General Chat

It never bothers me. I often don't realise what's happening anyway, mothers are often so discreet. I sat in a small cafe in Cornwall last year where a mother was sitting eating breakfast and dad spread and cut her toast for her because one of her hands was supporting their baby's head as it breastfed. It was such a small gesture but somehow very touching. Mags xx

Hang on a minute. Guys do you complain when you see topless bathers at the beach??????? Come on now. If you have a problem with a woman doing what is 100% natural then - excuse my saying this, but the problem is yours and certainly not the woman's. Jay

Hi. When my children were little ones i had no chose but to go into the public toilets in our town centre. I soon learned that the best way to get around this was to express some milk and take it with me. No more problems and no red faces alround. If i saw a mother feeding her child i would not make comment. if the town halls in our fair cities provide adaquate feeding rooms around the towns i think that should resolve the issue? Vanessa

With my work hat on, yes this is to be encouraged. With my personal hat on, yes this is to be encouraged. Until society sees breastfeeding as normal, acceptable, nothing to be concerned/upset/disgusted by then we are going to continue to live in a country where most babies are fed on artificial baby milks. They are the only safe alternative to breastmilk, but no they are not as good and should not be used except as a fallback. Personally, I've breastfed both kids for a year-18 months. We have a very strong family history of asthma and allergies. Yet neither of my kids has developed them. Nor did they ever get ear problems, chest infections or even a sniffle in their first year of life. Both are above average intelligence - one is registered as gifted and the other is not far off. Both are slim and athletic in build. Both crawled early and walked at 8 months which I'm sure is because they weren't carrying the rolls of fat that stop so many bottlefed babies being as agile due to inability to support their own weight. What more can I say. Angela

I don't understand why it could be a problem.

This is the most natural thing to do no matter where you are. If people are offended then they should avert their eyes. I breastfed both my children and if that meant doing it in public then so be it. No way was I going to look for a public toilet to feed them, would they like it if they had to eat their lunch in a lavatory.

Its amasing how many cafes bars and resturants want your busness, but has soon has you say you are a nursing mum they do not want to know. I would like to see cafes etc provide feeding areas for mothers who breast feed instead of looking at how many more chairs and customers they would likely lose. Every health worker, nurse and doctor push you to give baby the best start in life and then you get the rest of the public who cry out `disgusting`! How many of them were breast fed? and i bet their mothers had the same problems! Vanessa P.S sorry, got on my hobby horse then!

If people see baby animals feeding its cute. I feed both my girls unhappy as could not feed son uesed to put shaw over them in case anyone got upset i had no complaints and that was 31 years ago Val

I fed my kids discreetly on public transport, in restaurants, in the park, at peoples' houses, even on the Snowdon mountain railway. Never did anyone comment - I was lucky. A friend of mine fed her baby with a shawl round her shoulders as she's by no means an exhibitionist in a coffee bar at Bluewater as the baby was desperate. A member of staff told her to stop or to leave as another customer found it 'disgusting'. She's not confident (unlike me) and was mortified at being got at. She gave up breastfeeding shortly after as she lost the little confidence she had about doing so in public. Now THAT is disgusting - that a big commercial place like Bluewater acted on the say-so of one very antidiluvian customer. I wish it had been me. I would have given them what for. Angela

I certainly wouldn't complain--most natural thing in the world!

Angela, What more can you say? You seem to think that because your children were breastfed they are way and above the standards acheived at a certain age by bottle fed babies. Surely you are aware that not everyone is able to breastfeed. Four times I tried, and four times I failed, but having eventually acheived raising four adult intelligent and well balanced children who were all bottle fed, I would like to think that no mother should feel guilty and should certainly not be worried if their children seem to be less able than yours at a very tender age. Believe me....they will catch up.

Its the most natural thing in the world the moaners should be reported

I think discretion is the word. Both of our two boys were breast fed but I don't think that anyone was any the wiser when they needed a slurp in a public place. What I do object to is the small number of women who insist on making a big thing of it, with their boobs hanging out for all to see, as if to say, look at me, aren't I clever feeding in public.

I breastfed my son and just did it discreetly with a shawl round us if we were out in public. There are in Norfolk at least two Cafes that are specifically labelled as for breastfeeding mums. Great idea.