It depends on the Breast involved. If it's firm, proportional and attractive, then why not? If it's saggy, or bursting its seams with its own Fat, then cover it up! (Also, if the breast is in good shape, but the lady attached is otherwise unattractive, then throw a bag over it all!)

The above comment by Bagwell exemplifies why it's hard to nurse in public, and frankly, why I don't see why most women would want to: breasts are seen as sexual objects by men in our repressed society (and it's far worse in more repressed ones like Mexico, and we have so many Hispanics these days). And occasionally I have seen actual exhibitionism, even from friends of mine were were proud of their suddenly well-endowed size.

In a family restaurant there are are pre-teen boys whose parents might get more than they bargain for when taking them out for a burger and fries. I know I'd feel awkward sitting with my son if a nursing woman were exposed nearby.

Actually, most nursing women have flaps that cover their nipples and sort of sit on their babies' heads, or can hide them under a shawl -- that should be OK.

My take on it is the opposite one of the feminist one, though: when I was nursing, I didn't want to feel and be seen as some sort of cow, whose sexuality suddenly disappeared and therefore, as a neuter, breasts became udders and negligible. On the other hand, if the baby has to eat and you don't want to sit in a smelly ladies' room, the shawl or flap thing should be OK all around.

After actually daring to look more closely at the moms featured in your photo, I'm afraid I have to give more credence to Bagwell's views after all -- anyone seeing them up close would just be horrified, not turned on, like the poor kid at Target who offered the woman a plastic bag to put on the baby's head. Although that's not all the plastic bag should cover.

And the woman who featured herself breast-feeding on MySpace is an exhibitionist and some kind of feminazi, which a lot of those La Leche women are. They want to make you feel negligent for NOT breastfeeding, tell you how "beautiful" it is. Kind of like the natural child-birth advocates, but once it's happening, it's a different thing. I wouldn't want to see THAT while I'm eating, either.

But seriously, if the women are this ugly, no one will want to look anyway, so let them have their moment.

I think some things which could be offensive to others are best done in private. Courtesy is a quality lacking in today's society and that lack is what is wrong with and the root cause of the ills of today's society. There is no compelling reason for women to breast feed in public just as there is no justification for performing other natural functions such as elimination and sex within the view of others.

These women are self-indulgent. Now that they are preggers and have a kid we have to all join in their experience no matter how much we don't want to. I'm sure they videotaped their birth and dragged all their relatives to the hospital to watch that also. And of course they force any house guests to watch their 4 hour wedding video and look at all their vacation pictures. These narcissists have no shame. I'm sure they want to change the baby's soiled diaper on the table in front of us also. ENOUGH!!!!!!!!

Forcing infants to feed in the bathroom is barbaric. Policies to coddle to the clenched butt Christians, who wish to keep the human breast criminalized are ludicrous.

If it is time to feed cover up. Just don`t whip it out.You are not alone, and do not have the right to make others uncomfortable.

Bottom line is the babies' emotional/physical health needs be met and preferably exceeded to create a whole, healthy baby, who in turn will become a whole and healthy adult. Nursing on demand, when and wherever that may be, ensures the baby's needs are met appropriately. I see far too many people who truly don't like their children. I see this as lack of bonding when their children were infants/toddlers. It is sad, and it is true. People are so selfish they are more worried about their body, their appearence, and the comments of others than they are about their precious baby. I think each one of you who posted a negative comment need to do some research; the facts speak for themselves, and i'm sure once you've EDUCATED yourselves, you will have a different opinion. Until you do so, please free us of these petty and ridiculously ignorant claims/comments and keep them to yourself until you actually know what you are talking about. You THINK you are getting your point across, but you're not, because it is clear to all that you do not know your facts. If ignorance is bliss, that would explain why you're so HAPPY to put down mothers who do the very best for their babies, better than you ever did, and better than your parents most likely did with you. Dont be angry and resentful, educate yourself and change! it's called evolution, take a look into it people! Next time you see a mother and baby nursing in ublic, think of all the hard work and dedication she has put into loving and caring for her baby, and be happy for her and that baby. If you dont like it; leave. it's that baby's brth right to be breastfed ANYWHERE he feels he needs to be. OUr country is so messed up, this isn't even an issue in other countries, it's the norm.

Applebees is a restaurant. I go there to eat. Not watch mothers breastfeeding. Coverup for criminey sakes. Mothers do not have a right to breastfeed their babies with an "in your face attitude." It's bad enough we have to watch them change their baby's diapers in the aisle of airplanes.

There are many things that can make people uncomfortable in public - morbid obesity, people with multiple piercings, certain disabilities, even someone with a bad toupee! We do not have a protected right against feeling uncomfortable!!! These are our personal problems and we can't have these people removed from our sight. Our babies have a protected right however to be fed in comfort. Look away if it makes you uncomfortable, it will probably not be more than 10 minutes or so anyway. As far as protecting young people (young boys were mentioned)parents are naive if they think today's kids are not exposed to plenty of sexually explicit pictures. They should be happy that their children are seeing the beautiful way women's bodies were made to feed and nurture their children for a change. Finally, read up on the facts about the health concerns of non-breastfed children - try the American Academy of Pediatrics to start.

