So, if breast feeding in public is okay, what about breast-pumping

[Orrex]

That is, using a pump to extract milk for use later.


What say you?

[polichick]

1. Wouldn't bother me, but I've never seen it. nt

[apples and oranges]

2. Only if penis pumping is OK

for later use.

[prolesunited]

13. Yes

because you're obviously going to feed a baby sperm later. Perhaps there is an online logic class you can enroll in.

[JonQ]

65. Well, not a baby

but someone might want it. ;-)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

81. ...

:applause:

[ejpoeta]

3. well, as a woman who breastfeeds, i can say that i haven't found much

'okay' feelings from anyone regarding public breastfeeding. I feel quite sure that if I were to attempt to breastfeed my daughter in public I would have problems... though i know that I CAN do so. though it's tempting when my one month old is screaming because she's hungry and people are glaring at me.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. Let 'em glare

It's their problem - it shouldn't be your daughter's!

[debbierlus]

12. really? where do you live? I always breast fed in public and my sister does with her baby girl

I never had so much as a raised eyebrow or second look.

[ejpoeta]

23. i have never tried to feed my baby in public. with ashley i went in the bathroom and fed her

feeling very mad about doing so too. Abby is only a month old, so she is hungry a lot. Try not to go too many places right now....I live in WNY.... I haven't tested my theory... I myself don't really feel too comfortable breastfeeding in front of people. Though I am sure I would if I had to.

[pnwmom]

27. Bathrooms are smelly, dirty places and babies shouldn't be nursing in there

anymore than people should be eating in there.

You might want to join a support group, like La Leche League, to help you get more comfortable with breastfeeding in public. It's also a nice way to meet more mothers.

[Obamanaut]

34. I agree. Babies are small people, and should not have to go in a

public restroom to eat.

[LeftyMom]

42. Get a nursing shirt or something, but don't feed your baby in a toilet.

It's not sanitary.

[defendandprotect]

70. Who else goes to a bathroom to eat their lunch?

[urgk]

102. The 14 year old in me wants to begin my long list with "Hannity" and "Coulter." (n/t)

[defendandprotect]

109. Oh . . . . . . . LOVE IT----!!!

Thanks for the midday laugh!!

:)

[JerseygirlCT]

114. I found a neat blanket thing

that sort of snapped around my neck. Easy to throw on, and the snaps meant it stayed on. Underneath that, no one could see anything, and it was very light-weight, so it didn't block out the baby's air and light. All were quite happy - even my FIL, who started out thinking he'd be quite embarrassed to have me feeding the baby at the table. That little piece of cloth made life for both baby and me much, much easier!

[shintao]

119. A Mexican Serape poncho is ideal: Advice!!

Try the serape poncho is ideal. It is open on both sides to put the baby onto your breasts.

As far as pumping a breast, this should be done at home so the milk canbe refrigerated. If you are doing it on your lunch break, do it in a private office and have an available refrigerator to stick it in until you go home.

If you are leaking during the day, use breast pads. Sometimes breasts leak when you hear your child cry, natures way of preparing for a feed. Even thinking about it might trigger a leak. So while at the store wear the breast pads so you don't stain your clothing.

[JerseygirlCT]

120. Yeah,

unfortunately, my days of this are long past. But with my first, I had to pump in a stall in the restroom. A small stall, at that! Somehow, I was able to produce a lot of milk, though (12 oz at a time!).

Not so lucky the second time around.

[pnwmom]

26. Who's more important to you: ignorant, judgmental strangers or your little baby?

If your baby is hungry, then ignore the glares and take care of her. It will feel embarrassing the first few times, but don't worry -- it will get easier.

[ejpoeta]

46. i DO take care of her... just not in front of everyone.

[pnwmom]

47. This is the situation I was talking about:

"though it's tempting when my one month old is screaming because she's hungry and people are glaring at me."

If your one month old is screaming because she's hungry, then feed her. You shouldn't have to wait until you can get to a more private place.

Some of those people who are glaring might actually applaud you for resolving the problem instantly!

[seabeyond]

57. wrong place

[pnwmom]

59. What is the wrong place? n/t

[seabeyond]

61. i was commenting to op and thread in general. didnt mean to post here

to this poster.

[rd_kent]

82. All is ok when it comes to naturally providing for your child.

[Ms. Toad]

116. My guess is not.

My "baby" is 19 now, and I breastfed her in public all the time until she weaned herself from daytime nursing somewhere north of a year old (probably even in the Olive Garden restaurant - which for some reason seems to generate lots of discussion). Never had a problem. I was discrete about it - but if she was hungry, she got to eat.

