No Nursing With 'Distracting' Breasts At YMCA Pool

[The Straight Story]

No Nursing With 'Distracting' Breasts At YMCA Pool
Group Plans Sit In Saturday

POSTED: 11:54 am EST January 27, 2006

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The lifeguards find bare breasts distracting.

That's one of the reasons officials at the Ann Arbor, Mich., YMCA said they've banned breast-feeding at the pool.

But nursing moms counter that's no excuse.

The breast-feeding mothers plan a nurse-in at the Y Saturday to protest the ban.

http://www.local6.com/family/6498118/detail.html

[AX10]

1. those damn 1950's puritanical values, I see.

Breasts were meant for feeding babies milk.

[AzDar]

61. With all due respect, I've decided mine are for self-gratification, and

looking hot in a tight t-shirt.

[Blue_Tires]

95. roger that

n/t!

[King Coal]

76. Only babies? Can we bring our own wet nurses to the Y?

I wonder what you have to pay to hire one in Ann Arbor.

[Swamp Rat]

104. More like 1550's puritanical values

What the HELL is wrong with Americans, making something natural and beautiful into something scary and ugly?

[unblock]

2. but non-distracting breasts are ok?

just asking'
:shrug:

[The Straight Story]

4. They could just hire gay life guards :) (nt)

[SpiralHawk]

16. Yes, they bring Intense Focus

Replace the so-called "lifeguards"

They must be Republicans, they oppose what is natural and healthy and good and nurturing

[connecticut yankee]

3. Why?

There's no reason why they can't find a place to do it in private.

[WahooJunkie]

6. Yeah...

usually at the Y the locker rooms are CONNECTED to the pool area - just walk a few feet and do it in the locker room.

But I'm torn about forcing women to hide breast-feeding, as was already mentioned - it IS what they are for.

[JuniperLea]

14. I'm on the fence too.

I remember ALWAYS going somewhere peaceful and quiet to nurse my babies. Not so much to keep people from seeing me, but I always liked that to be a peaceful time... better for the digestion. I can, however, remember times when my boys were 8 and 10 that I got upset with a woman for whipping them out while she stood talking to us. My boys were quite embarrassed. My youngest, a daughter, is always embarrassed when she sees such things. So, it's not really a "right" you are taking away when you ask a woman to cover her nursing breasts, it's the right of observers who don't want to observe that is being taken away. Don't tell me they should be less sensitive about it either. It's their right to be sensitive to such things. And in this day and age when a young woman like my daughter can still feel embarrassed by such things, its a beautiful thing.

[mongo]

44. I wonder where your kids are getting the

idea that seeing a woman breast-feeding is "embarrassing".

And in this day and age when a young woman like my daughter can still feel embarrassed by such things, its a beautiful thing.

Ah - you answered that question.

Maybe to other people's kids it is no big deal.

So, it's not really a "right" you are taking away when you ask a woman to cover her nursing breasts, it's the right of observers who don't want to observe that is being taken away.

Utter BS. You don't have a right to not be offended in our society. If anyone has a right in this situation, it is the right of women to not have to hide in some filthy restroom to feed her kid.

[JuniperLea]

68. Keep your insults to yourself

There are some people who don't want to see certain things. My daughter is a prude. So what? I didn't make her that way like you are inferring. I accidentally embarrass her all the time. She is just that way. Always has been and probably always will be and it's her right. In a society where there are still laws pertaining to public nudity, it is by all means the right of some people not to have to see it. If they go to a nude beach and complain, that's their own dam fault and it's just tough.

When I breast fed in public, I was completely covered and no one knew what was going on. I did it out of respect for myself and for others. If we outlaw respect, we are doomed.

Utter BS that I don't have a right to not be offended. That's what parental ratings and such are for.

[Telly Savalas]

129. While some people are offended by babies eating

I find the sight of adults eating to be appalling. If you really can't find a restroom to go hide in to eat that hot dog, at least put a blanket over your head!

[guruoo]

167. !!!

:rofl:

[Scout]

80. "hide in some filthy restroom"

another utterly ridiculous comment

there are plenty of other places in the YMCA to breast feed besides the pool area. the rest rooms and the locker rooms and the lobby in the brand new YMCA building in upper middle class Ann Arbor are FAR from filthy. you just plain don't know what you are talking about.

If it were true that the rest rooms were filthy, what would make the pool area a better place to feed the kid? Gross.

[JuniperLea]

85. Use a blanket for crying out loud

It's easy. No one every knew I was a public "lactator":)

No one has the right to impose their views on such things on other people. Just because some woman feels it's ok to whip a boob out in public doesn't mean the rest of the world has to see it. Use a blanket and everyone will be happy. This is really no different than any other issue.

[FlaGranny]

159. My grandchildren were all breastfed

and the older two are so completely used to seeing their mother breast feed, I doubt it will ever be a problem with them. They KNOW what breasts are for and they ignore breast feeding. They're not going to be embarrassed by it.

[guruoo]

168. Or they can simply look the other way...

But no, they're going to keep staring at THEM,
then later go off whining about being "offended".

Jeez, get a life, people!

[Cats Against Frist]

67. I'm sorry, but that's fucked up. If your kids are "embarrased,"

maybe you should teach them that the body isn't taboo, or some sort of cult item to string puritanical, archaic constructs around.

[JuniperLea]

69. There is a difference between home and public

My kids, who are adults now, always knew the difference. There was a lot of nudity at home... after baths and such... and no one made them feel self-conscious or anything like that. But I also taught them to be respectful of themselves and others... cover yourself before answering the door etc. There is a time and a place for everything. They know the dirty jokes we tell at home aren't something they would tell in front of a grandmother too. We were so open about the human body when the kids were growing up that they did things like run to tell me when their first pubic hairs showed up! Come on! Just because they wouldn't do that in front of mixed company (unless they were close friends, then anything goes) or in public is no sign they are somehow behind the times. They were taught to be respectful... something perhaps your parents should have focused on a little more.

No, it's not fucked up. What's fucked up is to have some modesty and have others think you are fucked up because of it. If my kids were here, they would probably cuss you out in about five languages.

[Cats Against Frist]

74. Why do they buy into the construct, then?

I'd see your point if we were talking about an orgy in the pool -- but breastfeeding? Why are you applying your "construct of modesty" to breastfeeding, at all? That's what I don't get. There is another thread on here about "discreet swimwear," -- do you find that modesty weird? How do people come to these decisions? Breastfeeding isn't sexual. How does it fit under the "umbrella of modest respect?"

And sorry for my originally irate tone -- it's been a tense day.

[LostinVA]

78. Yup -- breastfeeding is no different than eating a Luna bar

at the pool. Hey, I'm a lesbian, so technically should find breasts distracting, but breastfeeding? No way. It's not sexual at all. And i really mean the Luna bar analogy -- it's just a kid having a snack, not two people getting it on.