No, they should not breastfeed in public places unless it is a private area. People that don't want to see certain things have just as much rights as anyone else. And I must say the children in the photos breastfeeding look well above the breast feeding age. Which make's it even more disgusting to watch.

Bagwell is funny.

But, no they should not breast feed in public. I can't stand watching it to be blunt. I don't go to a restaurant to watch that. It is gross, and I would definitely move to not watch it. It is a private thing between the baby and mother. Besides, there are lots of perverts out there. I NEVER did it in public. Shame

You are telling me there's actually a single act not covered by statue in the state of California. OMG!! We need another law!! Let's get real for once people; any society based on anything other than, women and children first is doomed to extinction. If you're too ignorant or repressed to accept the gift of life being given to an infant in your presence; leave. If you don't know how to educate your children in this regard, I'm curious as to how you got them. Children are God's greatest gift and if you don't get that.. Well I understand Mr. Bush is looking for staff.

I agree with Norman; courtesy should factor into this. We've become a thoughtless society, thinking only of ourselves, and not teaching our children how to be considerate of others' feelings.

Even though it may be legal for a woman to breastfeed in public, a thoughtful and considerate woman would acknowledge that it makes others uncomfortable and do what she could to make it a private moment, and to do it in an out-of-the-way place.
Why not ask the restaurant or store manager if there's a place where she could sit quietly for a few minutes? I"m sure they'd be glad to oblige!

And doing it in the checkout line? Puhleeze!

i nursed my son countless times in restaurants 29 years ago. if anyone noticed, i never knew it. nursing can be done discreetly. nursing is to feed a child. anyone who objects should grow up.

No. Breast feeding mothers should use a little courtesy and provide for their children before or after interation with the general public. It is not the responibility of any business in this PC world to allow or provide space for this activity. Applebee's is a "family" restaurant. I wouldn't want my kids to be confronted by this and I'm sure neither would you.

No. Women who think they are being discrete, aren’t—have a little courtesy for the rest of who are paying to be at the restaurant, too. Besides, when your children have teeth, and can articulately ask to be breast fed—they are TOO OLD! (See cover story picture).

Tits vs. breasts!

It's not just men who have sexualized breasts bigtime. Women are leading the charge with enchancement and pushup bras and revealing tops galore.

Someone who would be upset by the unsexual natural site of a female breast feeding needs to examine their sexual fears, concepts of womanhood, and nature. So called conservatives have fallen out of bed on their head if they find this disgusting or problematic.

Your child, and you, might begin to re-understand what nature and child bearing is all about.

I think gross disgusting people slopping hot wings into their mouths at Applebees is offensive, but I don't make them put a towel over their heads.

Being offended is a CHOICE, not a RIGHT.

Some of you people should take a closer look at what you're saying to see what little sense it makes and how truly disturbing our society has become.

If it bothers you, LOOK AWAY.

Absurd. Breastfeeding is just that....feeding a baby. Who thinks it's NORMAL to starve an infant? Granted, modesty and courtesy should always be taken, but to be banished to a bathroom??? Would YOU eat in a bathroom? Babies are usually much healthier when breastfed, and the sexist pervs that only see a boob, and not a nurturing, loving parent, should go elsewhere. A Family restaurant it just that. For families, and babies are included in that. Cover up for modesty, but don't allow the small-minded people to use this issue as one of sex.

What next? Allowing young people to strip from waist down to have sex when the urge occurs, even in malls or public places.

Breastfeeding is the proper use of breasts. When a baby is hungry, you feed him. It's really not that complicated.

My baby is not willing to eat under a hot blanket anymore than I would be willing to eat under a hot blanket.

As for preteen kids - my 16 year old son's reaction to the story was, "I would have asked for a tablecloth to cover up with. Then taken it to the guy who complained and told him to cover his head as HE was offensive to ME."

My teen and pre-teen kids (boys and girls) are disgusted at what happened at Applebees. But they have grown up seeing breasts used for their intended purpose - to feed infants.

Anyone who can't see that this is normal and natural has been distorted by a sick, misogynistic society.

Comparing breastfeeding in public to having sex in public is another example of corrupt views of our society.

Breasts are for BABIES. They are FOR breastfeeding.

People don't have SEX in malls - but they do EAT in restaurants.

So now infants aren't permitted to EAT in public?

This is insane.

hey, I'm conservative and a Christian and I birthed without drugs and I breastfed anywhere and everywhere. How do like that conundrum?

Breastfeeding is normal and natural. It is not sexual, it is nourishment. How interesting that some parents out there don't want their children to see a woman breastfeeding, but make NO comment when a scantily clad woman (OR MAN) walks past or sits within view. How utterly shameful of our nation to find a mother providing the best nourishment possible offensive and want her to "cover up", but celebrate when a woman trolloping about in a bikini that barely covers her at all comes there way. And as for those who suggest eating in a bathroom...are you kidding me? Would you like to sit on the toilet and eat your meal? How would you feel if someone told you that the way you eat is offensive and considered "obscene", so please, take it to the restroom....I think not.

Most of you all are acting very immature & your analogies are ridiculous, possibly many of you being the same people who would watch a woman get naked in a movie without a flinch or even buy porn but can't stand the sight of a breast if it's used in it's most nurturing, natural, non-sexual way. If you don't want to see a woman feed her baby in public, the answer is simple, DON'T LOOK.

Don't mature adults agree that we own our own feelings? The onus is on the offended. Breastfeeding is the *normal* way to feed babies. It isn't "indulgent" of the mother. What parent *wouldn't* want to feed a hungry baby? And if a mother has chosen to feed her baby the normal way, if her baby is hungry, no one should suggest it's obscene. That's in the eye of the beholder.

To the name-caller: I nursed all three of mine, had all three natural and one of them at home, eat organic, and I'm one of those "clench-butt Christians". Do you say the same kind of things to people of other religions? Sounds like hate talk to me.

Women who chose to breastfeed aren't choosing based on their religion or their politics.
Most of you who oppose the idea of a nursing mother in public are way over thinking this. Rest your brains for a minute. You're out with your family, everybody is eating, the baby wakes up and he/she wants to eat too! It's really that simple. Go cover yourselves with a blanket so you don't have to see it! As Jane said, this is insane.

I can't imagine a mother nursing a baby is more disruptive than a screaming baby! If someone has issues with someone nursing in public, may I suggest LOOKING AWAY???! No one is making you look.

There's a major double-standard at work here:

Women, normally, don't like men to even look at their cleavage (though they choose to show it) but then want to whip out their entire engorged breast, once they become mothers, so they can glare at anyone that notices: This is about idiotic power, and control, and nothing more.

There's a time and place for everything, and courtesy, and personal responsibility, does come into it - though many women are constantly demanding (always with the demands) they need not have any. My take:

Breastfeeding mothers don't have to eat at Applebee's.

Why is it necessary to breastfeed a baby in a restaurant. Plan your dinner time and feed the baby at home. What happened to courtesy and consideration? From the pictures on the front page some of those children are too old to be breastfed and definitly too old to have to have breastfeeding in public because they are crying and hungry. It is the mother's pleasure not the babies. Go to hooters. Of course there are those who like to watch and see the breast. Becareful they may follow you home.
As far as the protest at my favorite restaurant, "ladies" be a lady and show respect for others.

You can nurse in public without anyone knowing you are. I did it 26 years ago. If you can't be private aboout what you are doing go to the ladies room - I promise not to look - or care!

Breast feeding is so normal and accepted by most of the world - it is the super uptight Americans who seem to have all the trouble with the human body. Above all, it is young people who should learn that feeding ones baby is natural and normal, not something bad and "don't look".

I have breastfed 7 children, over the course of about 10 years altogether.

I have NEVER seen a man want to "follow me home" - or even try to WATCH.

Babies nursing is not sexually arousing - not to the mothers, not to the babies, and not to any man I've ever known.

As for "too old to nurse" - children have breastfed up to the age of 7 throughout the ENTIRE WORLD for MILLIONS of years. That is normal - the very RECENT habit of not nursing babies into toddlerhood is unusual, unnatural, and not something humankind has done throughout our millions of years of history.

For the woman who thinks nursing moms need to be careful as some pervert might follow us home - I'm wondering about the men in your life. Sounds to me like they sexualize even the most basic, natural acts of women.

That's sad. I can assure you, that I've never seen ANY man look at me nursing in a sexual manner, and never heard of a man who found breastfeeding to be arousing in that way.

There may be a few perverted men with a weird fetish, but I'd put them in the same category as pedophiles in that case.

If a man finds a mother breastfeeding an infant to be sexually stimulating, that really is unusual and perverted.

Would you say CHILDREN shouldn't be allowed out of the house ever, in deference to the urges of any pedophiles that might be out there?!?

No, they should not breastfeed in public places unless it is a private area. People that don't want to see certain things have just as much rights as anyone else.

A napkin, or small blanket over the breast while they feed their babies - is that really too much to ask?

Jane, all I was saying is an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, there are perverts out there.
Over forty years ago it was the doctors who said it was the psycologically correct age at 6 months to ween a baby from the breast or bottle. They can hold a cup and drink from it and they eat sitting up. Now of course we have pacifers and braces.
What they do in the rest of the world is not what we must do here.
I am sorry you took the wrong words from my notes. The main words are COURTESY AND CONSIDERATION.

There is no double standard here, Sam. Do you ask the woman with cleavage to cover herself up with a blanket? How about a berka? Would that make you happy? You just seem to not want to see women, in general, let alone ones who are nursing.Do you have trouble with your relationships with women?
You will find that most BF mothers are more modest than many women because they respect their bodies and truly respect the purpose breasts were intended for and that is a faithful, loving commitment to the nurturing and nourishing of our babies and children.
What ever happened to live and let live? Talk about closeminded predjudice and hostility toward others.

1. The Kentucky law states that a nursing mother may breastfeed her baby ANYWHERE without interference.

The manager of Applebees was violating the law (committing a crime) when he interfered with the mother's and baby's rights.

2. A "napkin" or whatever would not just cover the breast - it would cover the BABY'S FACE.

If a baby were to suffocate (which has happened) under that blanket, what would the resopnse be?

If it's a crime to leave a dog in a hot car in the summertime, why on earth should it be expected that a mother will put her baby under a hot blanket in the summertime?

It gets HOT under there.

