Breastfeeding at its WORST!

You know me, I'm the biggest "lactivist" on the face of the planet! Nursing is a beautiful, amazing, special thing and that's not even to mention to health benefits for baby and mommy. I so loved the 20+ months of breastfeeding that I shared with Brooke and eagerly await the nursing relationship that I'll have with baby #2!

I breastfed Brooke virtually everywhere... Restaurants, church, the mall, that old familiar bench in the middle of Wal Mart, in the car, on the ocean, in an airplane, at the park, etc... You name a place and I've probably nursed my baby there! I feel like breastfeeding mothers should have every bit as much of a right to feed their babies as formula-feeding mothers. Plain and simple. As much as I feel this way, I do also think that being discrete and modest is a HUGE part of breastfeeding in public. It's not hard these days because they make wonderful things like Bebe Au Lait's and it's a great compromise for those who want to nurse in public yet maintain a level of privacy.

Anyways, I saw this lady at the mall today with her five-year-old daughter, who was running all over creation, and her 6-month-old baby, who she was carrying in a sling. As it turns out, the lady ran a kiosk in the mall while caring for the kids. I was taking Brooke on some rides at the mall near this lady's kiosk so she came over and talked to me for a bit. She seemed really nice but maybe "eccentric" would be a nice way of calling her a hippy here! Lol! Anyways, she wandered back over to her little store in the middle of the mall (while her daughter, mind you, continued to follow me everywhere). The next thing I know, the lady has her shirt completely up with her breast exposed and she's feeding her baby while doing business with a customer!!!! I looked at her and seriously could not believe my eyes. Any person walking by could have seen her breasts and I do NOT think that's appropriate! Can you imagine walking through the mall with your young son and having to have that awkward moment with him? Even worse, what about a young girl (or even a girl my age... or ANY age) with her father. I think that people who breastfeed like that give people who modestly breastfeed, like my friends and me, a horrible name. It perverts something that is so beautiful and special.

In all fairness to this lady, I admire that she breastfeeds her baby and that she doesn't let the norms of society dictate where or how she can nurse, but for goodness sakes, cover up!