Sorry but I disagree. Other body parts are purposed to make babies but they shouldn't be exposed in public either. In fact, there are laws against it. A soft diaper or towel over the feeding baby would make the experience more private and comfortable for everyone.

My wife and I raised 3 children all of whom she breast fed. Totally natural and healthy thing and I encourage all mothers to do so.

However, in a restaurant...really! This child was 1, not an infant and certainly did not need to be fed every hour...could she not wait 15 minutes to get home?

Some people simply want everyone to look at them...and demand attention. Crystal is "clearly" one of those people.

"No shirt, no shoes no service"

NC has laws for breastfeeding. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-190.9 (1999) states that a breastfeeding mother is not in violation of indecent exposure laws at any time.

I think a woman should be able to breastfeed a child of any age, anywhere she wants to. One year old is still a baby!! Why do people care? Don't look at her if you don't like it, or, better yet, admit to yourself that it makes YOU uncomfortable and stop expecting other people to not make YOU feel strange. It is about eating. Period. The mother should not have to make her child wait; frankly, I would prefer to see a naked mother and child that are QUIET than a whining, crying, hungry or needing-to-be-comforted baby at a restaurant. It actually has nothing to do with you. Give her-and ALL parents, breastfeeding or not-what we all want, respect for our choices. And then look away. I breastfed my two year-old for more than an hour on a plane trip to Maui and got not one negative comment or even a hostile glance. Know why? Because she wasn't CRYING.

We (my wife) breast fed our oldest at the old Sambo's in Greenville; also at K & W in Carolina East, and in the student section at basketball games. No one said anything, no one barely noticed. Why the historical discourse? Maybe this attention on this issue is generational as well as cultural. We are late 40s, 50s, and she (the wife) simply placed a diaper over both baby and breast -- from modesty. Breast-feeding is natural and normal; common courtesy should be as well.

I breastfed both of my children for about 1 1/2 years each. I wore a lot of nursing shirts (very attractive) and always had a blanket. I breastfed at the pool, on planes, restaurants and many other public locations and I never had any issues. There are moments to make grand statements and times when you should just feed your child. I always felt that I should breastfeed my children in public as if my in-laws or grandparents were in the room, respectfully.

I totally agree that women should be able to breastfeed their baby in public. I was too nervous to do in public with my first but with my second, I nursed everywhere, airplanes, the mall, restaurants, even sitting on the bench outside of the Dumbo ride at Walt Disney World. With my first I spent a lot of energy pumping to take bottles with me whenever we went out and spent alot of time nursing in my car (NO FUN) and found it was much easier for everyone to be comfortable nursing in public like I was with my second.

Please people. Breastfeeding has taken place since day 1 as the original and natural (and nature's) way of feeding babies! That is how our Creator designed it! If a certain establishment (s) provided me with an alternate way of breastfeeding in "public" ( i.e. a nursing room with comfortable chairs etc... where I can breastfeed my baby) then I wouldn't nurse in "public" (you know, like in babies r us- they have a special nursing room!). If they don't provide me with this- then, oh well, I have no other choice but to nurse my baby in "public". Of course, I would be as discreet as possible but sometimes that doesn't always work out (my 2nd child never liked the blanket over his face when nursing!). It's high time that some members of society who are up in arms over a nursing mother exposing herself in public for the sole purpose of breastfeeding turn their outrage to teens and young women and for that matter mature women out there in public exposing themselves for fun, for profit or otherwise! I totally agree with slindenf that the bathroom is the most nasty and disgusting place to nurse a baby and the car is not that comfortable either! I also agree with annefairleigh, too! Thank you sandralou2 for citing the NC law on breastfeeding in public! Thank God for laws that protect a natural design to feed babies!

I'm always surprised at heated responses when breastfeeding in public comes up. It just seems to me that a little sensitivity on both sides could make it a non-issue. Yes, babies need to eat and should never be asked to do so in a public restroom. But a little discretion is no big sacrifice. Regardless of whether or not you think someone *should* be made uncomfortable watching a baby nurse doesn’t change the fact that some people *are* uncomfortable.

I don't think anyone should sit in judgment of another person's choice to breastfeed in public, at any certain time or when the child is any certain age. Now, my son was the noisiest nurser on the planet, so it would have been intrusive and inappropriate to take him to a movie and subject my fellow movie-goers to the sounds of him slurping.

The link to the original didn't work for me, but the location was a Denny's, a family restaurant. Nothing says "family" like a mother and child! I do have strong feelings about people bringing babies to fine restaurants and other clearly adult places...not because of breastfeeding, but because of interrupting others with crying, etc.

I would say that my public nursing was discreet...based on my own modesty more than anything else. But I have heard of others whose babies pushed away blankies and towels and shirts, demanding to be fed in the open air. What to do about that? I say, if it makes you uncomfortable, look the other way.

Just for the record, I have a very good friend named Crystal and she is not a stripper. And I don't even know if she breastfed or if she did, if she did it in public.

I breast fed all four of my girls. With the first one, I was more modest,but quickly tired of sitting on dirty restroom floors nursing, or hiding in a back room while everyone else was socializing. I also draped a blanket over, but learned to nurse anytime, anywhere, and I think people taking issue with this are completely absurd. Once we were out to dinner with two other couples, and I discreetly fed my infant at the table so I wouldn't miss any adult conversation as I was a little starved for it. The others at the table immediately got up and left, so that I would be "more comfortable" and finished their conversations outside. I sat at the table crying and nursing. My husband was furious.

The truth is, all of us moms have had to breast feed in public at one point or another. The OTHER truth is, it DOES make some people uncomfortable seeing an exposed breast while they are dining out with family or riding on a plane.