YOU put a blanket over your head and your face up against someone's abdomen for 30 minutes in the summertime. Tell me how comfortable you find it.

I have nursed babies under blankets, and I'll tell you - they get sweaty. You know what? There are BRAINS in those little heads.

How hot do you think we should let them get in deference to someone else's comfort?

I do not eat under a blanket. My other children do not eat under a blanket.

And my baby will not eat under a blanket. He will kick and scream and cry and pull the blanket away.

What should a mother do in that case? Spank a 7 month old child for not putting up with what is unnatural, and potentially dangerous to the point of life-threatening?

BJ, do a little anthropological study. You will find that in every part of the world, babies and toddlers have been nursed well past a year or two - all over the world, in every culture. UNTIL Western society in the just the last century, that is.

This is a very, very new thing.

Not so long ago, the US Surgeon General recommended that ALL babies be breastfed until they were at least 1 year old, and that "lucky is the baby who is breastfed until they are 2." (My paraphrase, but close.)

In terms of prevention from some bizarre pervert, I think we are more at risk attracting a criminal pervert by wearing high heels than by breastfeeding in public.

Seriously - I ran into a freak with a foot fetish out in a public place one day. That was bizarre and uncomfortable. But in 10 years of breastfeeding, I have NEVER been made uncomfortable by a man.

In fact, the only time I was ever uncomfortable was when a wrong-minded old lady stared at me and "harumped!" when I was nursing my first baby at a coffee shop.

Every other comment I have ever gotten (and there have been hundreds) have been, "I think it's wonderful that you breastfeed" and "that's right! Feed that baby!"

Last time I took the baby to church I was uncomfortable when he wanted to nurse - he's nearly 2 - and I had never breastfed him at this particular church (it's a new church for us) and I hesitated to feed him. He was pulling at my shirt, as he was really hungry and tired and needed to nurse himself to sleep.

One of the staff members smiled and said, "You'd better nurse him. He looks hungry!" So I did. And as other parishioners and a number of church staff walked by, I got smiles and "Oh, I remember when mine was little like that. That's so sweet" and "I also breastfed mine at that age."

The world is just not that terrible - the vast majority of men are not that terrible.

Sure, there may be a pervert or two out there, but I'm not going to deny my child his right in fear of them. Anymore than I'd not take my children to the park, or force my 15 year old daughter to wear a head-to-toe burqa.

BJ, do a little anthropological study. You will find that in every part of the world, babies and toddlers have been nursed well past a year or two - all over the world, in every culture. UNTIL Western society in the just the last century, that is.

This is a very, very new thing.

Not so long ago, the US Surgeon General recommended that ALL babies be breastfed until they were at least 1 year old, and that "lucky is the baby who is breastfed until they are 2." (My paraphrase, but close.)

In terms of prevention from some bizarre pervert, I think we are more at risk attracting a criminal pervert by wearing high heels than by breastfeeding in public.

Seriously - I ran into a freak with a foot fetish out in a public place one day. That was bizarre and uncomfortable. But in 10 years of breastfeeding, I have NEVER been made uncomfortable by a man.

In fact, the only time I was ever uncomfortable was when a wrong-minded old lady stared at me and "harumped!" when I was nursing my first baby at a coffee shop.

Every other comment I have ever gotten (and there have been hundreds) have been, "I think it's wonderful that you breastfeed" and "that's right! Feed that baby!"

Last time I took the baby to church I was uncomfortable when he wanted to nurse - he's nearly 2 - and I had never breastfed him at this particular church (it's a new church for us) and I hesitated to feed him. He was pulling at my shirt, as he was really hungry and tired and needed to nurse himself to sleep.

One of the staff members smiled and said, "You'd better nurse him. He looks hungry!" So I did. And as other parishioners and a number of church staff walked by, I got smiles and "Oh, I remember when mine was little like that. That's so sweet" and "I also breastfed mine at that age."

The world is just not that terrible - the vast majority of men are not that terrible.

Sure, there may be a pervert or two out there, but I'm not going to deny my child his right in fear of them. Anymore than I'd not take my children to the park, or force my 15 year old daughter to wear a head-to-toe burqa.

I think it's disgusting to see a suckling piglet in public; COVER UP with a light shawl or something!

Sorry - didn't mean to doublepost!

I am a woman who finds public breastfeeding unacceptable. Why don't these women use breast pumps at home, place the milk in a bottle and use the bottle to fed their children when they are out in public?

Breast feeding in public should be banned. Mothers can be a little more modest - as our Mothers were. If they were it would be ok - but most are not. Almost like they are only trying to prove their point.

Great. Pump at home, and feed the baby with a bottle.

Then, when baby gets hungry, and your milk lets down, you are walking around with dripping milk, your shirt soaked, and THAT is going to be WAY more discreet than just nursing the baby.

Pour half a cup of water on each of your breasts and walk around in public like that.

Now tell me THAT doesn't get you stares.

There are so many other reasons to not do what you suggest - but that is the most obvious to those who think breastfeeding calls sexual attention to a woman.

babies = piglets?

This anti-baby hysteria is frightening to me. Who would compare a baby to a PIG??

And should babies who are bottlefed ALSO be forced to drink them under blankets?

How about a 2 year old eating at a restaurant? Should he be hidden under a blanket?