This society has to sexualize EVERYTHING.

[JuniperLea]

87. Tell that to the people

who make lactation porn! Sexy to one isn't necessarily sexy to another...

[phylny]

97. Oh, please. Some people find urinating on other people sexy.

Shall we outlaw peeing?

[JuniperLea]

111. In public? YES!

[Yupster]

117. Gotta be the best set up on DU ever

You two must be working together right?

[JuniperLea]

123. Rimshot....

heh. no. you can't make this shit up;)


Edited to say I never, ever said it should be outlawed. I just think more people could use a little common decency. Done discreetly, no one need know you are nursing. There would be no discussion here.

[Mutley]

173. Well, technically, most places have laws against public urination.

[JuniperLea]

82. Breastfeeding isn't sexual?

Tell that to my ex husband! And to all the guys who buy lactating knockers magazines and movies!

No, I don't find modesty weird at all. I was a devout beach bunny in my youth and as my mom used to say, there was more cotton in the top of an aspirin bottle. But I changed into that suit behind closed doors and I never criticized my girlfriends who wore a lot more "suit" than I ever did on the beach. That's a personal choice and it's still our right to choose. And I wasn't embarrassed to breast feed in public... with a properly placed baby blanket. No one ever knew.

Lactation is damn sexy, though.

[Cats Against Frist]

100. There's a certain subset of the population

That also finds young children, and people dressed up in bunny costumes as sexual. You're only proving my point further -- these "fetishes," "taboos," and what other people know as "constructs" that are applied to things are manufactured imagination. You can choose to buy into them, or not. I realize that the POV that says "breastfeeding in public is OK" is also an arbitrary choice -- however, for myself, when faced with the problems that we encounter, in society, by sexualizing innocent, non-sexual acts (because until the "narrative" is applied to breastfeeding, it is a non-sexual act), we 1) create psychological conditions that are more likely to lead to perversions and outright violation and 2) remove the body from solidity, into the realm of the narrative, wherein the simple functions of pro-creation, birth, breathing, death, etc., can be re-cast as any kind of postmodern nightmare that anyone so chooses. I feel this way not only about taboo, but also all attempts to attach spirituality to the body -- transubstantiation, glorification, creation myths, etc.

But, in the end, despite the fact that I'm having this debate with you, believe our points are inherently equal. This is why I'm a libertarian -- and my libertarianism says that breastfeeding in public isn't harming anyone's personal property, rights or way of life. Also, that said, I think the Y has the right to make any rules that it wants, on its property. I didn't come to these decisions, lightly, and realize the drawbacks to this kind of philosophy. Of course, I still have my opinions and preferences -- and really, that's all I'm arguing.

[JuniperLea]

110. Manufactured imagination? Some people say that about being Gay too!

Like you have a choice! " -- these "fetishes," "taboos," and what other people know as "constructs" that are applied to things are manufactured imagination. You can choose to buy into them, or not."

No way! My ex loved my lactation... and we laughed to find out there was a "fetish"... he bought into only his own biology, not some group!

Naked women, regardless of what they are doing, are seen as being sexual by most men. Period. It's not the breast feeding that is at issue, it is modesty and people's rights not to have to see nudity if they don't choose.

"- and my libertarianism says that breastfeeding in public isn't harming anyone's personal property, rights or way of life."

Let me give you another analogy based on a conversation I had with a gay man and a catholic priest... yes, I know, it sounds like a joke, but it's for real.

A gay man has the right to march in a parade. (All agreed) The gay man wanted to march in the St. Patrick's day parade and the priest said it was infringing on the rights of the Catholics who organize the yearly parade. I was asked my opinion and it took me a while to decide how I felt about that one (I'm from Irish Catholic descent). I felt that the gay man does have a right to march in a parade, and he does have a right to march in a St. Patrick's Day parade to show his pride in being a gay Irishman. However, the Catholics have for centuries felt that homosexuality is an abomination... now let me finish. I feel they are wrong in that thought, but it is their right to believe it as long as they don't hurt anyone else with those ideas. It is part of their religion and our country provides for freedom of religious beliefs. Therefore, it would infringe on the rights of the Irish Catholics who organized said parade and who's parish paid for the parade, to force them to include a group that their religion has always held as an abomination. Hard facts, I know.

Bottom line is I have the right to walk in public without seeing boobs. I do not have that right on a nude beach, or in a museum.

[DerekG]

147. How is breastfeeding sexual?

All this time, I was operating under the deviant assumption that breastfeeding is a nurturing act, but you're telling me there are guys out there who are aroused by it?

It takes all kinds, I suppose...

[Mutley]

175. Lol, type 'lactating porn' into Google sometime...

I've come to believe there is a porn genre for nearly everything imaginable.

[SmokingJacket]

72. If it's embarrassing, it's very easy not to look.

I breastfed two kids, too, and I was always very considerate of others -- I just assumed everyone was a prude as I am -- I get embarrassed when I see someone's belly button. I had a blanket to throw over the kid.

HOWEVER... it's the easiest thing in the world to look away. It's a good lesson to teach your kids: these women have the right to feed their babies -- because guess what, they do! -- and if it bothers you, look away.

I think we can be more tolerant of others' choices and learn to adapt ourselves, doncha think?

[JuniperLea]

91. Right

Tell it to the judge the next time an adult exposes themselves... they should just look away. No, I don't think that in all cases we should be tolerant of others' choices. That is absurd and could be taken way too far. Choice in religion, sure. Abortion, you betcha. Showing boobs or other private parts in public, no way. Granny would hate it, grandpa would like it but be embarrassed as hell, and it is just too easy to cover up. No one is keeping her from nursing just because they don't want to see it!

My kids would look away, no doubt. My boys are no longer kids... they would discreetly try to see as much as possible without letting on they were looking.

[phylny]

98. So, women should change their behavior and not nurse their babies

because it bothers someone else?

No way.

[JuniperLea]

112. Read again!

That isn't even close to what I'm saying! Read and quit jumping to conclusions!

I breastfed all three of my kids in public and no one ever knew... it's called a properly placed baby blanket! Cripes! Get a grip!

[phylny]

125. I've read everything you wrote, and my grip is terrific.

I've been a female for almost 50 years, and exactly one time in my life, I've seen a woman bare her entire breast to nurse her baby. That was in my kitchen, and it wasn't me. So, obviously our experiences differ, since your experience is that women whip out a breast in front of your sons and proceed suckling.

In any event, no matter what the circumstances are, I continue to believe that there is nothing obscene about a lactating breast or a nursing baby. Seems to me that people, including teenagers, need to learn the distinction between sex and mothering.

