Sat 24 Jun 2006
I’m here! In San Jose! Yes, I know it’s 1:20 in the morning. My flight got in perfectly punctually at 8:40pm. You know what I’ve never seen before upon entering an airplane? The first passenger I saw rounding the corner from the entry into the cabin, a corpulent woman in the first row on my right, sitting in the aisle seat, was breast feeding her infant. Now, this is Southwest Airlines, which means that there is no assigned seating. You get in and sit wherever you want. This woman apparently chose to sit front and center, knowing she was boarding very early on and that 90 passengers are going to board after her and walk past her, and popped out her left breast and stuck it into her baby. It was like a hidden camera show, and I bet every passenger looked twice, thinking, “She can’t be doing what I think she’s doing,” and then upon realizing she is indeed doing what we think she’s doing, we all tried to look away nonchalantly, as tho we’d never seen what she’s doing. I don’t have an opinion about women breast feeding in public, but if you’re going to make 90 strangers walk past you, can’t you use a breast pump and bottle feed the baby during the 45 minute flight?! Or at least wait until everyone’s seated so we don’t all have to file past you and avert our eyes. How inconsiderate. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s natural and beautiful, but if I had a boob exposed without a baby to justify its protrusion, I’d be arrested for indecent exposure.
Wow. I did not expect to rant that long about that, or to even rant about it at all. Must be the mojito. I had my first mint mojito ever today. Brad picked me up at the airport and we met up with Diana at The Melting Pot for dinner. While on the plane, I was reading about mojitos and I wondered why I’d never had one. It looks so refreshing! And indeed it was. The fondue was delish, too. The three of us shared a 2-people multi-course meal, and that was more than enough food. It started with an appetizer of breads, celery, cauliflower, to dip into a cheese and beer fondue. Then the main course, lobster, filet mignon, chicken, shrimp, pork, broccoli, potato, zucchini, mushroom, to dip into a broth fondue and then into various sauces. Finally, dessert: chocolate, marshmallow and oreo cookie fondue with flaming (blue flamed) Bacardi 151 rum, to dip with cheesecake, brownie squares, cookie-coated marshmallows, graham crackers, bananas, strawberries, pineapple. I’m sure I’m forgetting some stuff. The table, when we got there, was decorated with red rose petals (real) and a card with my name on it. The restaurant wrote me a birthday card! Thanks for my birthday dinner, Diana!
It is really too bad you have such problems with women breastfeeding in public. I was searching for info on increasing my milk supply, as I am currently breastfeeding, when your site popped up on google. I was saddened by your comments. I just can’t get over your issues. I doubt very seriously that the woman you mentioned chose to sit where she did JUST so people could see her feed her baby. It ALMOST made me laugh to see that people could actually believe something so stupid. You apparently have never breastfed a baby, or you would see that it is a natural and beautiful thing and when you are feeding your baby it is not about who sees what, but about nourishing your child. You obviously have never had to hook a plastic pump up to your breast either or you would never have suggested what you did. And yes, if you “had a boob exposed without a baby to justify its protrusion” you should be arrested for indecent exposure…how can you even compare the two?!?!?! I really am sorry to read about your issues. Mostly because I know how it feels to think I need to run to the car to feed my screaming baby so someone with their own insecurity issues can feel comfortable instead of staying where it is comfortable for myself and the baby. And because of the ignorance that is keeping women from breastfeeding, which is the way it is meant to be and the best way for the baby!!
I’m sorry you misread my post and somehow, despite the line that I “don’t have an opinion about women breastfeeding in public”, read it to say that I have “such problem” or “issues” with it. I also never said that the woman sat there “JUST so people could see her feed her baby.” I said that the woman chose seating in a very visually obvious place and despite knowing she was visually obvious, went ahead and breastfed. It is one thing to ask women to run to their car to feed in inconvenient seclusion, but it is very easy for a woman to choose a window seat or a seat that’s not in the first row front and center, so that she could turn toward the window or be at least partially obliterated by the seat in front, so that people don’t stare at her or her exposed breast while she’s trying to breastfeed. I also acknowledged that it’s a “beautiful and natural” thing to breastfeed your child.
There’s one extreme, which is the brazen action the woman on the flight did, and then there’s the other of a dodging mother oppressed by society’s “ignorance”, which is what you’re implying that I suggest women do, which implication is neither founded nor true. I can only imagine the experiences you’ve had since breastfeeding that brought about such oversensitivity to color the way you read things.
It’s too bad, because most things aren’t black or white. And you can’t force them into those categories just to give a lecture for your perceived causes.
My coworker, who had breastfed all her 3 kids, just suggested it’s easy and reasonable to simply lay a blanket over a shoulder while breastfeeding, which is what she did (and which the woman on the plane did not). If an exposed breast is not a big deal, why does (this) society have standards and laws on publicly exposing a nude breast at all? I would never suggest that a tribal woman who walks around topless should do anything but feed her child where she happens to be, because that’s acceptable standards in her environment. There are certain levels of consideration that should be given to the people in one’s environment, and in this environment, there a measure of consideration that this woman could have used but chose not to.
Note: No, I am not saying she should’ve gotten off the plane, run to the bathroom and locked herself and her child in a stall while hoping people’s “insecurities” don’t make her miss her flight. I’m talking about a different seat, a different angle, or a blanket/jacket.
Cindy.. I don’t think she’s getting the fact that there is a difference in popping out your boob (full exposure) front and center and feeding your baby in public, wherever you may be, but simply putting a baby blanket over the exposed breast. Duh.. it’s loud and clear that’s your issue. I breast fed .. EVERY time.. and I covered up with a blanket. I NEVER felt the need to ‘run to my car’ and breastfeed, because I always had a blanket with me. She can’t be ‘as’ comfortable with her own self breastfeeding in public, otherwise she woulnd’t feel the need to run to her car, ‘eh?
Sometimes the person accusing others of being…say, “insecure,” for example…doesn’t realize she’s just projecting. Thanks for understanding me and actually reading the post.
You know,
I don’t think Shanna really read what you said. Well she read it, but she didn’t “get” the meaning at all. I also am amused that she seems to think you are the one with the issues. The way I see it — she has the issues. To come into a random blog and to write such a scathing response to a stranger just shows that this is a sore spot for her.
This probably had a lot to do with her misinterpretation of what you wrote. I bet that as soon as she saw the topic, and the whole time she was reading it that she was already upset / thinking “oh this Cindy is one of THOSE people.”
You even go so far as to point out you don’t really have an opinion on breastfeeding in public. I bet she skipped over reading that one too. It was very clear to me that you only wanted to point out that the lady on the plane was overtly blatent about her breastfeeding — not that you had an issue with the concept as a whole.
Like i said in the other post. She has quite the nerve to come in here with her issues and try to blame you for them.
She has the insecurity issues. Someone who was secure in what they do wouldn’t write a response like that, and would have read your statements more carefully.
Thank you, you guys. I happen to also think oral sex between two loving, consenting adults may be beautiful and natural, but people generally frown upon doing/seeing that in public, too. I know, I know, “How can you even compare the two?!?!?!” Well, they’re both activities that occur in nature (which activities I don’t have a strong opinion either for or against), but society and decency has placed certain limitations on its blatant use in public.
Hmm. I may have gone a little too far on this comment.
dude.