[Whisp]

4. just don't splash anything on me.

why would I care if you want to pump in public

[The Straight Story]

5. Mmmm breast pumping...oh, you meant the other type. My take on it:

I just don't care. Don't like it, walk away somewhere else.

Kind of like bars and smoking - don't like it, don't go to a bar that allows it.

How hard is it to understand?

[flvegan]

6. If she's okay with you doing it...

What?

[JerseygirlCT]

8. I know that while I became comfortable

feeding the baby anywhere, pumping was harder to do with company. Pumping is just plain harder to do, period.

[Ms. Toad]

117. I never managed to to that without getting more undressed

than I felt comfortable being in public. It is also a little easier to plan to be someplace discrete when I needed to pump. Haven't heard a pump yell, "feed me" yet ;-)

[The Straight Story]

9. I got an Olive thread going, you got breastfeeding one - we need a gun and smoking one next

Happy Halloween DU :)

[pnwmom]

48. Why should a breastfeeding thread be controversial at all? At least,

among intelligent adults?

It isn't dangerous, and it doesn't impinge on anyone else's rights.

[LeftyMom]

10. Sure, why not? You can't see anything.

:shrug:

That said, I never got the hang of pumps and preferred hand expressing into a bowl, and I can't really imagine doing that at all discreetly. :rofl:

[The Straight Story]

15. Sounds interesting, any videos on that - might help me sometime

If I ever get married again, have more kids, wife wants to breastfeed....

[BrklynLiberal]

19. I agree.

I was able to nurse in front of people..but pumping..or expressing milk, as it waas called...I cannot imagine even wanting to do it in public.


Complicated,time consuming, must use sterilized bottles, etc.
Cannot imagine....

[gkhouston]

127. It really wasn't that hard. Then again, I didn't have a lot of choice. I have

thyroid disease and pumped after every nursing to increase my supply. And I do mean every nursing. When my daughter gave up that feeding around one-ish in the morning, I still got up and fed the friggin' pump, 'cause we needed the milk. We had a sterilizer from Avent that you use in the microwave and the end of the kitchen table was given over to be pumping and bottle land. For me, it was the only way to keep up my supply and get breast milk into the munchkin. Some of it came directly from me, and some came via the pump, but she got it nonetheless.

[Oregone]

40. Maybe you got a different pump

We *had* a clear one with clear tubes. You saw everything, including a pulsating nipple.

[LeftyMom]

43. They make nursing shirts and bras to hold flanges in place hands free.

There's no reason the whole mess can't be covered up. And who cares if anybody sees the tubes? Milk in tubes isn't magically more offensive than milk in bottles or dribbled out on fat little baby cheeks.

[Oregone]

64. Cover it up? That takes all the fun outta it

[gkhouston]

124. Praise to the hands-free pumping kit! I used to hook up in my office and go

back to working on my computer. The milk flowed freely as long as I wasn't trying to answer email from some asshole, and not taking time away from the work day to pump meant that I got back to my munchkin that much sooner.

[recoveringrepublican]

92. Wow, which I had your pump! I could see everything, and it wasn't pretty! nt

[Ms. Toad]

118. My problem, as well.

[Kali]

11. only if you are drinking a soda bought with food stamps

in the Olive Garden.

:spank:

[NYC_SKP]

14. I say, "I hope you brought enough for everyone."

That's a standard teacher response to a situation like this.

:P

[tammywammy]

16. Only if you smoke when you're done. n/t

[Shell Beau]

17. It is kind of awkward, I must say.

Not doing it in public, but the whole pumping process. I hated it, hated it, hated it!!!! To be very blunt about it, it makes your nipples HUGE!!! I mean humongous. I may not feel weird about breastfeeding in public, but I felt weird pumping even all by myself. I dreaded it, and it takes a while to get a considerable amount of milk for many moms. It took me 20 minutes to get 4 oz. So glad those days are over. Of course I want another baby, so I will be a pumping machine again sometime soon.

Such a lovely topic for a Friday night! I am loving it!! :evilgrin: :hi:

[bemildred]

18. Why would I care? nt

[petronius]

20. I think either one is fine, although I would guess that pumping is more obvious

I once had a student breastfeed in the back of a class I was teaching, and the university didn't screech to a halt. (That's kind of off topic, I just felt like sharing...)