A woman has the right to nurse in whatever way she needs to. Anyone else who has a problem: that's THEIR problem.

[JuniperLea]

128. I'm right behind you in age

And I've been a woman all my life:)

I think breastfeeding is a necessary and beautiful thing, but I would never force another to witness it.

Seems I have a little more respect for the differences in opinions and cultures and the feelings and rights of others.

I would rather ere on the side of graciousness.

[phylny]

136. You are seemingly respecting everyone's rights, opinions, feelings except

the mother's and baby's.

I'd rather err on the side of the hungry baby :)

[JuniperLea]

138. Totally untrue and if you'd been paying attention you would know that

I'd never deny a hungry baby or force a mother to endure the pain of full breasts! I've been there!

And if you had been paying attention, you would know that I support breast feeding when and wherever it is necessary. Just cover yourself and no one is the wiser.

Pay attention.

[phylny]

139. I've been paying attention.

I've read everything you've written.

You are in support of breastfeeding and nursing babies on YOUR terms. Am I incorrect?

[JuniperLea]

141. Not my terms

On terms that are respectful of others. Everybody wins if you are respectful to others.

[phylny]

142. Sorry, those are *your* terms.

So, be respectful of someone else's right to breastfeed as she sees it. Look away.

[JuniperLea]

154. Clearly

Respect is my terms, not yours. You haven't a clue.

[SmokingJacket]

108. I don't know where you live, but in most places the law is not on your

side. Women are legally allowed to breastfeed in public. So you should teach your children to look away.

SORRY!

[JuniperLea]

113. You should read and comprehend before making statements!

I've said about a dozen times on this thread that I breastfed my kids in public, discreetly. Use a fucking blanket! Have some respect for yourself and for others!

[SmokingJacket]

118. Sorry, you lose.

In most places, it's perfectly legal to SHOW YOUR FUCKING BOOBS! YES, IT IS!

SO DEAL WITH IT!

[JuniperLea]

124. If I showed my boobs walking down the street right now

in Downtown Los Angeles, I'd be arrested.



I'm not familiar with your planet. Deal.

[SmokingJacket]

131. Actually, probably not. Check the law books. nt

[JuniperLea]

135. Actually, it must be so because I watched a woman get arrested

For indecent exposure right outside my old office here at Wilshire and Westwood in West Los Angeles. Nude clubs all over LA and it's legal there, but not on the street. I've also seen women arrested on several beaches here for topless sunbathing. There's a nude beach in Palos Verdes, but it's posted and I think it's a private beach anyway.


I'm not advocating outlawing public breast feeding. I'm just saying discretion would have eliminated the need for the article in question and this conversation.

[phylny]

94. While women should be polite and sensitive, the baby comes first

above all things.

Everyone has a right to remove themselves from a room, or a situation, or to simply not look.

When I was nursing my babies, no one ever saw ANYTHING. However, a favorite uncle was very uncomfortable with the mere thought, and would leave at the first sign of a baby's cry, thinking *IT* might happen at any moment.

I've even nursed while coaching a Christian Youth Group volleyball game, AND while teaching High School Sunday School. No one saw nuthin', and the teens (boys and girls) didn't give it a second thought.

[JuniperLea]

116. Baby comes first! Absolutely!

But you get my drift, clearly. You didn't just do it, albeit discreetly, in front of your uncle because you knew it made him uncomfortable. That's what I'm talking about.

[phylny]

120. I nursed, he left the room. In no way did I move or change my

behavior. He was never in any danger of "seeing" anything.

That's what I'm talking about.

[Iris]

46. perhaps they have other small children they are also looking after?

Jeez! Why can't people grow up about this issue?

[cally]

133. Exactly!!!! When you have several kids, you need to stay at the pool

Even kids that can swim should have an adult watch them at all times. A mother can't just go hide in the bathroom. I breast fed and I'm not going to lie and say that noone never saw anything. Babies as they get older like to lift up and look around. They also like to look Mom in the eyes. Still, I've seen many women breast feed and I don't stare. It's no big deal and I'm surprised that folks still think women have an obligation to hide away.

[trotsky]

7. Why should they have to? n/t

[Scout]

27. because it is a health code violation....

"Y officials note there's no eating or drinking allowed at the pool for anyone "

[trotsky]

38. And you don't think breastfeeding is totally different

than eating or drinking through other means?

A breastfeeding mom will have some milk leak out even while she's IN THE POOL! Oh my! Is that a health code violation?

[MakeItSo]

48. change the damn health codes then

I'll surmise myself and say the lifeguards wouldn't have REPORTED a "health code violation" in the first place if they hadn't found themselves all embarrassed about sporting a woody in their speedos due to the sight of a breastfeeding frigging mother.

[Scout]

88. another total bullshit comment

"if they hadn't found themselves all embarrassed about sporting a woody in their speedos due to the sight of a breastfeeding frigging mother"

absolute, total, ignorant bullshit.

do we know the life guard was even a male?

[Scout]

52. look, I didn't make the rule, if you don't like it take it up with the

health department.

That's what the newspaper article we were discussing said.

[Scout]

84. take it up with the health department if you want them to change

the policy. They did not single out breast milk. There is no eating or drinking in the pool area for anyone. They aren't worried about the milk leaking into the pool, else they'd ban lactating women entirely, duh.

[LostinVA]

79. That si the DUMBEST thing I"ve ever heard

[Scout]

86. then take it up with the fucking health department,

I'm just telling you what the situation is.

[MakeItSo]

9. the lifeguards probably go home and wank to hardcore web porn

But they can't stand the site of a mother feeding her child.

Maybe they can get porn like this taken out of our museums while they're at it. It's of some chick named "Mary"

[JuniperLea]

20. You know when you are going into a museum

that you are going to see such things. Not the same deal.


I don't think that the right to breast feed in public outweighs the right of some people who do not want to see breasts. You cannot grant a "right" to one person when it infringes on the right of another.

[Scout]

31. this is ridiculous

you don't know one damn thing about the lifeguards, the situation is NOT that the lifeguards are getting turned on by seeing a woman nurse an infant.

It is a health code violation to eat and drink in the pool area, breast feeding included. Did you read the article and miss that part?

you're just spouting off bullshit.

[MakeItSo]

37. Are you a lifeguard by any chance?

The irony is that my attacker is himself surmising, while I am merely referring to reporting found in the story itself, the lede of which is:

"The lifeguards find bare breasts distracting."

sheesh.

[MakeItSo]

45. on second read, perhaps I was overreaching

Perhaps I shouldn't jump to conclusions about the use of the word "distracting." I automatically assumed that this meant the lifeguards were sexually aroused by the site of breastfeeding women. But for all I know, the lifeguards were in fact saddened that they, too, hadn't been breastfed. Sadness can be very distracting, as we all know.