I don't get this.

Do you drink milk from cow teats? Are you disgusted by THAT?

It just doesn't make any logical sense to me.

But if you're calling babies pigs, then you've got bigger problems than not understanding breastfeeding.

I hope you don't have children!

To those who suggest a mother pump and give the baby expressed milk while they are out - Pumping is a very difficult and painful process for many women. It is expensive (breastpumps can be up to several hundred dollars), time consuming and not at all as easy as it sounds. Couple that with the fact that many breastfed babies will not accept a bottle and you can see why this is an unreasonable request.

Breastfeeding is free, always available, and the best nutrition there is! Why should we hide that? Why should anyone go through all of the above trouble just to protect someone's delicate sensibilities?

Children have the right to eat the way nature intended. If you don't like it. Don't look.

I just think "suckling" should be done in private unless not noticeable. I breastfed my daughter when she was a baby, but took a bottle if we were OUT to dinner, I had a cheap breastpump and it worked fine for the few times I needed to use it. I guess that's asking too much of an exhibitionist though.

Of course women should be allowed to breast feed, anywhere in public. As one poster mentioned above, that´s what breast are for. Plus, it´s been shown over and over again that breastfeeding is so much better for a baby than formula. I think mothers should have a right to breast feed everywhere, that includes plains.

I really cannot believe that this is an issue. People in this country have become so intolerant that they would prefer a mother breast feed their baby either in the bathroom or not at all. It's rediculous. When a baby gets hungary, they cry. So, besides feeding their babies for nutrition, they also do it so their babies don´t start crying in the middle of a restaurant.
For those of you who have a problem with it, 1) you're probably not mothers or fathers and 2) you should learn how not to look at a woman´s breasts anyways.
Of course, I also think it depends on the restaurant. Applebees? C´mon! It´s a cheap, loud family restaurant with lots of booths, a step up from Denny´s for Pete's sake. Of course Applebees is fine for breasfeeding. More elegent restaurants just aren't appropriate,though, and I wouldn´t take my baby to such places in the first place. Still, it´s a question of choice. Women should still have the right.
More importantly women should have the right to breast feed on buses or planes. I think it´s just wrong to oblige a women to give her baby formula over breast milk on a long flight.

Grow up people. We should all be able to get through a meal, or flight for that matter, without looking at the woman´s breasts next to us. Learn to be a little tolerant too!

>>BJ said: Over forty years ago it was the doctors who said it was the psycologically correct age at 6 months to ween a baby from the breast or bottle.

Kelly: A lot has changed in forty years; apparently, you haven't kept up with the times.

BJ said: They can hold a cup and drink from it and they eat sitting up. Now of course we have pacifers and braces.

Kelly: Braces and pacifiers are the answer? Please do some research and get yourself out of the dark ages. The new recommendations are at least 1 yr of breastfeeding, and there is a strong move to make that 2 years. The global norm is well into toddlerhood. Jeez, even my dad knew the average age for complete weaning, based on a global average, is 7 years old !

Well as a father of a 3 year old and a newborn I feel that nursing moms in public should atleast pump their milk in bottles for public outings ,such as going to a reaturants,or anywhere where parents and family members might be. These moms think that just because they have a baby in public gives them special privlages to do these things so unappropate things like drive in public with their babies in their lap or plop a boob out at a family resturant. Hugo t canyon country ca

No, breastfeeding should be done in private not in public!

Breastfeeding at Applebees. As a 46 year old woman who has seen a lot of liberal behavior in our society that is just ridiculous, and everyday I question where morals and modesty have gone in our society. After reading today's article in the News about women who will stage a breastfeeding protest today at noon at Applebees I hope they all get arrested for public indecency. These folks have a double standard about what is natural. If they see someone peeing against a wall or pooping in an alley I guarantee they call the cops - but that is a natural act? They demand the guy that shows his penis to kids in a school yard be arrested - hey you want to show your private parts and he wants to show his. There is a reason why they are called PRIVATE PARTS. Oh, and while you're at it - there are changing stations in the bathroom, the dining table is not the place to change the diaper either. Millions of us were nursed in restrooms or our mothers used a breast pump to bottle feed us and we turned out just fine. The world doesn't need to bend to you just because you whine - there are more important issues to battle - GROW UP!

Well as a father of a 3 year old and a newborn I feel that nursing moms in public should atleast pump their milk in bottles for public outings ,such as going to a reaturants,or anywhere where parents and family members might be. These moms think that just because they have a baby in public gives them special privlages to do these things so unappropate things like drive in public with their babies in their lap or plop a boob out at a family resturant. Like my resturant in ventura county

Right. Yvette. GROW UP and mind your own business. Of course women need to be discrete and, if they are, it's virtually impossible to get a glimpse of "private parts." If you do get a glimpse, it's because you're staring and you're the one with the problem. OK. the law should be that women can Breast Feed anywhere in publice as long as they do it descretely, making their best efforts to cover their breasts and and child's head for that matter "during the act."

and to quote Yvette again GROW UP.

