Breastfeeding in Public

Our current society seems to be turning the tide of a restricted view of breastfeeding toward a more inclusive perspective. Yet, that is not to stay that the stigma is not gone; we all have heard stories of women being approached by strangers or being told to use a cover or, better yet, a bathroom (the most sanitary place for an infant to eat). But why is breastfeeding in public such an issue? Why is it that breasts have become so sexualized that they can’t be used openly for their biological purpose without social backlash? And when did this issue begin?

History of Breastfeeding

In the past breastfeeding was much more common than it is today; even the alternatives to a mother breastfeeding typically involved a wet nurse (opposed to formula or animal milk) (Stevens, Patrick & Pickler, 2009). In fact, wet nursing was a very common profession, evolving, “from an alternative of need (2000 BC) to an alternative of choice (950 BC to 1800 AD)," (Stevens, Patrick & Pickler, 2009). Much like today's times, the realities of caring for an infant can feel restrictive due to the frequency of nursing that an infant requires, so upper-class women who could afford a wet nurse, typically obliged. Yet, at some point wet-nursing itself began to be stigmatized against as the idea that children could take on characteristics of the wet-nurse and the fear that children would become bonded to the wet-nurse more than their mother (Stevens, Patrick & Pickler, 2009). Then, as the industrial revolution began the first modern bottles and formulas began to be created and it was now possible for women to feed their baby without a wet-nurse. From then on, contemporary formulas and bottles gave rise and being a mother in public became even more convenient without the necessity of breastfeeding. In fact, contemporary formulas, bottles and sanitation practices have become so much more healthy than they were in the past (where 1/3 of formula fed children died), that they began to be so heavily marketed (to doctors and mothers alike) to the extent that breastfeeding decreased, “from the rate of, “90% in the 20^th century to approximately 42% in the 21st century,” (Stevens, Patrick & Pickler, 2009). Unfortunately, convince is not everything, and now, despite new recommendations on the health benefits of breastfeeding, this percentage is not quick to rise.

Here is a quick video on the history of breastfeeding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ6pN5WJig4

So, breastfeeding seems to be a prevalent part of the past, but what about breastfeeding in public? Well as it seems that most publications I found simply assumed the idea that women used to breastfeed in public without backlash, based on an evolutionary perspective. However, without knowing for sure I can only assume as much. With that being said, please view some of the historical images of public breastfeeding that Buzzfeed found. Seeing those images creates the idea that women could breastfeed without backlash in the past, but just because those photos exist doesn't mean that breastfeeding in public was necessarily acceptable.

Public Displays of Nudity … Breastfeeding

Okay, so what about now… regardless of whether or not breastfeeding was socially accepted in the past, why isn't it completely acceptable now? There are sexualized images all over magazines and TV, but when an individual breastfeeds it becomes a controversy. Some individuals simply do not wish to see mothers’ breastfeeding and believe that they should have to go elsewhere, while others believe that it is a mother’s right to breastfeed whenever the child needs it, wherever they may be. How do we decide what is appropriate when there is such a large spectrum of ideas?

But breastfeeding is not just a public issue; even breastfeeding in the home has uncomfortable aspects (Smith, Hausman & Labbok, 2012). When family members visit, if other family members live with you or if you have older children you have to prepare yourself for some discomfort when transitioning into a breastfeeding mother. Do you go hide yourself in your own home when individuals come to visit the new baby or do you face the idea that you should be allowed to breastfeed whenever and wherever the child is hungry.  Not only that, how does your partner feel about breastfeeding? Is your sexual life going to suffer from breastfeeding? 

With so many questions and opposing opinions, answers change depending on who you ask. Yet, either way, it is a women's choice to breastfeed, a choice which is protected in most states (source). Despite this, how and where women breastfeed stirs heated debate. The sexualization of breasts coupled with the advent of alternatives to breastfeeding, in addition to our recent histories decline in  breastfeeding have all lessened the normalcy of breastfeeding in our culture. There are forces on both sides working to either normalize or to restrict breastfeeding from the public view, causing the simple act of feeding a child to become intertwined with public nudity, sexuality, modesty in public. However, regardless of our cultures opposing views of breastfeeding we are going to have to redefine the ways in which we categorize the breast as a sexual object in order to solve this issue.

References

Colen, Cynthia G., and David M. Ramey. Is breast truly best? Estimating the effects of 

         breastfeeding on long-term child health and wellbeing in the United States using sibling 

         comparisons. Social Science & Medicine 109 (2014): 55-65. Retrieved from 

         http://www.sciencedirect.com.

Smith, Paige., Hausman, Bernice and Labbok, Miriam (2012). Beyond Health, Beyond 

         Choice: Breastfeeding Constraints and Realities. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com.

Stevens, E. E., Patrick, T. E., & Pickler, R. (2009). A history of infant feeding. The Journal 

         of Perinatal Education, 18, 32-39. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from the PubMed Central            database. doi: 10.1624/105812409X426314

National Confrence of State Legislatures (2014). Breastfeeding state laws. Retrieved 

         from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx