So, what is the weirdest place you have ever breastfed?  Of course, breastfeeding should be encouraged and accepted in our society, where no place is considered “weird” to breastfeed. But alas, this is not the case.  So, I was inspired to write this post while reading a story on the  Stork Stories blog.  The theme of the story was breastfeeding in public, and the author provided a lot of links related to this topic.  The comments on her story were great.

Some of them made me think of the stupid articles in women’s (and men’s) magazines concerning the “strangest places you have had sex.”  Breastfeeding should not be a covert, secretive operation, like having sex in a public place would be.  Breastfeeding is feeding an infant for God’s sake.  Why should we hide it?

Here are the “Weirdest” places I have breastfed my kids.  Again, why they are considered weird is beyond me.  I guess they are just the most public and awkward places:

1.  In an airplane, 30,000 feet above the earth.  Thankfully I was sitting by the nicest old man who sympathized with my predicament.  I had to nurse my chubby 9 month old in a coach seat, with her torso spread out on my chest, and her chubby, chubby legs, sprawled out on the gentleman sitting next to me.  She kicked him the entire time she ate, then popped up and gave him the biggest smile.  He smiled back, and then offered me his seat to change her diaper on (and did not do it).  Chivalry is not dead!

2.  In an Old Folks Home.  I was visiting my elderly grammie in the home’s cafeteria.  My newborn starting crying, so I nursed her right there at the table, covered by a blanket.  I must say, I did get some skunk eye looks from the 80 year old plus crowd.  My theory is that generation did not breastfeed.  Could that be right?

3.  In the bathroom stall in a non-baby friendly restaurant.  Yuck.  I was so intimated to nurse my newborn at the restaurant table, so I took her in the bathroom with me to nurse.  It was horrible and gross.  Everytime a toilet would flush, she would startle and pull off the boob.  That was the last time I was ever intimated into not feeding my babies in public.

So, what was the most awkward place you ever had to nurse your baby?

RR