[ZombieHorde]

21. I believe public breast pumping should be legal, except for electric pumps in movie theaters. nt

[peace13]

22. Breast feeding in public is done out of necessity.

Pumping is normally done in preparation and one would be near the refrigerator when finished soooo.....unless I am going to drag my refrigerator around with me, my guess is that it is a no go on the public pumping. As a veteran in this area I will add that moms are strong and protective and will do whatever necessary to feed their children so there may be some reason, all be it one that I can not imagine, that a mom may have to pump in 'public'. In which case I would suggest staying out of her way because she would be a woman with a mission.

[LeftyMom]

28. In cases of prolonged separation pumping is necessary to keep one's supply up.

If milk can't be stored for some reason (either lack of facilities or because the milk would be unsuitable for some reason such as temporary use of an incompatible medication) then doing a "pump and dump" every two hours or so would still be vital to maintaining a healthy milk supply for when feedings could resume.

Also, there are coolers designed to safely store pumped milk for hours. These are mostly designed for working women who may not have refrigeration available to them during the workday, and as such keep milk cold for many hours at a stretch.

Many women pump at work. While private facilities should be offered, they often are not. Pumping with a typical electric pump while wearing a nursing shirt and a suitable bra doesn't show a thing. For that matter, pumping while wearing a regular shirt wouldn't show a thing once it was all set up.

[MercutioATC]

29. By that measure, public urination should be acceptable.

That said, pumping without showing any skin is fine.

[Shell Beau]

32. That is pretty hard to do. Not impossible, but it is much more exposing

than breast feeding. And your milk will come out regardless. Breasts can get painfully engorged.

[rd_kent]

83. I would agree, if toilets were in public view.

Not sure I support pissing on the ground in public, mostly because everything would be covered in piss, not because people were pissing in public. I think its a public health issue.

[polmaven]

95. So you use

your penis to nourish infants?

Breasts are not actually sexual organs....as is, I'm sure you will agree, a penis. Breasts are by nature feeding tubes. They were made to be sexual organs by men who find some pleasure is suckling at mommy's breast.

[MercutioATC]

98. Be that as it may, exposing female breasts in public is taboo in this society.

If an infant is hungry and must be nourished and there is no alternative, breastfeeding (in private or in public) may become a necessity.

Pumping in public doesn't have the same necessity.

[Shell Beau]

31. And milk straight out of the breast lasts longer.

It can be kept unrefrigerated for up to 8 hours.

Room temp, I should say.

[varelse]

24. I don't get the Puritan obsession with breasts

why wouldn't this be ok?

[urgk]

49. Because they're BOOBS, that's why.

And boobs aren't just anatomical expressions of biological processes, though that's what they would like you to think. They're powerful, sly, terrifying sin-sacks just waiting to drag us all to Gomorrah. The pink is just a disguise. Boobs should be mottled and green, like raptors or the necks of Sci-fi bad guys. They should all be affixed with warning labels shouting to us in illuminated, gothic text that "There be danger in these! Look away! Look away!"

Let me be very clear on this - Boobs threaten our very humanity. In their presence, we cannot be expected to stick to our mutually agreed-upon laws or the basic premise of civility. They are the worst definitions of anarchy, jutting poutily (in some instances) out into the world shouting at us to defy! Disobey! Destroy! They are the Wormtongues, the Rasputins, the leaning, whispering advisers who bring down kingdoms and politically emasculate the men(!) who were born to rule. From time to time, they are called "puppies," because deep down, they remind us of wolves, primarily those at the city gate, pacing and slavering for their chance to get inside the walls, bringing Hell and all that is unholy with them.

Don't be fooled. Swaddled in satin, they still plot our demise. Draped with too-thin t-shirt, they hate our civilized ways. Permitted to swing freely or strapped in like prisoners of some global asylum, they bide their time, plot our plots, and peek out every once in a while at a formal dance to remember a face or write down a name. Look upon them and be damned.

(If it's not obvious by now, I find the whole thing silly. Boobs are boobs. Sure, they're sexy sometimes, but sometimes babies need to eat, and sometimes women need to relieve the physical discomfort of having too much milk. I find it a little sad that we can't just be adults about it and put basic humanity over outdated, unevolved religious nonsense.)

[Lisa0825]

67. LOL! Good post! nt

:applause:

[urgk]

99. Thanks :) I cracked myself up with it. (n/t)

[urgk]

104. In fact, I think I'll nominate myself for a Duzy. :) (n/t)

[blues90]

25. Sort of an odd question

I say americans need to get real and except nature and keep the noses where they belong. It would not bother me yet I am a grown up.

