Breast Feeding in shops

[cowbearuk]

Well, the saga continues. The SAME ED new age organic mum was spotted TODAY in William Rose merrily breast feeding in the Queue. To the amazement and embarrassment of the staff, she continued feeding whilst ordering 2lb of Calves Liver, some neatly trimmed pork loin chops and two steak and ale pies. OK I sound totally paranoid now, but this is ridiculous!! Are there any women who would agree there is a time and a place?

[Ondine]

ditto

[Vik]

The time: When baby is hungry.

The place: Wherever mum feels comfortable.

Get over it, avert your eyes, shop elsewhere etc etc......

[Domitianus]

Ok, how bout this then, Vik? I am standing in the queue in the butchers and I need a pee. It is therefore 'the time' for me to answer the call of nature. I remove a plastic bottle from my bag, take out my penis and urinate in the bottle - cleanly, safely depositing a sterile waste product in an appropriate recepticle. 'The place' is appropriate as I feel perfectly comfortable doing it. Is that acceptable? How long do you think it would be before I was ejected from the shop and very probably arrested for simply choosing my time and place to carry out a perfectly natural function? Not long, I would imagine. Indeed, people are routinely lifted by the police for simply peeing behind a garage or against some bushes after a night out. Why is one natural act acceptable and the other apparently criminal?

I agree completely with Cowbearuk. It is apparent from what has been reported that this incident caused considerable embarrassment to the staff in William Rose and other customers present. I am equally confident that there is no reason why the mother in question should not have been able to find a more discrete location to feed her child.

Vik's comments "Get over it, avert your eyes, shop elsewhere etc etc......" are probably the lamest response imaginable. Of course, Cowbearuk, the fact that we don't automatically bend the knee to the right of a mother to do whatever she likes with her child under the guise of some imaginary carte blanche for nursing mothers probably makes us sexist, misogynistic, retrograde dinosaurs, doesn't it?

[*Bob*]

I'm at a total loss to explain how a series of amusing (and obvious) comedy postings have managed to generate 'face value' reponses.

Get a grip!

[karter]

Domitianus

Take a pee into your plastic bottle in one of the shops in east dulwich and see what response you get from the shop keepers and customers . Perhaps you will start off a new trend and maybe create some competition for the breast feeding mothers.After all its unfair to have one type of everything in the area, init?

[Domitianus]

Believe me Karter, I am sorely tempted, but I suspect I would be in the slammer of ED police station within minutes, accused of gross indecency, public exposure or whatever. Prolly also be listed on the Sex Offenders Register. If I was a breast-feeding mother, of course, I would just be doing what comes naturally and the plod would run a PC mile before even thinking to pass as much as a discrete comment.

[Asset]

it's discreet, not discrete. Sorry. Discrete means something totally different

[Domitianus]

Just to clarify...'PC' in my post meant Politically Correct (an oxymoron, if ever there was one) NOT Police Cuntstable.

[citizenED]

They say women are good at multi-tasking but if said woman can do all the things mentioned in initial post at the same time - then pretty much fair play to her. I'm guessing that it will not set a trend and that in all probability it's a one-off for even that remarkable individual.

citizen

[Administrator]

Moved to the Lounge

[cowbearuk]

-- moved topic --

[SeanMacGabhann]

The Administrator has ONE night off and the place turns to anarchy

[shaman]

breastfeeding in many cultures is openly performed task of feeding young not the excretion of waste if the mother had preceded to change a soiled nappy then a cause for concern however that was not the case and if any are embarrassed that is their choice. If the woman had not feed her baby it would of possibly cried to much greater annoyance to the Que

[karter]

The wise words of the Shaman.....However As Ross from the series friends once said, "breast feeding is the most beautiful thing in the world", I quite agree, and doing it organically at the organic butchers ( only one of which we still have ,I might add still Domitianus ,apart from the market ) is quite unique.

[FatHappyChappy]

Get Karter (get it?)and Shaman, missing the point. I HAVE seen this woman in Nero, twice. I have NO PROBLEM with the concept of a mother feeding her child in Public, however:- First time I saw her, the cafe was virtually EMPTY. She could easily have fed her child in comfort at the rear of the cafe, in a nice leather chair with PLENTY of room for the buggy. OH NO, NOT good enough, she has to Plonk herself right in the bloody window, HOG about three tables because the buggy is in the way and then remove her breasts (God knows why BOTH, she didn't have twins!!) SMILING AT BEMUSED PASSERS BY - She is utterly demented!! The point is this woman is a total nutter, any normal mum would have been more subtle and caring for the child. I never reply to forums but Cowbear is SOOOOOOO right on this one. Maybe she IS a one off, One off her head!!

[FatHappyChappy]

Sorry BEMUSED BOB!! This one is for REAL. Best time to see her between 7:30 and 8:30 AM IN THE BLOODY WINDOW MOST days, or between 15:30 and 16:30 PM - IN THE BLOODY WINDOW. I did have a grip, but now I am losing IT.

[*Bob*]

I don't deny that there may be a blatant boobfeeder in Nero. Can anyone confirm the WR story? What about the attempted "Rabbit Snatch" from Upland Road? I'm sure you can see why I might a tad bemused. And amused - they did make me laff. More please, Cowbear.

On the subject of public breastfeeding (since we're on it), there are always extremes. Mrs *Bob* would not have sat in the window of Nero with both jugs a-swingin' for all to see - but seeing it wouldn't offend me. I should imagine I'd probably be trying not to laugh. And such women at least help 'push the envelope' so that most people can these days breastfeed publicly but with discretion without being burned at the stake.

[shaman]

If her breasts are detactable then see no problem, however if not it is important for breastfeeding mothers to alternate breasts used for feeding for health reasons however maybe she is simply less inhibited then yourselfs

[Domitianus]

Does this mean I can sit in the window of Nero with my willy out (it needs a bit of an airing!!!)

[*Bob*]

Technically, I think that would be 'flashing' as opposed to 'indiscretion'.

Give it a go - the police will let you know.

[shaman]

Breastfeeding is the most effective form of feeding a child, not an act of exhibitionism exposing a sexual organ is not the same as breasts they are not genitals, exposure of genitals is generally considered culturally unacceptable.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I think Domitianus is obsessed with showing his penis

I'm all for women being allowed to breast feed openly and have long been bemused by the anglo-saxon suspicion of same.

However, it does sound as if this women is mistaking exhibitionism with child-care

The big difference between exposing a breast in public and a penis, is of course that a breast represents no threat to anyone, but some men have a history of using their penis for more brutal means than mere exhibitionism (although the age-old response to any flasher of "ooh look it's like a penis only smaller " remains the best reply to flashers)

[dulwichmum]

Sean MacGabhann is a King among men, and I could not agree with him more. I am not going to rise to this arguement because it is completely beneath me, feeding a baby at the breast is not only environmentally friendly and tailor made by the mother for each childs exact requirements, but it is also beneficial to the mothers health and the development of the childs immune system. We should all support any woman who wishes to breast feed - along with those who do not.

[DG]

Given that breatfeeding levels in the UK are some of the lowest in Europe, despite proven health benefits, and we are facing an epidemic of fat unhealthy kids, I'd say the more women who demonstrate that it's free, easy and what breasts were designed for, the better. Much rather see a woman breastfeeding than a baby having its face stuffed with a jar of gloop, anyday.