LOL

[meganmonkey]

51. The article is inaccurate

Plain and simple. Don't we know by now not to believe everything we read?

I know this situation very well, and I know that the Y's lifeguards do NOT find 'bare breasts' distracting (at least not officially LOL), rather the fact that the woman's toddler needed attention in the pool and the mother couldn't give it to the child was the distracting thing. This, in addition to the official policy of 'no food or drink in the pool area' led to the request for her not to breastfeed in the pool area.

This is a whole different issue. The article is terribly written and inaccurate.

[oblivious]

121. Yes, more details here.

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1137512497143560.xml&coll=2

http://infertility.bloggingbaby.com/2006/01/12/woman-asked-to-stop-breastfeeding-at-ymca/

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

150. You know it is embarrassing to be a lifeguard and see some tit

and get a woody! We can't have that! He might fall off his high chair and break his poor widdle woody!!!!!!!

[moc]

25. Why should they be forced to leave the pool area? What if they have

another child that needs to be watched? Do you demand that bottle feeding babies be fed in a private area?

[Scout]

33. yes, actually they do...

in this YMCA, there is no eating and drinking in the pool area, for anyone. Breast feeding and bottle feeding included.

I live in this town, I've been to the Y and there is not one god damn reason that woman had to breast feed right at the pool. If she had to go to the locker room, take the other child with her. He can have a little rest and quiet time before swimming some more.

And I believe but am not positive, from the previous story, that there was another adult there with the mom, who could have easily watched the children.

[SnowGoose]

40. Hey Scout, I knew there must be a few DU'ers in A2

Someone should have a meetup!

[Lefty48197]

73. Ypsi too!

.

[moc]

42. I still think it seems pretty stupid.

I understand the ban on food/drink around a pool - the issues with glass or other trash getting into the filters, etc. One could see how that would be an issue with bottle feeding because of the "stuff" you have to have with you to bottle feed. But with breastfeeding, there is none of that - nothing to litter the pool area, nothing to clog the pool filters. Good grief, little kids are probably peeing in the pool all the time.

My ds was a "turbo nurser", i.e., he could empty both breasts in less than five minutes. For me to have gathered up my older child, removed my valuables and retreated to another area to nurse him would be a royal PITA. Thank goodness we have an inground pool, so I didn't have to worry about these issues when my son was nursing. :-)

[JerseygirlCT]

149. There may not be a suitable place in private, to begin with

they may have other children to watch at the same time, too.

I don't see why the nursing mom can't use a small cover-up, but I also don't see why she should be prevented from feeding her baby -- at a Y of all places!

[Mutley]

172. But what about the women who have

an older child and a baby? They should have to pull their other child out of the pool to sit with their mothers in the locker room for 30-60 minutes?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Maybe they should nurse with non-distracting toes. Ear lobes?

Poor mistreated lifeguards.

[rodeodance]

8. Young Men's Christian Association

oops

[meganmonkey]

10. To clarify this a little

I live in this area, and am very familiar with the situation and some of the players in it.

This has NOTHING to do with obscenity - woman can breastfeed pretty much anywhere at the Y but the pool, it's not like they are telling women they have to go to the bathroom or something.

The 'distraction' aspect is being totally overplayed - there is a rule of no food or drink in the pool area, and that is ultimately why they are trying not to let people breast-feed there.

The original woman's main concern was that she didn't want to leave the pool area to nurse her infant while her toddler was in the pool. So THAT is really the root of the issue from her end.


Honestly, as a totally pro-breast-feeding person, I think this whole thing is being blown way out of proportion and there are much more important and relevent things to protest right now. I am not alone in this - I work with a VERY liberal group of people, several of them are mothers, and we ALL agree this is being overblown.


My 2 cents, as a local.

[oregonjen]

15. Are women who wish to nurse at the pool there because their other

children are there for lessons?

As a former nursing mother of two, I know that when babies are hungry, they are hungry NOW. If you have a child there for a lesson, it would be difficult to break away to nurse. Why can't they nurse there?

Just asking because I don't know the details.

[meganmonkey]

21. First of all, this is a brand-new issue, because no one

has ever been told not to breast-feed there before. I don't know if other women have been discreet, so no one noticed/no one cared before, I don't know. But technically the rule is "No food or drink" in the pool area. I don't think this case occurred during any kind of lesson.

It seems like it makes sense that breast milk - ANY kind of milk, is not really a good thing to have in a pool, or around a pool. I don't know if there are any specific health dept rules about it, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were.

I am sympathetic to her situation - I haven't ever had a child but many of my friends have and my sister has an infant now. I am very much pro-breast feeding and when I hear situations where a restaurant, store, mall, or whatever asks a mother not to nurse I will always side with the mother.

I am guessing the Y will come up with a way to work this out, maybe find a particular area of the poolside where it is okay or something. This is Ann Arbor, a very liberal town.

The fact that this is getting so much press boggles my mind.

I am mainly concerned with this article focusing on the 'distraction' thing, which is not what this is really about knee-jerk reactions on this thread about obscenity.

[oregonjen]

32. Thanks for the explanation

I think people are so obsessed with the breast and forget the real reason we have them. I never nursed in public and that was my own preference. If my baby was hungry and we were out, I would either nurse in the car or find a dressing room in a dept. store. I found I was able to breastfeed better without the noise and distraction of being around others.

[Carni]

174. My 2 cents=if they allow breast feeding they have to allow bottle feeding

OK-after reading this whole string to this point here's my two cents--

If there is a strict no food or drink rule then if they allowed breast feeding they would have to allow bottle feeding...and then they would be embroiled in a big deal over that because now you have bottles and whatever else around the pool.

Additionally for all we know this rule is so women aren't bottle feeding OR breast feeding while they have other kids in the pool.

Let's be honest here... if your kid is in the pool and you are feeding a baby (regardless of how you are doing it) you can't really be watching your other kids too closely.)

I could care less about either baby feeding situation...

Just don't get me going on diaper changing in public in VERY INAPPROPRIATE PLACES-So help me God the next person I see changing a baby right where people are eating or drinking is going to get the full bore of my wrath.

[Scout]

22. this particular incident was a pleasure outing...

the nursing mom was there with her infant, her older child, and I'm pretty sure but not positive there was also another adult friend and her child there.

I don't find it at all unreasonable to ask the mom to nurse pretty much anywhere else in the building EXCEPT the pool.

[FlaGranny]

161. Hmmm,

I'm wondering if the mom herself should be kept out of the pool - sometimes leaks happen! Breast milk is very dangerous. ;-)

[Scout]

36. excellent, thank you very much

I'm a local too, and you just explained exactly what I'm trying to, and did it very well.