Well as a father of a 3 year old and a newborn I feel that nursing moms in public should atleast pump their milk in bottles for public outings ,such as going to a reaturants,or anywhere where parents and family members might be. These moms think that just because they have a baby in public gives them special privlages to do these things so unappropate things like drive in public with their babies in their lap or plop a boob out at a family resturant. Like my resturant in ventura county

Put your clothes back on and shut up. Maybe you should take your little show to the gentlemen's club down the street...

Where on earth is our society going?

People comparing breastfeeding to exhibitionism and stripping?

That's just ridiculous.

Have these people NEVER seen a National Geographic?

What do they do for a mother cat nursing her young? Throw a blanket over them?

I know - I'll bet they offer the kittens little bottles - after expressing the mama cat's milk for her.

Um.. yeah. Right.

The real problem isn't breastfeeding in public. The real problem is selfish mothers who put their own desires and wants before their child. I stayed home when my children were born. I didn't go out to eat or to the movies until they were old enough and were taught how to behave in public. I had to go back to work so I expressed my milk for later use. Many women do without any problem. My children learned to drink from a bottle when I wasn't there, a good thing considering anything could happen to me. Breastfeeding mothers are not immortal. It also allowed my husband to feed his child as well. Women who refuse to share the feedings with anyone are selfish exhibitionists. With todays technology, there are plenty of bottle nipples on the market that simulate a real breast. It doesn't harm or confuse the child in any way to use a bottle occasionally, be it filled with breast milk or formula. I breastfed mine until they started biting me, around seven and eight months. They went straight to cows milk without any physical problems, regardless of all the horror stories the nazi-moms would have you believe. Today, mothers think they don't have to curtail their activities at all. They do whatever they want and drag the poor babies along. I saw a women tube feeding a new born at the movie theatre of all places. My husband would not allow me to intercede, but I was ready to not only confront her about how wrong she was for dragging a preemie to a movie theatre, but also to call CPS on her as preemies can not handle stress or outside stimulation. I know as I have one. The last thing a preemie needs is to be placed in front of loud ear-splitting noise and blinding lights (the movie). That baby should have been taken away from her. She put her own wants ahead of her babies needs. Same with the stupid women who drag their strollers to art and wine festivals and allow their kids to cry and scream and fuss when they really just need to be at home in a calm environment.

As for breastfeeding until the age of seven, those children are mostly fed that long out of necessity, as in there is no money for food or they live in a third world country. Here with two incomes usually needed to support a household, not a lot of working mothers are going to breastfeed for seven years. These same mothers are also quick to get angry when others complain about their children's behavior in public as if everyone should consider there children adorable. There is nothing wrong with putting a child on a schedule. It's been done for hundreds of years. And there is nothing wrong with formula either, unless you want to condemn those who can't feed their children as unfit. Just because you can feed your child doesn't mean everyone else can or wants to and certainly it doesn't mean we all want to watch. Taking children to a restaurant or a show or an amusement park is irresponsible. When they are of breastfeeding age, they will not remember any of it later on. You're not doing it for them. You're doing it for yourself. Again, your selfish self.

Not everyone lives In Bezerkely and works for some ultra-nutty company that encourages breastfeeding mothers to bring their babies with them and feed them at their desk. I don't care about the exception to the rule. I am not the exception. I am the majority of mothers out there who think you are all just doing this to get your milk-filled breasts in the paper as evidenced by the picture in this article.

You don't want to see another hungry human being eating while you eat? Do you feel eating is a sexual act? An unhygienic act? If so, perhaps it's time to do some thoughtful self-evaluation.

Humans are mammals. We're the only mammal to make a conscious choice to ignore a physiological response of the body after childbirth (lactation). What's next, shawls over all the other mammals nursing around their peers?

No medically-based organization ever recommends placing a blanket over a child's face no matter what the circumstances.

If mothers are restricted from breastfeeding in public, it sends the message that there is something inherently wrong, dirty or secretive about it. If they alone must cover up while feeding their children, they are set apart and made to feel different.

It's not that people are uncomfortable with the breast as a sexual object, they're uncomfortable with it NOT being sexual. Sadly, most people in this country were given formula and don't understand the complexity of the breastfeeding relationship. A hundred years ago, exposing an ankle was indecent but public breastfeeding was not. There was no such thing as a lactation consultant. Anybody could help a nursing mother without fear of reprisal or mockery.

With regard to age of breastfed children, the World Health Organization says AT LEAST two years. The average worldwide weaning ages range from 4-7. Length of nursing age is often indicated by education and socioeconomic wealth. Wealther, more educated people nurse and nurse longer.

Next time I'm at a restaurant where a woman is bottle-feeding, I'll be sure to complain to the server that I'm offended. And next time a vegetarian sits next to a meat-eater, the veg can ask the server to either move the meat-eater to another table, to the bathroom, to his car or to at least be courteous and cover his meal up with a napkin.

To the "Growup" poster --

What breasts did YOU see in the article picture?

I didn't see any breasts. I saw a small amount of skin on one woman - but I've seen a whole lot more on other news stories including red carpet images, Lyndsey Lohan, etc.

This has NOTHING to do with "exhibitionism" - and your description of the all the crazy things you'd have to go through to make a nipple work the way a breast does is ludicrous.

Just feed the baby! Goodness! Put the baby to breast and FEED him as GOD HIMSELF intended.

We were MADE to do this!!

YOU went against the Surgeon General's recommendation when YOU weaned your baby before a year of age.

