11 thoughts on “Barbara Walters: Stop Insulting Breastfeeding Moms! – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. Many women today wear tops that expose some or most of their breasts, but when a woman is partially exposed feeding her child, people make a stink. Barbara can kiss my babies’ breast-fed butts.

  2. The NY TImes article appeared on my daughter’s first birthday. I am breastfeeding her–of course, she’s on solids now too, but bredastfeeds quite a bit and where I live–a medium sized German city–no one has said anything to me on the tram or the bus, although occasionally some kindly elderly person addresses the baby with: “Does that taste good?” (in a friendly manner). I am always amazed at the American reaction. I keep storing up snappy replies for the time when somebody tells me not to breastfeed in public but noone ever does. But if they did stop me in a restaurant (they’ve stopped friends ofmine in the US) and asked me to feed the baby in a ladies room, I’d say, “Do you like to eat among toilets?” neither does my baby

  3. I think, if you need to feed the baby, you can excuse yourself to the restroom or your vehicle. I am the eldest of 6 six and my mother NEVER breastfed in public. If anything new mothers should push for breastfeeding sections. I like kids alot, but I have no regret in saying that it bugs me when some woman just whips out her breast in the mall or a department store and starts feeding. There are also breast pumps that you can purchase and put the breast milk in a bottle. I was breastfed, but I would NEVER breastfeed my child in public. I am so adimate about how I feel, I have been known to leave a restuarant because the wom next to me was breastfeeding. My reply to her was I can’t eat while the kid eats. I personally think it is in bad tatse and I know the next remark is “You are not comfortable with your body” Yes, yes I am, but I believe some things should be done in private. If people don’t like other people’s opinions and get offended by a celebrity, maybe we should just go back to Nazi Germany where nothing could be said.

    And just to be a bitch: You really aren’t supposed to bring “outside food” into a restuarant.

    -R- 27

  4. I am continually amazed at how people bring up their children, but any doctor will tell you that breastfeeding is a nobrainer in terms of how good it is for your baby. I’ll never forget when my daughter was one and one of my husband’s friend’s wife told my husband that it wasn’t good that I was still breastfeeding her. We had recently moved to their town and the next day she took me to her pediatrician. He asked me (in her presence) what kind of schedule my daughter was on. I answered that she wasn’t on a schedule and in fact I breastfed on demand. He stood up, advanced on me with outstretched hand and a huge smile, “Congratulations, Madame! (I was in Paris)” he said. “French women are too selfish to do that…it’s the best thing you can do for your child.”
    I don’t know how to enumerate all the benefits of breastfeeding, but it goes way beyond nutrition– it’s all over health, brains, beauty, closeness, sensitivity. The list is endless.

  5. I can’t begin to enumerate the ways in which R’s comment above is wrong-headed:

    excuse yourself to the restroom or your vehicle

    Why? You’re sentencing these moms to “separate but equal” status. They’re not different from you but they still should go somewhere else to do what they need to do. Well, the Supreme Court has already said that’s unconstitutional treatment for African-Americans, so why should it be OK to treat breastfeeding moms the same way?

    No, breastfeeding should be ‘mainstreamed’ so people like you are forced to deal with it as an everyday occurrence.

    I hope that woman you insulted in the restaurant turned her head & ignored your insulting comment. That’s precisely what you deserved. Let me ask you: of the two of you–the baby or you–which one deserved precedence in terms of the importance of your eating–you or the baby? That’s a no-brainer. The baby needed to eat. If you didn’t like the situation you’re entitled to leave, which you did. That baby & her mom shouldn’t have been penalized due to your ignorance.

    You say you’re not uncomfortable with your own body. Maybe not…except for when it’s used in a public God-given way to provide sustenance for your own baby. Then, you’re pretty damned uncomfortable it appears.

    And what’re you on about regarding breatfeeding moms being like Nazis. Babraba Walters and her co-hosts on The View are spreading completely false information about breastfeeding–information that will actually harm a baby’s health if followed by moms in their audience. So breastfeeding moms should let this harmful information go out to the public & say nothing about it? Sorry, no dice.