[Incitatus]

30. I fully support all forms of breast expusre in public. nt

[Iggo]

36. There it is, right there.

It's all okay. And it should all be legal.

[Fuzz]

33. Locking. Sex thread.

;)

[dysfunctional press]

35. and if breast-feeding is okay- what's the cut-off age for the "child"...?

:evilgrin:

[ejpoeta]

45. i fed ashley til she was 14 months... though i know women who breastfed til the baby was two or l

more. Personally it became an issue when she started biting. Once they get teeth there is a whole other issue involved!! I have scars as a reminder.

[TheMadMonk]

37. Dropping it out on the placemate and hollerin' "Hook it up Cletus!" might be a bit gauche.

However, if done discretely I don't see why not. When necessary. Unlike with baby being fed on the Veruca Salt plan (I want it now!) however, you do generally have a choice in picking time and place when expressing. Consideration is a two way street. Why embarrass other people unnecessarily, simply because it is your right to do so?

[obliviously]

38. Why not just switch out tampons in public too!

Exhibitionists use a dam restroom!

[pnwmom]

50. self-delete. n/t

[polmaven]

97. I can only imagine what that was....

And I probably would have agreed 100% to such a misogynistic, childish post.

[urgk]

100. Sometimes I can only shake my head at the astounding depth of ignorance I see.

How are the two equivalent?

Let me quickly point out a way in which they're not. Women breastfeed around their parents. And around their other children. You don't really see that (ever) with the tampon rituals. So, culturally, there's really no parallel whatsoever.

Here's another way they differ - Blood isn't milk. Oh, and you may have noticed, but breasts aren't a vagina. And a baby eating (or a breast pump pumping) isn't the same as a reproductive system cleaning itself out. Add to that the fact that there are major, civilized societies in which breast feeding is acceptable in public places, while tampon removal and/or insertion is pretty much universally considered a private matter.

I hope you give more rational consideration to other matters on DU. Because it is exactly this kind of knee-jerk, emotionally underdeveloped nonsense that, when passed off as logic, keeps a debate from getting anywhere useful.

[MrsMatt]

113. Somehow, I don't think the person you are

replying to HAS noticed that breasts aren't a vagina.

Poor thing needs an anatomy lesson.

[Maine-ah]

106. I am hoping you forgot the sarcasm tag.

[Oregone]

39. Not sure. One scenario you see a furry head. The other you see a breast and a pulsating nipple

So the more I think about it, Im sorta pro-banning public breastfeeding and just mandating public pumpings.

[proteus_lives]

41. No.

That's something that should be done before you leave home. Like any other preparation.

[TorchTheWitch]

44. I'm not seeing the necessity of pumping in public

Breastfeeding in public I can understand because baby is there and hungry NOW. Pumping is a planned operation that doesn't involve a present hungry baby, therefore I'm not seeing why it would need to be done in public. Though I've never done it, I understand that pumping is far more complicated and difficult than breastfeeding requiring far more exposure and manipulation, and I'm not seeing why a mother would either need or want to do it in public.

We don't take care of our other necessary bodily functions in public, so I see no reason why breast pumping should be any exception.

[pnwmom]

51. "IF" breastfeeding in public is okay????? n/t

[Orrex]

52. Sure. The sentence is a simple, logical construction

It takes the first clause as a given, then uses the second clause to ask a question based on the first.

[pnwmom]

55. "If" implies doubt. You could have said, "Given that breastfeeding in public . . . "

and that wouldn't have implied doubt.

No one who understands pumping would have written that question. You need to be relaxed and comfortable to pump, and you need water nearby; also, you need a place to store the milk after it's pumped. I can't think of a public place where anyone would want to pump.

So the question seems ignorant and/or insulting.

[Orrex]

56. You may have inferred doubt

[TexasObserver]

53. That would mainly be up to businesses to decide.

No one has to pump milk at a restaurant or on a bus, because obviously, the baby is not feeding at that time. Therefore, it's not the same as breast feeding a hungry infant. Babies eat when they are hungry. If they are not hungry, they turn their cute little heads away from the breast or bottle.

Breast pumps are awesome. My niece has the double breasted style, so she can pump twice as fast. She doesn't like to take her breast out in public, and that's her business. Plus, little man is teething, and that's hard on the nipples.

[pnwmom]

60. Actually, if you were on a longer bus trip (without a baby) and

you were engorged, it might be necessary to avoid an infection. I hadn't thought of that before.