Are you not aware of the antibodies provided by breastmilk?

THOSE are not replaceable by pumping.

The baby gives the germs to the mother through the nipple. The mother's body then produces antibodies.

The baby's life is possibly then SAVED.

YOU are suggesting that women GIVE UP that protection provided by nature - all for YOUR comfort.

Great. We'll quit nursing for your comfort.

How many baby's deaths do you want on your head?

I think women should exercise a little modesty when breast feeding in public. There is no reason to bare it all. I would be offended ifI saw a shirtless man in a restaurant. I think women should be discrete. The two children in the photo looked like they could it real food in a restaurant.

You know, I kind of see Applebee's point. I mean, they have a restaurant, and these babies want to bring outside food into the restaurant and eat it there. That's not fair to the restaurant. They should charge a corkage fee, like they do if you bring your own wine.

Karen

The US is not exactly a third world country yet. The WHO has its own agenda and that is to receive funds for the salaries of its overpaid executives.

As far as laying a blanket over the babies head, I have done that in my own home. Blankets are not all heavyweight. Receiving blankets are light and you can breathe through them. I also used to carry my child around in a sling and she nursed while in it. She had no problem breathing. Being enclosed is comforting to babies. They spend nine months inside you and the first thing the doctors do after they are born is swaddle them as its comforting. You people are stretching to make up excuses. Covering up a toddler is a different story, however two year olds can be taught how to behave in public. It's called parenting. If they can't stop from fidgeting, then they aren't ready to eat out.

As far as your vegan-meat-eater analysis is concerned, its ridiculous. Vegans know which restaurants serve meat and which don't. It is their choice whether they go in or not. The average restaurant patron doesn't have a choice when it comes to militant breastfeeding moms who want to shock the public. They can appear anywhere.

Just because the law says you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it. The law was written because of normal women being harassed for breastfeeding, not so militant moms can get in your face about it. Its about respect and courtesy. Parents have a duty to respect their children's needs ahead of their own wants and desires. I don't see these militant moms doing that.

Would the corkage fee apply to babies that are fed bottled formula?

Can we ask that women showing cleavage cover that up as well?

Short skirts?

How about just plain old ugly people?

I was grossed out sitting next to a guy with warts on his face. Could I have insisted he be made to eat in the bathroom?

In the deep South, can people ask that people of a different race cover up with a blanket if they don't like them? Or eat in the car?

Wow - this could get interesting!

"Um... ma'am - your teenaged daughter's bare arms offend me. Please make her eat in the car."

I think we should definitely pass a law that people who don't meet a certain standard of attractiveness should be forced to wear bags on their heads in public to avoid offending others.

Applebee's is not denying these women the right to breastfeed...the restaurant is just asking that they cover themselves while they're doing it. That leads me to believe that this whole thing is nothing more than a political stunt by a bunch of latent exhibitionists who want to be seen as loving, natural, earth mothers.Yes, breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, but so is child birth. What's next... giving women the "right" to give birth on the counter of the local Denny's ?

Growupyourself

Now you're stalking about things you know nothing of. Not all babies need a years worth of nursing. Quite a few wean themselves. And I trust my personal doctor far more easily than I would trust the Surgeon General who does not have a personal relationship with me and my child.

The most important antibodies a child can have are those that come in the first six weeks after birth, which is why so many doctors recommend at least six weeks is more is not possible.

AS I don't live in a third world country and my child has been given all the normal care needed by his doctor, I am responsible for no babies death. My two child are mostly grown and have always been healthy. I am responsible for that with the help of my husband, family and the good doctor. Certainly not WHO or you.

Expressing milk is not rocket science. And a baby using a man-made nipple is not life-threatening unless you happen to be a complete lazy moron and know nothing about sterilization. Nuk makes a nipple shaped like a depressed human nipple and it delivers the milk to the babies tongue in the exact SAME WAY. Besides growing up I'd say you also need to be educated.

I have no intention with getting into a religious argument with you so lets leave God out of this. If you think the only purpose of a woman is to nurse children, then I feel sorry for you. I'm not suggesting that women stop doing anything they feel comfortable doing, merely that those same women stop judging others because they don't happen to agree with them and start putting their children's well-being ahead of their own. And that includes staying home to eat instead of going out when you know your child is going to be hungry.

Um -- you obviously never gave birth, at least not naturally.

There is a LOT of blood, bodily fluids, etc., during birth.

If you did it at Denny's, there would be a huge mess.

Breastfeeding does not create a mess- in fact, it's way less messy than bottlefeeding.

Restaurants, for one thing, are for eating in. It's natural for babies to eat when hungry.

Birth, on the other hand, does not occur in restaurants, and it's natural for mammals to seek quiet, isolated places in which to give birth. A woman birthing in a busy place, or a noisy place (such as a hospital) is likely to have trouble and complications.

So - birthing at Denny's is not natural or healthy.

Breastfeeding a baby would be.

Covering a baby's face with a blanket is not healthy, either, and some babies have died from suffocation this way.

It's all about what is best for the baby - and therefore, society.

If a woman turns to bottlefeeding because YOU complain about her nursing in public, then you MAY be harming someone else's child.