[meganmonkey]

53. It isn't nearly as interesting and controversial

in reality, maybe I should stop 'clarifying' and just let everyone run with it LOL!

[MakeItSo]

55. It's a stupid "health code", and regulators are dimwits for enforcing it

1. Public pools are notoriously disgusting. They tend to have sky-high bacterial levels.
2. Subsequently they use enough chlorine to kill a cow.
3. Makes sense to not have little kids running around the pool eating crackers. But I don't recall in my years witnessing my wife nursing our kids ever seeing a single drop of the poisonous mother's milk on the floor or anywhere else.


and most important....

4. Forget about "equal rights." NURSING MOTHERS DESERVE TO HAVE SPECIAL PRIVILEGES! I don't know about you, but I know that taking care of an infant and doing it well is a huge responsibility and a hell of a lot of work.

Open the door for them. Give them a smile and a hello. Take their bags if you can.

AND LET THEM NURSE THEIR BABIES WHEREVER THE HELL THEY PLEASE!

</rant>

[meganmonkey]

57. Well rant at the Y, not me

I am not making any judgements, just trying to clarify the situation.

[MakeItSo]

60. i'm not ranting at you, i'm ranting at the Y and procrastinating like hell

I have some real work to do. Peace.

[meganmonkey]

62. Friday afternoon procrastination

imagine that ;)

Have a good weekend. Peace!

[Scout]

89. Public pools are notoriously disgusting. They tend to have sky-high bac

yes, they are!
that makes them a great place to breast feed your infant!

they only put the chlorine in the water ... and if my breast had been in the water I certainly would not want it in my infants mouth without washing up first, chlorine or not.

she can nurse her baby wherever ELSE she pleases in the whole damn building EXCEPT the pool area, that should be sufficient special treatment. hell, she can do it in the MEN's locker room for all I care.

[Yupster]

119. YMCA's have always been famous for stupid health code

rules.

For generations the rule at the Y was that men and boys weren't allowed to wear swimsuits but women and girls were.

There were all kinds of reasons given from the fabrics clogging up the filters to the fear of diseases (polio) reaching the pool through the suits.

That's also why the Y's used to be so big on showers before you entered the pool area.

Oh, the swimming times were uni-sex as you might guess, if women were allowed in at all. They had their own YWCA after all.

Ah the good old days.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. Maybe we should take up a fund for those poor lifeguards

for therapy sessions. They are obviously overly obsessed or they have been brainwashed by porn (or something)

I would borrow a baby and join those mommies but... I'd just piss off the baby for teasing. ;)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. Women who breast feed have always done it discreetly

the ones I know, I mean. There's NOTHING to see. And duh, that's what breasts are for, you know.

[MakeItSo]

23. not my sister-in-law, but who cares?

my wife and I laugh about it. But anybody who sees anything SEXUAL about moms taking care of their kids is definitely kinky.

[Telly Savalas]

130. Who cares? Liberals do! That's who!

Are you some kind of freeper troll?!?!?

Everybody knows the progressive side of the issue is ban public breastfeeding. All liberals know that.

[JuniperLea]

70. There were times that I did it at parties or at friends' houses

I've even done it in the grocery store... you just never know when those kids will squeal and once they do, the milk starts flowing and there's no going back. People never knew what was going on thanks to a properly placed blanket. It's called polite discretion. I'm sorry, but my boobs are for my family only. Had this lady used some discretion, this story would have probably never happened.

[Lyle]

13. Silly Rabbit! ... "Tits are for kids!"

[AtomicKitten]

17. And may I inquire who will be the judge of what is "distracting?"

[Scout]

18. from the first story, it's not the BREAST itself that's "distracting"...

it's the fact that breast feeding in the pool area is a local health code violation, and the life guard's attention is distracted from guarding lives to asking nursing mom's to go to one of the several other areas at the Y where breast feeding is perfectly fine.

I think it's gross to nurse your baby right in the pool area, with the noise, the humid smelly air, the splashing, the chlorine germs, etc. If I were nursing a child, I'd much rather do it in a quieter setting, where I can relax and be comfortable and pay attention to the nursing baby. Not have to keep an eye on my other kids swimming and playing, and have to get up or interrupt the nursing to deal with the older kids.

Ann Arbor is a very liberal town, trust me, it's not the breast itself that is the problem.

[RaleighNCDUer]

35. health code violation? Like the mom is going to be spilling milk

all over the place?

BTW, what is a chlorine germ?

[Scout]

41. yes it's a health code violation

and you know damn well what I meant about feeding a baby in the pool area with "chlorine germs" in the air.

[RaleighNCDUer]

49. No, I don't know. Chlorine kills germs. There's no such thing as

chlorine germs. The chlorine used in the pool is diluted to such an extent that it is not dangerous in the pool itself, much less so in the air around the pool.

And I still don't see how nursing could violate health codes - as if there is something inherently unhealthy about nursing. If the local health code makes that claim, then the code is wrong and that paragraph should be sticken from it.

Of course, as an unmarried middle-aged male I have no dog in this fight, but still...

[Yupster]

122. My kid spit up a lot

It was kind of gross.

[MakeItSo]

50. If there are so many germs, scout, guess the "health codes" aren't working

I guess "liberal" is relative. Of course I live in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where we don't tend to waste time on such trivial problems as mothers feeding their kids.

[MrMonk]

19. I'm somewhat of a prude about such things,

but I've noticed that nursing mothers are typically very good about covering up while they nurse. Unless mom is letting everything hang out, I don't see where the problem is.

The "food & drink" prohibition sounds like a bullshit sausage type of excuse.

[meganmonkey]

26. It's not a bullshit excuse

this is Ann Arbor. When I was college-aged we used to walk around town topless just to see if anyone cared. They didn't.

This is about food and drink, and this is about the fact that her 3 year old needed attention in the pool and she couldn't give it because she was busy breastfeeding. That is what 'distracted the lifeguard'.

I wish this article was a littel more detailed...

[moc]

30. There are a number of reasons why the mother may not have been

able to attend to her older child immediately.

She could have been changing the baby's diaper.

She could have been attending to another child.

Mothers managing multiple children in a public setting are always faced with this issue. Why is this a breastfeeding problem? Perhaps we should require that mothers only have 1 child under the age of 5 at the pool at a time?

[meganmonkey]

39. That's a whole different issue

and really that's the point I am trying to make.

this article is totally misleading - the Y has NOT said that 'bare breasts' are distracting.

I am not trying to make judgments on the overall situation, just trying to clarify it.

[Village Idiot]

24. Jeez...next it will be "no fat chicks."

;(

[meganmonkey]

28. One last time: THIS ARTICLE IS BULLSHIT

this is being totally overblown.