[TexasObserver]

63. That's true, and travel facilities should keep that in mind.

I do think there have to be very accommodating provisions for those involved in interstate travel services. As you state, a woman who is nursing who cannot get to a pump or her baby is a woman soon to be in trouble.

[cali]

54. that's silly. there is no need for a woman to pump breast milk in a public setting.

you can refrigerate breast milk, you know. I worked and pumped for over a year. Never had to do it in public.

[seabeyond]

58. too stupid. woman doesnt need to pump breast in public. reasons for breast feeding in public.

whoever said sex thread.... breastfeeding isnt sex, get a life

people yelling puritican and declaring grow up. look at some of the posts on here. if all were really grown up about the tit we wouldnt be getting so many stupid comments about it. the immaturity level and making the big deal about a tit is the same as the puritan making a big deal about the tit.

[pnwmom]

62. Human milk may be dispensed and/or consumed wherever

other foods or drinks may be dispensed and/or served.

[JonQ]

66. I don't really see an issue with it

unless it is making too much noise. I don't know how much noise a breastpump makes but I imagine in a place like say a library it would be inappropriate. In a park, no problem.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

68. Oh C'mon... Are You Serious?

I think both should be done in privacy, but with the baby sometimes when they're hungry they're hungry, and that's that. Gotta do what you gotta do. Breast pumping? No general reason whatsoever why that would have to be done publicly, except for maybe rare exception.

[JackRiddler]

72. "No general reason to do it in public"? What about Freedom and MYOFB!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

73. What About The World Doesn't Fuckin Revolve Around You?

Hey, next time you see me taking a piss in the middle of the mall, I'll be sure to talk to you about freedom and myofb when you object. :eyes:

[JackRiddler]

75. What about get over your evident disgust of other human beings performing harmless activities?

Your equation of an exhibitionist pissing on the floor "in the middle of a mall" to a woman pumping milk (and almost certainly doing so in a corner of the mall) suggests that you may be the sort to have a lot of experience with the first type of behavior.

[Regret My New Name]

77. What if he brings a container and unrinates into that while in the mall?

[JackRiddler]

79. It would be a problem if he tried to make a baby drink it.

[Regret My New Name]

88. I think I've seen that website.

[JackRiddler]

90. Watch out, that's probably an actionable confession.

[Regret My New Name]

91. Not a fan of adult diaper fetishes, aye?

I wasn't either until I discovered how... well, nevermind.

[smalll]

110. I don't drink with YOU!

/nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

84. Yup. I Piss In The Mall Alllllllll The Time.

:dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

[JackRiddler]

85. Yes, and it's called Democratic Underground.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

86. Wrong.

If I said I piss all over the reallllllllly reallllllly stupid people IN the mall who deserve it because they're so downright moronic and idiotic, then your analogy would be correct. In this case it is not. Try again. :hi:

[Tesha]

111. The amazing part is that he gets away with it, over and over and over and over again.

Anyone else would have been served their pizza, long since.

Tesha

[Tesha]

112. (Double-post removed by author)

[urgk]

101. A chart, overly simplified, just for you OPERATIONMINDGRIME.

Boob ≠ Penis
Milk ≠ Urine
Shirt/Bra ≠ Pants/shorts
Food ≠ Waste byproduct
Hungry Baby ≠ Urinal and subsequent sewage treatment

Now, given those, why do you think your troglodyte analogy is worth our time?

(edited for much funnier version of childish name jab)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

105. The Chart Is Stupid.

You obviously had a lot of trouble grasping the point of my post. Not surprising.

[urgk]

107. Obviously.

By simply disagreeing vehemently, rather than taking the time to either think or reinforce your argument, you make a valid point. I should listen to you more.

My point was that your peeing analogy was silly and far from analogous. Try an instance of somebody doing something as benign and reasonable as breastfeeding or pumping and being chastised for it, then we'll talk.

[fortyfeetunder]

69. Pumping in public..it can be done (caveat)

This is ancient history, I was done with nursing years ago. But I remember how it was then.

The closest I had to pumping in public was in my parked car...OK there was an occasion long ago I pumped and drove on a long stretch of highway. I had a Medela Pump in Style and a car adapter.

However, I had made shirts and blouses to accomodate the equipment and the nursing bra. I covered myself up with a blanket. Once I was connected, I relaxed, listened to music. No one could have known I was pumping.

