NIP

It is National Public Display of Breastfeeding Day. Nursing in public, or NIP.

Call me conservative, but I think this is a bit ridiculous. Yes, it is great that it is legal for a woman to breastfeed her child any time, any where. Babies need to eat, regularly, and if they are all like my sweet one, they want to eat now. So it is nice that, should the situation arise, I have the legal right to take care of business.

And the campaign to "normalize breastfeeding" is a noble one. For years, it was such taboo, no one talked about it, did it, even considered it. So there is a lot of misinformation out there. Breastfed and formula babies gain weight differently, feed differently, sleep differently, even poop differently. There are extra challenges associated with breastfeeding- getting latch on figured out, timing of feedings, pain, supply issues, demand on a mother- that formula feeders don't face. And don't get me started about trying to work full time and have an exclusively breast fed baby (via bottle). I'm sitting in a hot office in a horse barn pumping between appointments as I type. But there are soooo many awesome reasons to nurse: mother-baby bond, antibodies, jaw development, convenience (most of the time), hormonal effects for mom, helping my body get back to normal (sort of).

So it is great that women a raising awareness, but I think we may have taken it a tad too far. Personally, I feel uncomfortable nursing in front of most people. Scott, my MIL, my SIL, and my mother are the only ones I routinely nurse in front of. Oh yeah, and my pediatrician, LC, and the nurses at the hospital, but they are medical professionals. I have nursed, with a cover, at family gatherings (some distance away) and at church in the nursery or cry room. If I'm out in public, I usually hop in the back of the truck with the a/c on and park at the far end of the parking lot, still covered.

You can call me a prude or old fashioned if you want, but you can also take a look at my closet and see all kinds of modest clothes. No barely there triangle bikinis or see through tops for me. In fact, I had to buy shirts that were more boob accessible so that I could nurse. The reason has a lot to do with my morals and beliefs that my body is meant to be seen and appreciated by Scott only. Additionally, I am aware of how visually stimulated men are, and even if on accident, a peep show will not edify my brothers in Christ. And, I don't appreciate it when other people do things that make me uncomfortable, why should I put them in a position that makes them feel awkward.

So yes, I support and will be a proponent of breast feeding. Is breast feeding in public for me? Absolutely not. Will I judge those that do? Absolutely not. I simply don't feel that busting out in front of a lot of strangers is the best way to get the point across (puns intended). As with anything, religion included, shoving something in someone's face is not a pleasant way to make them change their mind. Unless they happen to be a pervert.