I know for a fact there are 2 reasons they asked this woman to stop breastfeeding.

1-No food or drink in the pool area

2-Her toddler needed attention in the pool and she couldn't give it because she was breast-feeding. THAT is what distracted the lifeguard - the toddler with no parent, NOT the breasts.

This article is horribly written.

[meganmonkey]

29. Ooops dupe

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Well, I Know That's What I Always Say!

I'm kidding, i'm kidding! They ought to tell the lifeguards to grow up.
The Professor

[Iris]

43. Any man, particularly a lifeguard, who finds the breast of a nursing

mother distracting must be hard up indeed.

Not that the breasts of nursing mothers aren't beautiful in their own way - no flames, please! But, really, they are not exactly erotic looking.

[meganmonkey]

47. Please see

posts 21 & 28. This article is terribly inaccurate and misleading.

[MadHound]

54. Sorry, but I'm going to have to agree with the Y on this one

First off, young male lifeguards, being young males, are probably distracted enough already ogling the girls going by, they don't need to be further distracted by trying to sneak a peek at a nursing mother.

Secondly, if the women are wanting to nurse in the pool itself, there are health issues. Most babies need to burp or urp a bit up after they've nursed, and do you really want those bodily fluids added to the mix? Might as well pee in the pool while you're at it.

Besides, the Y already allows nursing in other areas outside the pool. Is it that tough to walk the few feet to the locker room, or the lobby or outside to nurse your child?

Have to agree with the Y on this.

[MakeItSo]

58. you don't think kids are peeing in the pool dozens of times an hour?

Please, get real. There are PLENTY of bodily fluids (and probably considerable amounts of bodily solids) drifting around in the Y's water. That's why they use enough chlorine to kill a cow. It's also why I try to stay away from public pools whenever I can.

It is indeed tough to "walk a few feet" if you also have more than one kid in tow.

[MadHound]

59. Oh, so we should just add more, then add more chlorine?

Where does the madness stop? When the pool has to be shut down?

And having had more than one kid in tow at times myself, no, I don't think it's tough to walk a few feet to the lobby, locker room, etc.

[MakeItSo]

63. the madness stops when they give nursing moms special consideration

I view moms with little kids as not only having EQUAL privileges, but SPECIAL privileges. If the lifeguards don't mind playing paddy-cake with the 4-year-olds who are left behind at the pool for 20 minutes while mom ducks into the hallway to nurse, then I don't have a problem with the stupid "health code."

This country really is wacked. I can't imagine this even being a discussion anywhere else on earth.

[MadHound]

65. Special privleges for moms with little kids?

Sorry, I can't agree with you on that one, especially when it involves the health of the community as a whole.

And that you would even consider leaving your child with a stranger, life guard or not, well. . .

Sorry that kids are a burden, but that is part of the deal when you have them. You are going to be interrupted, inconvienced, overburdened, short on sleep, etc. etc. It is part and parcel of being a parent. You don't want to experience this, then don't have a kid, or three. But don't expect the rest of the world to go out of its way to accomodate you, or bend and break the rules for you. Deal with it as best you can, and if it means having to go twenty feet to the lobby to feed your kid, you go the twenty feet.

[MakeItSo]

71. Do you HONESTLY think this will effect "the health of a community"??

How on earth is a drop of breast milk going to affect the "health of a community?" Is breast milk Kryptonite? Does it weaken and kill on contact? Is it more dangerous than the gallons of toddler piss sloshing around in a public pool at any given point in time? How about the b.m. that Junior discreetly released earlier in the day?

Exactly how will the dreaded breast milk kill us? Maim us? Injure us? When the drop of evil breast milk devilishly worms its way into the ethereal waters of the lovely YMCA swimming pool, does it immediately make the bucketfuls of chlorine inert? Will the water suddenly toxify and cloud over?

If it's so dangerous, we should ban consider banning breast-feeding in public everywhere. Hell, we should just ban breast-feeding, period. The Nestle corporation makes a great powered substitute, and we're really only talking about sacrificing a few IQ points and lowering the quality of allergy and immunity responses!

On a more serious note, I find your pull-your-up-by-the-bootstraps, like-it-or-leave-it argument to be uncompelling and (sad to say) stereotypically "American" in the worst respect. I personally like to help my neighbors, especially those with young kids, who are our hope and future.

Plus, kids are cute. So there.

PS -- the lifeguard reference was facetious.

[MadHound]

81. First off, if you look at my original post, I said nothing about

Breast milk itself. I was more thinking that if and when the kid urpped something up, something that is quite common after breast or bottle feeding a child. Granted, most of what is urped up is indeed breast milk, but there is enough other ingredients in there to make it indeed a health hazard. E-coli anyone?

And using the excuse that "Hey, everybody else is dumping bodily fluids into the pool, why can't I" isn't a good arguement. Frankly, if you have a baby with you, why in the hell are you exposing that tender skin, those developing eyes and organs to that much chlorine anyway. Not good for your kid at all. Yet your solution is to just add more, sorry, but I don't think that I should have my hair unwillingly bleached just in order to satisfy your desire to nurse in the pool.

And knock off the strawman arguement that I'm talking about wanting to ban breastfeeding everywhere, I'm not and you know it. I'm just asking that moms do it somewhere else besides in the pool. God forbid you have to walk a few feet to do that:eyes:

And I'm not making a "pull-your-up-by-the-bootstraps, like-it-or-leave-it arguement", I'm pointing out the realities that kids are a burden to their parents, in many, many ways. Expecting the whole entire world to make exceptions to laws and rules just because you are a parent however is quite unreasonable. If you don't want this added burden in your life, then like I said, don't have a kid. I've been taking care of and raising children since I was eleven, and never, ever expected somebody to make an exception, break a law or bend a rule just because I had a child in tow.

And yes, I agree, kids are quite cute, and fun to be with. It is what makes them worth all of problems and pains that they cause, both when they're babies and when they get older.

[MakeItSo]

92. Sorry, I don't buy your logic

I reeaally need to get back to work, but am pulled to this thread like a gnat to unwashed hair in the summertime....

First off, I am a guy. So maybe I don't have a right to speak out so much on this issue. But what the hell, I'll do it anyway.

I do have 2 kids myself. Breastfed. Wouldn't have had it any other way. Unless my wife had said so. :)

We belong to a facility that has a busy public pool, nothing fancy. No such silly bans exist, against food or drink or even (gasp) breast-feeding! So far, no plagues, widespread sickness or death have resulted (But after reading the dire news here, I'm crossing my fingers).

I recall from personal experience that kids don't neatly "burp up" at a specific time after eating, 90.5 seconds later or thereabouts. They could do the nasty right away, or they could do it in 15 minutes, or they could do it in an hour.

