Acceptable or Not--Breastfeeding in Public???

I know that I'm writing about something that is foreign to many of you and probably grosses some of you out. I carefully considered whether I should post this, and I decided that if you were offended, then you just don't have to read this, although you probably should.

Recently, a mother of a three-month-old infant was asked by an officer to stop breastfeeding her son outside a courtroom in Tennessee or move to a more discreet location. You can read more about it here. This incident really got me thinking about the controversial issue of breastfeeding in public.

Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 68-58-101 to -103 protects the rights of breastfeeding mothers. Here's what those statutes state: "A mother has a right to breastfeed her child who is twelve (12) months of age or younger in any location, public or private, where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be present." Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-58-101. "The act of breastfeeding shall not be considered: (1) Public indecency . . . ; or (2) Nudity, obscene, or sexual conduct . . . ." § 68-58-102. "A unit of local government shall not prohibit breastfeeding in public by local ordinance." § 68-58-103.

Essentially, no one could legally stop this mother from breastfeeding her young son outside the courtroom. If you read the comments to the article that I linked to above, you'll see that many people applaud the officer for attempting to stop her and think that women should never breastfeed in public.

While a woman is legally permitted to breastfeed in public, does she commit some moral sin if she chooses to do so? When is it appropriate? Is there an appropriate way to go about it?

I must confess that my views on public breastfeeding have vastly changed since becoming a breastfeeding mother. To begin, let me clue you in on some things that shape the views of breastfeeding moms. Many couples take childbirth classes sometime during their first pregnancy. One of those class sessions is normally devoted to breastfeeding. During that session, you watch a very graphic video all about breastfeeding and learn how superior breast milk is to formula. That is just the beginning of the desensitizing. When a woman gives birth, she's completely exposed to a large number of people. All modesty goes out the window. While recovering from birth, hospital staff (men and women) are in and out of her room all the time. If she's breastfeeding, there's a good chance that she'll be exposed to a number of them. Nurses and lactation consultants will also likely "man-handle" her as they try to teach her how to breastfeed because it really doesn't come naturally. While most women are initially uncomfortable with all of this exposure, they have to become somewhat comfortable with it to cope. This whole experience can make women more comfortable with the prospect of breastfeeding in public.

Then, these mothers leave the hospital and enter a world where they receive mixed messages regarding breastfeeding. You're supposed to do it because it's best for the baby, but you're not supposed to let anyone else see you doing it. Now, a breastfed baby must eat every 2-3 hours because breastmilk, unlike formula, is fully digested in 90 minutes. A breastfeeding mom has few choices: totally isolate herself, switch to formula, or breastfeed in public. Now for those of you who are unfamilar with breastfeeding, you may think that the mother has another option: just give the baby a bottle while she's in public. This really doesn't work for a number of reasons. When it's time for a breastfeeding mother to feed her baby, she's got to do it. If she doesn't, she'll become engorged, which in addition to being incredibly uncomfortable and even painful at times, puts her at risk for diminishing her milk supply, clogged ducts, and mastitis. Also, the baby may not take the bottle, especially when mom is around. Although the prospect grosses me out somewhat, ducking into a bathroom to feed a baby may be easy enough with one child, but when you have more than one child, it really isn't feasible (unless you don't mind your older child playing with toilets in a public restroom).

I want to know what you think. As I previously asked, while a woman is legally permitted to breastfeed in public, does she commit some moral sin if she chooses to do so? When is it appropriate? Is there an appropriate way to go about it? Do the same rules apply in all public places? (i.e. are some places more conducive to public breastfeeding than others?) Feel free to comment on the subject. I'm curious to know what other people are thinking. I'm also wondering if this subject is just a little bit too "taboo" for anyone to want to comment on. Oh well. We'll see.

Here's my thoughts. I understand that many people are extremely uncomfortable with women breastfeeding in public. I understand you because I used to be one of you. Sometimes, however, I don't see another option other than never leaving my house. I do value modesty, so I've invested in a good coverup. However, not everyone can afford a $40 coverup, and using it outside in the heat really doesn't work well. Also, I'm personally comfortable using my coverup at a place like the park but not at church. I'm also more comfortable breastfeeding around people who have children than around people who don't. I like for everyone to be happy and don't want to offend anyone, but I don't know if that's really possible. How concerned should I be about other people? So many things to consider. I really hate gray areas.