I stumbled across this post title a few weeks ago, and now I can't stop saying it or thinking it every time I breastfeed in public.
Say it with me everyone!
Devil Titty
Weeeeeee, what a great title. Just rolls off the tongue doesn't? I love it because I, like Maggie Gyllenhaal am also a shameless devil woman, boobing a baby with my door open, my shirt open, my curtains open, hell, in the backseat of the car at the side of the road, in restaurants, malls, and waiting rooms.
A proud feminist milk bursting devil mama, if anyone asks by the way, hehe.
The good thing about having trouble walking and carrying things is that you always have a perfectly good excuse for being unable to slink off to a bathroom with the baby and a blanket and the diaper bag. I have no choice but to sit wherever, shirt open, no blanket over the baby, just doing what has to be done, because anything else hurts too much, and I need help to take care of him.
I've had surprisingly not one person say anything awful to me yet. A few stares, no leers, and a couple of older women smile and say very lovely encouraging things about nursing a baby in public. Pretty neat, eh? A few younger women have looked uncomfortable and looked away, and one asked why I wasn't using bottles in public, but I just said I didn't feel like it and kept going. Reality is that I'd just get let down and be bursting full if I did use a bottle and missed a feed. I'm only going through that for a movie or dinner with my hubby, not just cause some person doesn't want to see me feed the kid.
Speaking of bottles, we have tried Julius on a bottle of pumped breast milk at 6 weeks and he took it although at first he didn't understand where the hell mama was and what this rubber thing was in his mouth. Poor Mr.Cotta had to deal with him crying until he got it. Now I just have to get my frozen stash of pumped milk stocked up and I can go for a physio appointment all alone or a massage without worrying about a starving baby. (I have some, but not a lot, and just in case I ever get sick or can't feed him, it would be a relief to have a freezer full, you know?) For those of you who wondered, I bought BPA free bottles, but not the fancy mega bucks kind. I just got some boring, plain old Playtex bottles with the drop-in liners. A nice box of them, all I will need for my purposes, cheap, just $20. Still plastic, but just fine thanks.
So, me and my two month old babe are off to sleep now.....for a few hours anyway.
You are too kind. I would ask the nosy woman whether she enjoys the feeling of her bladder trying to rupture, and whether she would take two of those, on the front of the chest, just to make sure she doesn't offend the delicate eyes and sensibilities of nosy people. It's real simple, people-- you don't have to look.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post. I don't see what the big deal is, your feeding your baby!
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good nap!
Brilliant! I'm a devil mama too.
ReplyDeleteHi! I just came over from Julie's and I hope all is going well. I'm so glad you got the reflux medicine.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that the population at large has forgotten the primary purpose of the female breast? It if for feeding newborns and infants. No one spouts crap to parents when they are in public feeding their kids shitty food. Eff everyone else for their conservative stupidity and feed away.
ReplyDeleteI was always happy to feed pretty much anywhere. Rush hour tube trains were the only places I just couldn't face it.
ReplyDeleteBreastfeeding in public seems to be far more socially acceptable in Australia (where I live). When I fed my daughter in public I never once had anyone berating me and don't even recall any "looks" being sent my way.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like lactating women just flop their breasts out for all the world to see, in fact it's rare to even see a nipple, most women are reasonably discreet.
It makes me furious that women are harassed and forced to go undercover to feed their babies, or become so anxious about it that they switch to formula.
Just as an aside, I worked as the cook in a long daycare centre for nine years. The carers in charge of the babies room (in our case an amazing mother & grandmother who were very pro breastfeeding and encouraged it fully) encouraged Mums to come in to the centre to feed their babies rather than express. Our centre used to provide the Mums with a hot meal at lunchtime when they came in to feed their babies...we didn't want them to have to rush in and feed their child then rush off to feed themselves so that they would be nourished enough to continue to breastfeed. The Mums would just let the carers know each morning whether they needed lunch that day. So many women said that they breastfed their children for much longer than they had intended because it was made so easy for them to do so.
I do like the "Devil Titty" tag though, it made me laugh a lot.
Keep going, you are doing an amazing job.
Love this. Keep doing the good job.
ReplyDeleteI've never had anyone ask me those sorts of questions. Mind you, I do tend to cover up a bit, but then it's a different world out here without much public breastfeeding going on at all. I shall have to do a breastfeeding post next.
ReplyDeleteBea
When my son was a baby, I got a couple of dirty looks and a few questions about why I wasn't breastfeeding. You just can't win.
ReplyDeleteGood for you mama!
ReplyDeleteI got very nervous that someone would challenge me in public because I was sooooo tired and unable to retaliate. My girl never took a bottle until she was ten months so I didn't get out much.
Remember not to stock up too much lest the power go off.
I am amazed at the supportive environment Kerrie describes above. If only everywhere were so baby friendly.