[gkhouston]

126. I've pumped in the back seat of a car, countless times, sometimes while my

husband was driving. I used a drape that covered up everything. I've pumped in a few public restrooms, most of them in airports, while traveling on business. I've even pumped on a trans-Atlantic flight in my seat because I decided that sitting there covered up would be less passenger-unfriendly than tying up a bathroom for the better part of a half-hour. The background level of noise on the plane was so high that you couldn't even hear the pump.

[defendandprotect]

71. Look what a long way we've come ... we can almost say "nipple" in public now--!!!!

Congratulations to the women who are leading the way back to sanity in

breastfeeding their children --

without very much help from society as a whole, government - and the medical

profession--!!!

[seabeyond]

74. back in 60's when i was growing up moms breastfeeding was normal. when running and playing

i would come up on breastfeeding moms. be fascinated, talk to them about what i wanted and run off to play. seems to be the massive push to create breast only for sexualizing women for male entertainment that we have hidden the true nature of the breast.

my father and i were talking about it not so long ago. he remember it a natural thing in his time too.

[defendandprotect]

108. Could be that there was a lot of it in 60's . . .

but I don't have any experience of that --

on the other hand, rather dumbly, I wasn't expecting to have children

or even get married -- so I wasn't paying any attention to most of the

feminist stuff on that. I was a working girl then and had enough problems

to solve with that!

But -- you could say it's harder in our society to NOT get married and NOT

have children than it is to just go ahead and do it!!

So -- basically, I was dumb about breastfeeding, natural childbirth, etal.

:)

[JackRiddler]

76. I find people stuffing their mouths with fried burgers in public disgusting! Everyone, stop!!!

[johnaries]

78. Isn't the purpose of breast-pumping to avoid breast-feeding in

public?

Not that I would mind. I think society is way too "hung-up" on nudity, anyway.

I'm reminded of that commercial with 2 teen-aged boys on the beach salivating over a buxom girl in a bikini. One says "ya know, in some places in Europe girls are allowed to swim topless. It's the law!" It then switches to two teen-aged boys on a European beach being disgusted by an older, obese woman who is topless. One says "ya know, in America women have to wear tops when they swim. It's the law!".

[JackRiddler]

80. No.

Might be in some cases. The purpose is to store milk for later use.

[johnaries]

87. Well, wouldn't that "later use" include feeding in public? I'm just

asking. I've never breast-fed so I really wouldn't know. :evilgrin:

[JackRiddler]

89. I didn't breast feed but I handled a lot of pumped milk.

Often, the mother doesn't get to choose when she'll need to pump, it might be while she's away from the child, for example at work. And the carers don't always get to choose when they'll be feeding from the stored milk, but I sure appreciated having plenty of it available. Get it? Routine life is chaotic, and all that, and no one's hurt by either practice, or should be so divorced from life that they object to an o.m.g. exposed female breast, whether it's a baby or a suction cup doing the sucking.

[johnaries]

94. Ok. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the clarification! nt

[johnaries]

96. Ya know, to be perfectly honest after thinking about it

I probably would be a little embarrassed if I saw a woman breast-pumping in public. But not because of the pumping, but because I would be tempted to stare. Of course, if it were a common everyday occurrence then I wouldn't be tempted to stare. OK, yeah I would. I'm a breast man. But, still, the problem would not be with the woman breast-pumping but in the "eye of the beholder", as it were. I'd be embarrassed by everyone knowing what a pervert I really am! ;)

[recoveringrepublican]

93. No, usually its because mama works. Lots of other reasons also, I'm sure yours is one for many

women though.

[Vidar]

103. Fine by me.

[Warren DeMontague]

115. I don't think it's the same thing. Little babies have an urgency to eat

I don't see the parallel with pumping.

Why ask? Has this actually come up? Is this a problem? A potential one?

Because I have to wonder what the purpose of a "thought experiment" beginning with "if breast feeding in public is okay..." actually is.

Yes, breast feeding in public IS okay, and it's protected by law in most states. There is no "if".

[Umbral]

121. Male or Female?

What site did I stumble onto now....

[Hekate]

122. That's ridiculous flame-bait, that's what. Not the same action At All. nt

[Ganja Ninja]

123. I wouldn't care but

it seems like something that doesn't have to be done in public. I thought breast pumping was done as a convenience so the mother didn't have breast feed or be with the baby during feeding time. I don't know why a woman would want to or need to do it in public.

[guitar man]

125. I have no objection to it

But then again, I have no objection at all to seeing bare breasts, so I might be a tad biased in my opinion :P