According to your logic, then, we should enforce a "waiting period" of AT LEAST an hour, so that after the mom nurses in the cold, lonely hallway, away from her friends, away from her toddlers, the baby is "decontaminated" and poses no hazardous waste risk to innocent bystanders.

I do think people underestimate the health risks of the chlorine they dump in public pools. I could accept the idea of having EXTREMELY anal rules about food, including breast milk, if no chlorine was used. But in that case, you probably wouldn't be able to let any kids in the pool at all, because we all know that they pee in the pool no matter what.

I recall the clever white lie that the lifeguards used to tell us in the old days. They darkly insisted that if we peed in the pool, the water would turn bright red all around us.

Needless to say we eventually peed in the pool anyway and the word quickly spread among all the pool-peers that it was a ruse.

PS: I don't mean to give you a hard time --- I'm just PROCRASTINATING.

have a good weekend.

[phylny]

99. So, people have to change their behavior because young males

can't work if there are nursing breasts around?

Perhaps they shouldn't hire young males?

Oh, I guess that would be violating someone's rights.

[MadHound]

101. It is a natural thing, like breasts.

Young people, of either sex, check out the physical attributes of those they are attracted to. Women check out men, men check out women, and around and around we go. No need to throw in even more of an extra distraction now is there?

And yes, that would be violating somebody's rights, but hey, even if you relegate lifeguard jobs to women only, there's always lesbians:shrug: Again, no need for distrations.

[phylny]

103. Sure, it's natural.

However, I'm totally against abriding someone's rights based upon what turns someone else on.

Next thing I'll read is that women shouldn't wear tight sweaters because of how a man (or lesbian) might react. :eyes:

[MadHound]

105. Nice try on the strawman, but no go

Wearing a sweater, vs a job involving life and death are two different things. Would you want the lifeguard diverting attention away from your child in order to sneak a peek? And look, there goes your kid, floating face down, as the ogling continues.

[phylny]

106. No strawman here. If the hypothetical lifeguard can't save a drowning

person because he's distracted by a set of nursing breasts, then the problem runs very, very deep. Pretty poor example on your part.

Hey, here's a thought: Teach PERSONAL responsibility and DISCIPLINE!

(p.s., My kids are Senior Lifesaver Certified, just like their mom)

[maxsolomon]

56. jeez, dudes. stop perving.

breasts = sexy
lactating breasts = not sexy

deal.

[methinks2]

64. gotta love it

In most of Europe women nurse in public. No big deal. It's just fundies who want to sexualize and keep down all women who are opposed.

[JuniperLea]

75. Cultural differences

We are all different and our differences should be respected. Period. It's not just fundies. I don't consider myself "kept down" because I breastfed in public discretely and I'm offended by those who don't respect themselves or others enough to show some discretion. It's my right not to show or see boobs. Sorry.

[Telly Savalas]

132. So someone that breastfeeds in a manner that you

define as lacking discretion is someone that doesn't respect herself?

And you're preaching to us about respecting differences?

Give me a break.

[JuniperLea]

137. I'm saying we should respect differences when they don't

impinge on another's rights.

Some people don't like gay people. That is their right as long as they don't hurt a gay person in the process.

Some people don't eat meat, and that is their right. But they don't have the right to forbid others from eating meat.

Some people don't like abortion, and that is their right, but they don't have the right to forbid another from having one.

There are a few caveats to this theory. No one has the right to enjoy murder or torture, for instance.

[Sparkly]

164. Using those analogies.

Some people don't like gay people. That is their right as long as they don't hurt a gay person in the process.That's right -- and if two gay people want to hold hands, that's their right, despite whether somebody else is bothered by it.

Some people don't eat meat, and that is their right. But they don't have the right to forbid others from eating meat.
Right, and if it bothers a vegetarian that someone's eating meat near them at a restaurant, too bad.

Some people don't like abortion, and that is their right, but they don't have the right to forbid another from having one.
Right, just like people who don't like the sight of "indiscreet" breastfeeding don't have a right to forbid women from doing it.

Kind of like free speech -- if we don't like something, we can turn the channel. If people are upset by breastfeeding, they can look away. I think a woman's right to use her breasts for what they were intended supercedes other people's desire not to be 'offended' or 'grossed out' or whatever it is they feel.

[Cats Against Frist]

66. What is it with people and their fucking constructs?

There's like way too much mythology and narrative attached to breasts. They're a body part, for fuck's sake -- like your hand. They're not the "bearers of creamy white life light," and neither are they "jugs." They're like fingers, only bouncier -- that's the whole problem with this world -- everyone's too into narrative.

[Lefty48197]

77. Lifeguarding is an extremely important job.

The difference between a distracted lifeguard and an alert lifeguard can be the difference between life and death. Toss in the fact that we pay so little for lifeguards, that they usually hire 16-21 year olds to do the job and that they often have raging hormones, and under-developed maturity and I think you'll probably have some teenage lifeguards staring at the nursing mothers, when they should be giving their undivided attention to the pool.

[phylny]

107. I guess the beautiful, sexy, bouncy teenaged girls should wear

burqas.

Don't want to distract the boys!

[Lefty48197]

160. they'll get even more attention if they pull their boobs out.

.

[Tsiyu]

83. Women can't be women, then?

We have to be just like poseable dolls? Strip when men want to see your boobies, but cover it all up when men are uncomfortable with boobs as used for their intended purpose?

I breastfed six kids over the years, and it was unbelievable to me the immaturity of my fellow Americans when it came to this completely normal human experience.

A nursing woman can travel all over the world and that world will not even blink an eyelash over a feeding infant. In AMerica? It's like being in a country completely full of 12-year-olds.

Americans never fail to amaze me with their absolute idiocy....

[JuniperLea]

93. Above all, we should respect each other and our differences

I breastfed three kids anywhere I dam well pleased and no one ever knew, except for an occasional nursing mother who recognized the carefully draped blanket for what it was.

You cannot force your views on the world! You cannot force your boobs on the world either. Have a little respect for yourself and others and use a dam blanket. No one is asking you not to nurse. That wouldn't be fair at all. It is also unfair to tell people here are my boobs, deal.

[Tsiyu]

114. I nursed discreetly as well, so what's your point?

There are still moments when a flash of boob might be exposed. If this is a frightening concept to some, this is not a "difference of views;" this is pure IMMATURITY.

Sorry. They used to forbid images of pregnant women on TV. Ricky and Lucy had to sleep in twin beds, since heaven forbid someone might see a married couple on TV sleeping in the SAME bed!


Same concept: an immature American public.

[JuniperLea]

115. That is just rude and disrespectful to differences in opinion

Some people have different values, be they religious or cultural. This has nothing to do with societal evolution as you illustrated. There are cultures all over the world who avoid public nudity. Their cultures are thousands of years older than ours. You can't call them immature. In fact, that is a total cop out anyway. We must respect the right that people have to different values. Period.

