Should Breastfeeding in Public be Acceptable

Breast milk is the most nutritious food for babies. It is the first thing that is fed to the babies. It is the best thing for the child. Mothering is cultural and biological and is practiced all over the world. Properly breastfed babies are expected to be healthier than the ones who are not. As important and highlighted as breastfeeding is, the controversies and arguments regarding breastfeeding in public are equally crucial and critical. Breastfeeding is a natural process but, when this is done in public, not everyone takes it gracefully.

While some appreciate and give confidence, there are others, who criticize when there is someone breastfeeding in public. Well, breastfeeding should be acceptable in public because, this will allow the child to get the food when he/she wants and this is the main priority, and a fundamental child’s right (i.e., child’s right to eat).

Breastfeeding in public makes it convenient for the mothers, as it will not interrupt their activities.

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Babies hunger comes without notification and it is inconvenient for mothers to run home every time their baby gets hungry (Shevtsova 2016). So, breastfeeding in public allows them to participate in society even when they have an infant with them, and not miss social interactions just because they have a baby. Similarly, they do not need to purchase expensive additional products. They can rather use that money in more beneficial places or products. Likewise, it is most beneficial for the baby, to get what they want right at the moment.

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The issue about breastfeeding in public is completely an individual’s opinion. Breastfeeding is totally natural and it should be acceptable. During a pregnancy, the mother already takes a lot of time off from society and from any other activities. Their focus stays with making themselves prepared to give birth. Once they give birth, they should not be isolated just because their baby gets hungry. They should not have to miss a thing, just because it’s their babies meal time. Also, the mothers run to private places like washroom, store room and so on to feed their infants. But, these are not the sanitary places and an infant should not be fed in that environment. Similarly, there are lots of baby products like pacifiers, bottles and so on. These products are normally used as an alternative. Using these products to stall babies while they are hungry is not beneficial for their health.

They should be given what they want, at the proper time as this is a crucial age.Mothers take from one to two months of maternity leave and at this time they go to maternity classes to be best prepared to take care of a child. They do not get time to do anything because taking care of a newborn is very hard. Because of this they get occupied and cannot get involved in any other activities. So, once they are able to go out with their infant, they should not be forced to leave in between just because their child is hungry. Similarly, it is found that breastfed babies have fewer infections and have less chance to be hospitalized as compared to the formula-fed infants. So, just to have a proper view, the baby’s health should not be compromised (Ben-Joseph 2018).Breastfeeding in public is considered an act of obscenity and vulgarity. Many oppose the idea of breastfeeding in public. People think that it is not appropriate to expose themselves in such behavior. They feel that if it is truly important then, they can at least use the blanket to cover up. Well, covering while breastfeeding is justifiable, but it’s an infant normal behavior to be restless while being covered up. They are mostly expected to remove the blanket or shawl as they feel suffocated. Also, when a baby gets hungry and cries for food, the best thing to do is to feed them. It is better for some people to deal with the view rather than for a mother to deal with the hungry screaming baby. Even though mothers plan a whole day routine of feeding their child. It is not sure that it is exactly going to go that way. Babies are unpredictable. They do not eat at the time the mother wants to feed them. Babies themselves do not have the idea of when they will feel hungry. They do not even know what they are feeling. So, under these circumstances, I would rather see a mother breastfeeding her child, rather than her waiting to find a private place to feed and not doing anything about it until then. It is healthier to breastfeed the baby whether publicly or not publicly rather than making then cry and have them stay longer without providing their food.

Many people suggest using pacifiers, breast pump, bottles and so on rather than breastfeeding in public. While using pacifiers and bottles, baby gets used to that. Once the babies get used to, they will reject the breast. Since babies, the main food is their mother’s milk and if they ignore their main meal, it will hamper their health. So, to avoid the confusion the use of breast for feeding should be number one priority rather than pacifiers and formulas. Similarly, mothers will have to be on the lookout for somewhere, where they can warm up a bottle once the baby gets hungry and it is not always possible to find a place right on time. So, it is better to breastfeed as it will also save a lot of money if, mothers do not spend it on products like pacifiers, bottles, breast pumps, infant formulas, nursing covers and so on. Likewise, it will save all the time for mother, which she spends walking around to find a perfect private place to feed her baby. Also, a mother has to spend a lot of time to pump the milk and find a perfect place to pump before the breasts get filled. So, being able to breastfeed in public will save two essentials i.e., time and money for mothers.The nipple is considered as one of the most sexual parts in a female body but, one should not forget the important role of women’s breast is to feed her babies than to present as a sexual part.

If possible and met by circumstances, it is better to breastfeed by covering up, but when it is impossible to do that, people should be understanding and not frown upon that. As, we all were babies once, and we all had breast milk as our main meal. We all went through the same process so, when same is happening around us, we should be supporting the mother than looking down on her. We should all think of baby’s best interests rather than ours. When a child is hungry, his/her nurse should always come before anybody’s discomfort. If someone is really uncomfortable with the view, they should not look at it and turn their head and walk away rather than making a fuss about and making the mother feel bad about her of just trying to feed her baby.

References

  1. “50 Reasons for Breastfeeding Anytime, Anywhere - Ph.D. in Parenting.” PhD in Parenting, http://www.phdinparenting.com/blog/2010/5/14/50-reasons-for-breastfeeding-anytime-anywhere.html/
  2. “Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding.” Edited by Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, June 2018, https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/breast-bottle-feeding.html/
  3. Shevtsova, Maria. “Breastfeeding in Public: the Pros and Cons.” Mother How, 22 Sept. 2016, https://motherhow.com/breastfeeding-in-public/
  4. “Why Do Some Consider Public Breastfeeding as Inappropriate?” Sciencenordic.com, http://sciencenordic.com/why-do-some-consider-public-breastfeeding-inappropriate/
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
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Should Breastfeeding in Public be Acceptable. (2021, Aug 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/should-breastfeeding-in-public-be-acceptable-essay

Should Breastfeeding in Public be Acceptable essay
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