feel every time you see a woman walking around with a baby.
Oh, the rising angst of knowing that, at any point, she could whip out one of those ghastly breasts for her guzzling urchin.
Yes, your plight is not an easy one, Poopy. It’s not easy at all.
And to make matters worse, some of these selfish women don’t even carry modesty blankets with them nowadays. How else do they expect you to cover your face?
Watch: 10 ways breast milk can surprise your family and friends! Courtesy of Those Two Girls. Post continues after video.
If only these mothers realised the lengths you already go to, to rearrange your schedule – how you have become a prisoner in your own home sometimes for days, weeks or even months on end – how you avoid public places such as cafes and restaurants for fear of that unavoidable breastfeeding moment.
And to make matters worse, the public doesn’t seem to have any understanding of just how tough you are doing it.
You are, after all, a minority group.
You see, in Australia, the overwhelming majority of people have absolutely no problem with public breastfeeding.
In fact, 74 per cent of people think it’s A-OK for women to breastfeed in a restaurant or café.
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The Baby Bubble
Top Comments
Oh no. Not another breastfeeding in public soapbox. My experience is the same as that of the folks below (and many years ago too) but again this is apparently the only domain in life where it is PC to totally dismiss any multicultural or multigenerational sensitivities. So perhaps avoid stripping to the waist and swinging your nipples around but then you can't be a feminist martyr, can you.
So I'm about to rejoin the world of breastfeeding after a short hiatus and I must say that I'm not concerned at all. This is my third child so I've already breastfed everywhere I'll need to, shopping centres, work, waiting rooms and resturants. I've fed in front of men that I knew would initially feel uncomfortable ie. my dad, friend's husbands. Despite having large breasts and low nipples (thanks midwife I didn't realise) I'm pretty good at being discreet. There only comments and looks I've ever received were kind ones from women (and sometimes men) who use the opportunity to reminis on thier own experiences. Sometimes I encountered curiosity usually from children or young women yet to bf. Overall, most people couldn't care less that I was feeding a baby. I'm not suggesting that the struggle to desexualise breasts and normalise breastfeeding isn't real. I'm suggesting that generally, people arn't as shitty as this article suggests.