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The Et Cetera

Nursing your child publicly should not be covered up

By Claudia Guerra

As I pack my daughter’s diaper bag before I leave home, nursing in public should not be at the forefront of my mind, but it is.
One night when my daughter was 2 months old, my husband and I decided it was time to treat ourselves to dinner.
It was nice to get out and be the one being served for a change.
Soon after we ordered, our daughter woke up. Not surprisingly, she was ready for dinner, too. Without any hesitation, I picked her up and fed her in the most natural way possible.
When our waitress brought our drinks, she acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
I started to feel more comfortable with the idea of nursing in public.
Then I felt eyes staring me down from across the room. A mother eating dinner with her husband and son was looking right at me with a look of disgust.
I have never felt so uncomfortable. As the woman continued to stare, I debated weather I should stop feeding or continue.
But why should others decide where I can and can not feed my child? Would society prefer I give her powdered milk?
I vowed to always give my daughter the best of everything, which she deserves, and I believe breast is best.
When a mother chooses to breast feed, she is making a healthy choice for her baby. According to kidshealth.org, babies should be exclusively breast fed for up to 6 months, even 12 months, if both mother and baby are willing.
Breast feeding has many rewards, like passing your baby antibodies that help them have a lesser chance of getting an ear infection, diarrhea, respiratory infections and meningitis.
It also contains the perfect amount of minerals and vitamins your baby needs.
Because each mother’s milk is designed specifically for her baby, many breast fed babies rarely catch the flu.
If the mother is healthy, she doesn’t need extra supplements because her milk is all the baby needs for its first year of life.
I’m not saying breast feeding is the only way to go, because I am not a judgmental person. I believe a mother should do what she thinks is best for her and her baby. For me, that would be breast feeding.
Another reason I chose to breast feed is because it is free, and you don’t require any additional packing.
The whole argument against breast feeding in public seems silly.
Just like the popular e-card says: “People always want to see your breasts, until you’re feeding a baby; then it’s considered indecent. Anyone else see the flaw in this logic?”

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