As mature adults, sometimes we need to put aside our insane need to whip it out for the sake of making a feminist statement and be considerate of others. A blanket over the should is not so impossible a task and for the sake of modesty in polite society, it is probably the best choice.

Thinking of others, even strangers, used to not be such a foreign concept. Besides, my body is for my husband's eyes only and I'm happy that way. I certainly don't want another man ogling my nursing child while he is feeding.

I think that modesty is the new revolution. Haven't we let it all hang out long enough? :)

I can't believe a man would really be oggling some woman's big leaky breast while they're nursing, but I guess you never know. Speaking of being a mature adult-that would be the height of immaturity. Also, I've never seen anyone nurse publicy with their breast just hanging out exposed-I'm assuming there's a cloth over it. Regardless, while being a fan of modesty when appropriate, I really don't feel that nursing falls under any type of sexual category and I'm amazed that anyone would make a big to-do. Even if you were privately repulsed, wouldn't you just turn away and forget about it? And I also never met anyone that whipped it out to prove a point-only to feed a hungry baby. But I'm sure those people exist-just hasn't been my experience.

Wow! A lot of discussion. What a horrible experience Lilybug at that restaurant!

I never used a blanket ... I tried, but my daughter would always bat it away. But I always made sure that my shirt was covering me as much as possible. I might have had an inch or less of skin exposed. And I'd do it in a private space if I could find one - especially since my daughter would get distracted easily. But sometimes ... like in an airplane, there's just not a lot of room for privacy. And I agree with you Leigh ... I'm guessing people would have rather seen a nursing baby than endured a screaming baby on a flight.

And here's a link to that story again though it looks like they took down the comments: http://www.newsobserver.com/1565/story/1415850.html

I just think people have some weird hang ups. I'm not a "let it all hang out" kind of gal, but I never considered nursing a baby was in this category. I agree Sarah, I tried to be as discreet as possible given the scenario. I never met a mom who was looking for attention while nursing-my hope was that people would go on as normal and not notice much less focus on it.

And then we have moms like this one in Ohio, http://www.whiotv.com/news/18813161/detail.html
I feel like she took the breastfeeding movement back a few years. I can't believe she tried to defend driving with her child unrestrained. Pull over!!!

OMG. That is unbelievable!

I have an out of town sister-in-law who breastfeeds in public with no modesty. Unbuttons her shirt and feeds the baby. I have no problem with this when she is at her house. However, in a coffee shop (or any public place) a little modesty would make everybody more supportive of her decision :)

I have three girls (now, 2,4,6) and breastfed all three.   I could not stay home - we were always on the go, so I nursed everywhere!  After my third, I designed something that would help any mom nurse in public!  The nursing cover I designed is discrete, chic and offers full coverage.  It is made with a wonderful, soft, bamboo/spandex fabric that wicks away moisture and it's made in the USA.  I designed this with the hopes that more moms will get out in public and nurse their babies!!  Please check out my website and pass along to other nursing moms!  www.bamboofortwo.com.  My motto: Nurse anytime.  Anywhere.  Enjoy!! 

My son is four months old and I breastfeed in public all the time. Yes, I cover myself so that people around me don’t stare but it is very inconvenient. Covering yourself makes breastfeeding more difficult than it needs to be. Sometimes the baby is hot or he shakes off the blanket, I hate it but feel pressured to do it.

As for the woman in Ohio...I'm appalled that she referred to her baby as "it."

I love breastfeeding and do not want others to be so troubled by the pressure of society that they end up supplementing with formula just to make others comfortable...
however -
i have seen way too many bare breasts in very public places when they could easily have been seated in a darker corner or turned sideways. I feel like some women use breastfeeding as an excuse to garner attention and this is repulsive to me.
I was working in a store in the mall a few years ago and a woman was walking around shopping while nursing her baby without any coverage. While checking out, another child that was with her asked to see the baby and - right in front of the register - without removing the baby from her boob or trying in any way to show some modesty - leaned over and moved the baby over. This was just TOO much for public view in my opinion.
Breastfeed in public, please, if you need to and if you can - but, please use some modesty!!

I think most women make appropriate efforts to be discreet. The only time I've ever personally felt uncomfortable was one time I went around a corner in a grocery store and came face to face with a woman sitting on the end a big shopping cart, her shirt wide open, nursing a child that must have been at least two years old. Now I'm not saying anything against extended breastfeeding in general, just to be clear, but a child that old ought to be able to make it through a trip to the store without eating at all and certainly could use a sippy cup if needed. But mostly I was uncomfortable because the woman met me with this look that said, "I dare you to say something about this." Not that I would have anyway.

I think when women start getting asked to leave establishments for their halter tops, low-cut shirts, see-through blouses (with mesh bra's), daisy dukes, etc then it will be proper to ask a nursing mother to leave. I have 5 children and have nursed all 5 for over a year each. Typically I use a blanket b/c *I* am more comfortable that way but in all my years of pg, bfing and parenting (almost 9) rarely have I seen a nursing mother expose any more than the ones I listed above in my first sentence. If I hadn't used a blanket, no one really could have seen anything anyway. I nurse up and under, meaning my shirt hangs down and covers anything remotely viewable. I've nursed in all kinds of settings - restaurants, stores, playgrounds, church, etc. Sadly as much support as I've received from men and women alike, I've also received nasty looks and snide comments despite my efforts to cover (I use a pretty big blanket so really you can't even see the baby at all lol). Some people can't even stand the thought of what's going on under that blanket but they have no problem having impure thoughts of the stranger sitting across the room from them with tight pants and a low-cut shirt. Can't please everyone, my only concern is doing what's best for my child, the best way I can without breaking the law. :)

Sarah ~ mother of 5, blessed wife of 10 years
Crossroads MOPS (for moms of children infant-kindergarten)
http://crossroadsmops.net

A mother is a person who seeing there are only