Annotated Bibliography: Breastfeeding In Public

The audience intended for this paper are mothers that have a desire to breastfeed, employers, clinicians, breastfeeding advocacy groups and federal and state legislators involved in policy change.

As I indicated earlier, women have been victimized for breastfeeding in public places. They have, therefore, been forced to resort to an alternative way of feeding their infants because the public would not have it. It has become harder for women to breastfeed although history has shown it that is something that has been practiced for a long time. On one hand, women want to be allowed to breastfeed whenever the child is hungry no matter the place; whereas, the public is not very accepting of this public display of care and affection between mother and infant. The medical community has indicated that it is important to breastfeed while the public wants the women not to do it where they can see it. They argue that exposing of the breasts is

Breast-feeding was introduced in the 1800s as an alternative to avoid deadly illnesses that were travelling from Spain, Middle East and Asia. In the 1860s scientists began supplementing animals’ milk as formula; especially for mothers who were not able to breast-feed. By the twentieth century, the United States “experienced a sharp decline in breast-feeding rates for infants and toddlers” (Lerner, 2006, p. 362). The reason for decreasing rates in breast-feeding were due to breast-feeding was seen as public indecency, mothers were headed back to work, and mothers were not encourage to breast-feed their child because some people saw it embarrassing. Due to not enforcing laws that were established for breastfeeding mothers; mothers are not comfortable to breast-feed in public from indecency exposure law, allowed flexibility to feed infant during work hours and also protecting a mother’s well-being to breast-feeding in public without embarrassment.

Breastfeeding with no attempt at being unnoticeable tends to be lacking, but have people really pondered what nourishment is secure, compelling, and promptly accessible? That is designed to individual needs, naturally agreeable, effortless, offers long haul insurance, is free and as a reaction is a weight reduction strategy? Would it be able to envision somebody being victimized for utilizing such an incredible item? Women were given breasts with mammary glands so they could feed and nourish their young. Unfortunately, some people just don't see that. And it is one of the most discussed topics currently. There are numerous individuals who feel that breastfeeding ought not to be seen in broad daylight, but rather in all trustworthiness it is not generally advantageous for a mother to run and stow away when it's an ideal opportunity to bolster her child; a lady does not settle on the choice to breastfeed in light of popular supposition, or accommodation. Breastfeeding in public should be universally accepted because changes need to be made with formula companies, medical professionals, and the public opinion of breastfeeding in order to give nursing mothers the support they deserve.

Breastfeeding in public is very hot in the media right now. Mothers everywhere are being shamed for feeding their babies in public even though it is what's best for the mothers and the babies. “Breast milk contains antibodies that protect infants from bacteria and viruses. Breastfed children have fewer ear, respiratory…” (Legislatures). Instead of verbally abusing the women who breastfeed in public other ladies need to support the new mothers by knowing what the law states about breastfeeding in public and protecting the mother’s rights.

The authors inform the readers that in the state of New York in the year 1984 the first law on breastfeeding was passed, exempting breastfeeding in public as an indecency offence (Nguyen & Hawkins, 2013). In regards to the employment break time and accommodations section, Nguyen and Hawkins (2013) inform the reader that a total of nine-teen states encourage or require provisions for private accommodation and break times where breastfeed or express milk. Only eight states forbid an employer to discriminate against any breastfeeding based actions or breaks (Nguyen & Hawkins, 2013). Forty-seven states allow mothers to breastfeed in any public or private areas that she herself is allowed to be at (Nguyen & Hawkins, 2013). The number of states that exempt mothers from public indecency is twenty-nine states (Nguyen & Hawkins, 2013). Twelve states allows mothers who are breastfeeding to be exempt from participating in jury duty. Nguyen and Hawkins (2013) express hat it is important that people know laws on topics as such exist and its significance in order for the laws to be effective, no matter what state you live

“Breastfeeding: A Feminist Issue” is one of the articles found on ProMoM’s website. The article was written by Penny Van Esterik. In the article, Van Esterilists lists the reasons why women’s groups and nonprofit organizations put so much time and resources behind breastfeeding campaigns and programs. Van Esterik also highlights ways in which women’s groups can increase breastfeeding awareness to the public.

