Breastfeeding in Disneyland
May 4th, 2011 by Diane Sam
I love observing human behaviour .. and what other place to observe than in the "mecca" of North America ... Disneyland!
So, what are nursing moms doing (at least in public)? Well, this is a small sample, but the answer is, there is a large variety of mom/baby nursing behaviours. Some moms made no attempt to 'cover' and just popped baby on the breast, 'on the move'. Fast effective and totally nonchalent (probably not beginners LOL!).
Others casually sat down, adjusted themselves a bit and threw on a light blanket over them and seemed really casual too. (no Moboleez breastfeeding hats though, guess our products are mainstream enough yet, LOL!).
I saw one mom with an big " nursing cover", and a big nursing pillow. She went off to an out of the way spot (not many in Disneyland, but at least it wasn't as crowded as the other areas). Spent a little time pulling out the pillow, setting up the cover, and got down to business.
So what's my point here? Simple. There is a variety of 'methods' of breastfeeding, and a variety of things moms do when they breastfeed. I'm assuming (shock!) that they know best what works for them, what makes them feel comfortable, what helps the baby latch.
The "issue" of covering/not covering while breastfeeding seems to be (almost) entirely irrelevant. The only time I see it being an "issue" is if the mom is glared at or asked to leave, etc.. for not covering up. Trying to encourage moms not to cover up seems unfair. I've seen a few postings recently suggesting that by covering up, you are not encouraging or normalizing breastfeeding. I don't think that's a positive, affirming approach - just encourage moms to do what makes them comfortable. I think of it as similar to going to the beach - wow, some women are wearing swimsuits that you wouldn't catch me wearing in a million years. Just wouldn't feel right/comfortable in a string bikini, regardless of how young/slim I looked. But there are other women who are more 'covered' and won't even wear a swimsuit. But that doesn't stop them from swimming in public with longer shorts on or whatever .. come on and jump in the water no matter what you're wearing. If I somehow felt pressured to wear a smaller bathing suit than I was comfortable with, there's a chance I might just not go swimming.
So if a mom feels that she 'should' or 'should not' cover up, then it's just more pressure on this new mom. Let's just be relaxed, do what makes you comfortable and be happy women are breastfeeding their babies.
What do you think?
Post filed under: Articles