    And your closing comment about breast milk in a restaurant being “outside food” is beyond bitchy, it’s idiotic. So idiotic it doesn’t even deserve further discussion.

  6. Well all I can say to the wildy ridiculous idea that I hide in order to nurse is that after sepnding 12 years lactating to serve 5 children, if I had gone to the ladies room every time I nursed I would most certainly have missed most of my adult life. The idea may work for “nursing lite” mothers who make a token effort so they can say they did it, but not for those who truly dedicate themselves to nurturing their child properly. Not to mention the fact that the minute you introduce a bottle/breast pump situation, you are sabotaging the nursing relationship. Mothers who work and pump can attest to this – it is a valiant battle of the milk supply they fight. To further exacerbate their problem (or to introduce it into the nursing relationship of a mother who has been able to make the family concessions necessary to stay home full-time) is sensless and illustraes a complete lack of understanding of the delicate supply-and-demand relationship.

  7. The main thing to remember when talking about breastfeeding is that there is no “one size fits all” solution. Almost everyone except Barbara Walters and her fellow ignoramuses on “The View” agree that the more breastfeeding and breastmilk a baby can get the better. But that’s not to say that a mother who has to supplement with formula or who uses a pump (& doesn’t physically breastfeed her babies) or even who cannot breastfeed at all are doing anything wrong or less than optimal. Most babies are great at adapting to whatever the situation demands.

    Our first child didn’t take well to the breast at first and was a difficult eater in general. As a result, my wife didn’t produce enough milk so we had to supplement. Our son is doing great. But our 7 month old twins took to breastfeeding like a house afire. My wife has more than enough supply and everybody’s happy. Now that my wife works full time she does have to pump. But there’s still more than enough for everyone and everyone’s happy.

    There are many ways to approach this issue and none are wrong.

  8. While I agree that breast feeding is completely natural–I think there is also a place for everything and some women are simply not modest or discreet…I would be uncomfortable if I were one of the mothers who just flung herself out of her top to let my child nurse or if I had to sit in plain view of this individual. There are many different types of people in the world and the site of one mother breastfeeding can be completely different from the next. Some women are completely comfortable exposing their entire boob without any type of cover or modesty and this type of scene is what turns many off ,

    I’d think it’d be much more appropriate to go to a nice, quiet, and somewhat private place to nourish your child. Unfortunately on a plane there aren’t that many places to go–but you could still be modest while feeding. I”m not sure what the case was on Mrs. Walter’s flight but just because some women or men don’t find the site of children suckling in public, does not make them monsters.

    The protesters outside ABC need to get a life and a real cause.

  9. “I agree that breast feeding is completely natural…”

    “I would be uncomfortable if I were one of the mothers who just flung herself out of her top to let my child nurse…”

    If you’re uncomfortable with women breastfeeding in public then I have trouble seeing how you feel that it is “completely natural.” And in addition the idea that a woman flings herself out of her top in public to breastfeed is totally over the top and renders your argument null & void. No breastfeeding mother I’ve ever seen or met has done anything like that & I’d challenge you to show me an example.

    I’m glad that the majority of commenters at this post & my other post on Ken Schram’s diatribe against public breastfeeding feel differently than you. You don’t know how many times mother’s can’t find a “nice, quite and somewhat private place” to breastfeed. Besides, there’s no reason any woman should feel ashamed of breastfeeding in the full light of day whether or not she can find such seclusion for herself & her baby.

    If you don’t find the Walters’ demonstrators’ cause important, then why did you bother to read this or comment here? And this is an important cause whether or not you agree. I wonder whether, if you’re a mother, you breastfed; and if so, how long ago was that. Because your attitudes are of an old-fashioned kind which, I’m glad to say will eventually give way to a more tolerant, open-minded view of these issues.

  10. There’s nothing sexual or unatural about me breastfeeding my baby. I’m sad that it grosses people out because I’m just feeding my baby. THAT’S WHY I HAVE BREASTS!

  11. i nurse my 2 year old in public whenever she wants 90% of the time people dont even notice i am doing it. it is literally the best start you can ever give your child!! My mother breast fed all of her 5 children when cobined she breastfed for 15 years

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