I think it's immature to disregard the values of others so blatantly.

[Tsiyu]

143. If fear of the human breast - used as nature intended

is a value call to you, have at it.

I believe it is immaturity. That's my right also, and if I offend anyone with calling this booby fear ridiculous and childish, so be it.

It was once offensive to suggest that the world is round or -in fiction - that the Emperor was naked. Just because the truth is offensive doesn't make it untrue.

[JuniperLea]

155. Perspective is everything

So, you are calling any culture you don't agree with "immature". Wow.

[moez]

90. All this is making me hungry.....

Anyone got a spare booby?

[phylny]

96. Stop the madness!

:)

This:



vs. this:

[Yupster]

126. Hey put some clothes on that kid

Now ya got me all offended.

[phylny]

140. LOL :) n/t

[oblivious]

145. Here's the distracting mother and baby:

from:
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/6005947/detail.html

[Nevernose]

151. A silicone factory? How's that offensive?

If it weren't for silicon, damnit, I would have neither a computer nor an unreasonable, borderline-insane concept of feminine beauty! What have you got against the miners of silica, anyway? Those poor women forced to slave away their very lives in a neverending drudgery of silicone mining! Shame on you ... SHAME!

And shame on you for comparing the poor, suffering women of the silica industry to those wanton whores who go about raising blouses indiscriminately!

(I should, in the sake of fairness to this satirical post, point out that I'm male. In point of fact, I'm a male who like looking at boobies -- at every chance he gets. I still don't get what the attraction is for one breast or another, as they all look good to me. Biological or cultural? I don't care; I like 'em all anyways, and even the girl in the first picture knows it -- notice how the only one without fake boobs is also the only one not smiling? Maybe she hasn't gotten her fake teeth yet, but I doubt it. There's also a degree of potential anorexia there that I'm not entirely comfortable with. I'd also like to say that the not once has the act of lactating milk caused me to become aroused, not even when my {then} wife had a baby, and I seriously doubt it would for the avergae lifeguard, either, even a teenaged boy.)

[Doctor_J]

102. ALl breasts are distracting

at least to me.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

109. How about nurses with distracting breasts?

[BlueIris]

127. Once again, Wisconsin? GO KICK MICHIGAN'S ASS!

KICK IT. HARD. I know y'all love the nursing mothers in Wisconsin. In Michigan, they get no love. FIX IT.

[stop the bleeding]

134. All breasts are distracting - VERY distracting

:evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin:

[kevinbgoode]

144. Ok...I have a solution

Cut off the male lifeguards' peepees and they won't be distracted by their inability to control their nonstop fantasies.

[savemefromdumbya]

146. Why are the guards looking at the mammary glands?

They should be watching the pool. They've always got an excuse to stop breast feeding! Don't get me started!

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

148. So much for topless YMCA memberships!

[A Simple Game]

152. I can see a choice of two solutions to this problem.

Give the kids formula from a bottle, like they did in the bible, or
turn it into a pay per view event. Do I see a money maker here?

[connecticut yankee]

153. To all of the above

I'm not a prude by any means, but I just think that this is something that should be done in private. I realize that I'll probably get flamed by all the "Breast Feeding Advocates" but I was totally grossed out one day when the woman next to me in Church (and we are a tightly-packed congregation) suddenly opened her blouse and started nursing her baby, with no covering blanket or towel.

Not only was it distracting, but I felt it was very inconsiderate of those around her. She could have gone into another part of the building, where the service is piped in on an intercom.

[JuniperLea]

156. "with no covering blanket or towel"

That's what I'm talking about! I nursed in public countless times and no one ever knew. Who cares if a woman nurses in public? Not me! Just cover yourself. It's just that easy.

[FlaGranny]

163. I can't figure out for the life of my

why it is distracting. I've never been distracted by it, and my husband (who, by the way, is a boob man) takes it totally in his stride without getting "distracted." He likes boobs, but put a baby on one and he loses interest. He knows the baby is having dinner and babies having dinner is not sexually arousing to him.

[connecticut yankee]

165. Not only did I find it distracting

we were at a Church Service for heaven's sake, but I also found it totally gross.

Call me a prude, call me puritanical, but I think there are some things that should be done in private.

Period!

[FlaGranny]

166. I would have probably

not even noticed and if I had it would have been no consequence to me. Somehow, as a kid, I got the impression that nursing was "dirty." It was common to think that way back then - in the 40s and 50s - it was something ladies whispered about. Now, I've grown to think of it as natural and wonderful. Church wouldn't make a difference. In fact I'll bet Jesus was breastfed.

[connecticut yankee]

169. I could have hardly "not even noticed"

she was about two inches away from me. The seats are very close together.

There are many things that are natural and wonderful, but are better done in private, please.

[FlaGranny]

170. Well,

I know I can't change your mind, but it is something I wouldn't give a second thought to, no matter where it took place. :-)

[Greyhound]

176. Yes yankee, you are a prude. It may not be your fault, but you are

definitly a prude.

[skipos]

157. THERE IS A FOX NEWS TRUCK AT THE YMCA RIGHT NOW

12:15 pm on Sat.

[skipos]

158. And a woman with a picket sign.

Something like "Breastfeeding is natural."

[frustrated_lefty]

162. Discomfort around babies smorgasbord

In a better world, this would be an inane thread. My personal bias tends towards a general feeling that public "nakedness," for lack of a better word, ought to be consensual (i.e., if it pisses people off, you don't get to arbitrarily decide it's your right to disrobe) or clearly defined as a community standard (i.e. a sign at the public pool stating where breastfeeding is allowed). I also tend to think it's better for the digestion for mom and junior to find someplace quiet, although this isn't always practical.

That said, the discomfort many people feel under those circumstances is probably directly related to the hyper-sexualization of the body in America. This is a society which produces commercials with women crying out orgasmically while washing their hair, for christ's sake. Men, and women to a lesser extent, are bred to perceive and interact with naked flesh only within its sexual context. Many men, I suspect, are discomforted when brought face to face with naked flesh being put to use outside of a sexual context. It's foreign, it falls outside of a narrowly defined cultural paradigm.

It's unfortunate this is even an issue, whatever its foundation. It sucks that any kind of nurturing is a source of discord in a society.

Maybe the lifeguards would chill out if moms offered them an apertif? :p

fl

[Mutley]

171. The breasts are somehow more distracting than the

almost non-existant bikinis some women wear? Why don't they just ban bikinis, too? Or, and here's a radical idea, tell the lifeguards to think with the heads on their shoulders while on the clock instead of the heads downstairs! :think: Why would you want lifeguards who apparently have no self control?