I do not believe that the intimacy between a mother and baby needs to be shared with the public. Why is it okay for young children to see something they may not be old enough to see, without parents’ consent? For many people and businesses who oppose nursing in public, the primary reason for their concern is decency. Most people who are against breastfeeding in public feel that a woman's breast is a private part of her body and that exposing it in public, even to feed a child, is morally wrong. In arguments on Debate.org, users cite other types of nudity as similar to breastfeeding and explain that the fact that nursing is "natural" does not mean it's appropriate in all situations. Men, women and children can all feel awkward while being in a public situation because of breastfeeding. Some may think men and women aren’t allowed to be showing their bodies in public, why should mothers? Mother and bystanders on Debate. Org states Public nursing can be socially awkward for witnesses. Children may ask seemingly inappropriate questions about what the mother is doing, and the baby may make loud sucking noises that can make others uncomfortable, parents of their children may not be ready to explain these things to their children yet. Mothers often complain about

Imagine sitting on a bench at the park enjoying some ice cream. Then out of nowhere, the high pitched wail of a baby is heard. It could be the baby’s diaper or the fact that he is hungry, but since breastfeeding is not permitted, the baby will not stop crying until he is fed. The mother is frantically trying to calm her baby down by rocking him, but he keeps crying. At this point, not even an artificial formula works; he wants his mom’s milk but the mother does not know what to do since she cannot breastfeed and her baby will not be satisfied now. If breastfeeding was allowed in public, this problem would not be so common. Breastfeeding should be allowed in public because it is something normal and human. Nobody should have a problem with this since there would definitely be less disruption and frustration of mothers in public places if they were able to feed their babies.

In America, it is common to see the breasts being placed in a sexual light almost everyday, from magazine covers to the large boobs we see on the beach that have undergone surgery to become “perfect” in the eyes of men. So, now when a women is seen breastfeeding their child, it is more difficult to put away those sexual beliefs that boobs are for pleasure and to see them for the nutrition of children. By making breasts sexual and inappropriate in certain circumstances, we are not allowing for a culture that promotes breastfeeding and the healthy development of our children. I can say for myself personally, although I would like to have the healthiest child possible, I would not feel comfortable breastfeeding in public because I know that men would be looking at me with sexual thoughts and others might be judging me based of the idea of it being inappropriate public exposure, and I am sure many other women feel this exact same way when it comes down to breastfeeding in the United States regardless of the new education we are getting on the

Breastfeeding has sometimes been viewed as a disturbing public exposure by a lot of people. Most of them chose to ignore the benefits of breastfeeding your child. The article of Lisa Flam is an example of what people think about breastfeeding. It discusses a picture of a young African woman nurturing her child in front of everyone during a graduation ceremony. Despite the fact that people think is wrong to breastfeed your child in public, it is legal in 49 states in the United States. Another perspective of looking at this article is the empowerment of encouraging African women to breastfeed their children because they are the groups that breastfeed their children the least in the United States.

Breastfeeding in public is natural, however, others think it is inappropriate. A survey has found that 6 out of 10 women who have breastfeed take steps to hide it in public and a 3rd of these women feel embarrassed or incomfortable nursing outside of their home. The poll also showed that 1 in 5 believed people did not want the mothers to breastfeed in public and 1 in 10 who chose not to nurse their baby were influenced by the worry of doing so outside the home. The poll was carried out by Public Health England's parenting advice service. It is illegal to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place but there have been high-profile cases of women being told to cover up.

In chapter three we discuss the relative benefits of Breastfeeding vs. Bottle-feeding (Strahan, Dixon, & Banks, 2010). Within the content Banks, writes “Breastfeeding is not without its drawbacks, however. In addition to the initial social awkwardness (whether real or imagined) that may accompany breastfeeding mothers in public…” (p. 51). Why do you suppose it is considerably less taboo to expose Mainstream-America to images such as this across all genera of media while breastfeeding remains to be a controversial topic? Do you feel the momentum behind media in this genera is indicative of the way women are viewed in our culture and internally effects our choices whether to breastfeed regardless of the nutritional benefits?

What could possibly be wrong about a mother nourishing her child? Absolutely nothing. Many people view a woman's breasts as sexual items. The main purpose of breasts Is to breastfeed a child after birth. I came across The Milk Truck while back. The Milk Truck is there “to create a mobile breastfeeding unit that allows mothers to feed their babies in places where they have been discouraged - restaurants, shopping malls, public spaces, etc. Babies should be able to eat anywhere, and everywhere". I am absolutely for breastfeeding in public.

However, some people think of breastfeeding as Nudity. Breasts are viewed as sexual items rather than a natural way of providing nutrients and comfort for a child. Anxiety about breastfeeding in front of other people affects breastfeeding for women with low self-confidence or who feel society disapproves of breastfeeding in public. They start to feel uncomfortable. Women should be able to have rights to legally breastfeed their babies in public. Mothers report that that they felt more comfortable breastfeeding in a park than a shopping mall. In some cases, women are asked to leave the premise due to them breastfeeding. Parents do not want to explain to their children about breastfeeding. So, they label breastfeeding in public indecent. Parents who are concerned about their children asking questions should just explain to them. This will help people understand the benefits of breastfeeding.