YOU should recommend what is obviously best for every baby - that they are fed naturally, as evolution has dictated - for millions of years, babies breastfed, on demand, as needed, not hidden under blankets or having to "wait" until mommy is in a private place.

You are stating that to you, breasts are sexual things, and should be hidden, and babies come second.

If you pressure a young mother to wean early, and her baby has gotten sick, you ARE partly responsible for that.

The law backs me up, by the way. That Applebee's manager broke the law.

You just support him in his criminal offense.

Everybody else's fault. Nothing new here...

Anonymous,

Most babies nurse very frequently. Telling a mother of a 7-month-old that she should not leave her house if her child might get hungry would mean relegating women to the home for months or years. That is not practical in our society.

I had a baby who needed to breastfeed most of the day. We did not leave the house often, as I was lucky to be a SAHM, but when I went grocery shopping or the doctor's office, I couldn't very well do that from home, even if I agreed that nursing mothers should be imprisoned at home in order to please those who might be offended that babies require mother's milk.

This same baby refused a blanket and my option was to let him scream and starve or not go to the store and stay home and I would starve instead.

The better option, I believe, is to feed one's baby naturally, and let those who are offended simply look away. I don't think anything is visible when nursing, anyway. I have never seen a woman's nipple when she was breastfeeding, and I've seen many women nursing in public.

I've seen a lot more skin on girls at the mall, actually, and I would never dream of being so rude as to ask a manager at a store to insist the young woman cover up or leave.

So many of the comments about why women SHOULD breastfeed are exactly the kind of radical, Berkeley/Birkenstock variety that characterizes La Leche League and the women featured in the photo, plus the Jane poster and others:
women who care about their looks are selfish, because once you're a mother you're desexualized as a milk cow and so no one cares. Jane, I'm quite sure that after 7 babies boldly nursed in public, no man would have ever followed you home or considered your breasts in a sexual way. But you're not an attractive women to begin with, and have found a mission as a milk cow and propagandist for your way of life. If it were some attractive woman who looks like Angelina Jolie, Britney or the rest, wouldn't it be very different? Can you imagine the paparazzi catching Britney at it -- you don't think it would get as much attention as her panty- flashing thing? But even she didn't use her baby for that sort of attention because she didn't need to: attractive women DON'T want people staring at their breasts while having their intimate moment with their babies. Sorry if it sounds unkind but it's true: the militant ones are almost always ugly.

Remember that there are plenty of outfits with flaps that many women use, and no, they don't suffocate the baby. Only an idiot would claim that a light airline-type blanket or shawl would do that. Leaern how to drape it over one shoulder loosely.

As for urging the feeding of babies until they're over 2, someone even said 4-7: that's for poverty- stricken women since mother's milk is a "free" fully-nourishing source of food, better than the diluted women they prefer to give their babies because it's less cumbersome and "modern." WE are not National Geographic society women, at least I'm not, like some sort of freak show to stare at.

Older kids nursing makes people uncomfortable in a LOT of situations. My pastor jokes about a time when a parishioner came in, and as they were about to get into a serious spiritual matter, her 4-5 year old went and got himself a chair and attached himself to her breast, so flipping him out he couldn't concentrate, try as he might.

And to the fool who says preteen boys see pictures of naked women: that is a private process toward growing up and exploring their sexuality. A fat milk cow next to us would be disgusting, and Angelina Jolina-type nursing moms definitely distracting. (I'm sure she wouldn't be caught dead exposing her breast that way -- bet she uses a flap thing.) We're not in France here, where everyone sunbathes topless. IF you ARE there, fine: but even in Europe, there's an implicit taboo against attracting attention to your breasts in a sexual way. But then, you fat prudes even object to women in bikinis: it's just the fat, milkcow breasts that are "fine."

Although mother's milk is healthier than bottled, there is a really creepy kind of holier-than-thou aspect to forcing it on everyone and making heroines of nursing mothers and devils of those who don't -- that comes across from some of these comments. There's also a creepy attitude toward "teaching" mothers how to nurse, with specialists who are often male, that I would never tolerate because I'm not some ugly milk cow.

And yes, as soon as my kids were old enough I worked out and was back trotting around in my bikini (the women who put that down are just jealous they can't and want to make a virtue of being fat slobs -- I've seen that a lot). One plus to nursing: the muscle contractions do shrink your stomach.

And talk about barbaric judgments: How DARE you milk cows say that we are NOT "good mothers" because we're not fat and ugly and care about our bodies? Teaching girls that you can be a mother AND a sexual, attractive being is the best role model. I've met so many college girls at the pool who have come up and told me this, that when they see the fat slob mothers, it makes them afraid to become mothers and ruin their bodies, and they thank me for showing them another way. A NOT surgically enhanced way, either.

A note to those who say express milk into a bottle: that can be unwise, as my doctor told me, because it can make the baby prefer the easy job of nursing from a bottle. Nursing from the mother takes work, and it's recommended babies stick with it IF the mother is a stay-at-home mom. Otherwise, do what you must, express the milk in a bottle -- the baby will turn out just as healthy (they only NEED to nurse for 6-8 weeks to get the immunities).

Bottom line, it's the Janes and fat feminazis staging the sit-ins who are degrading the image of women and turning us all into insensitive milk cows.

Just want to point out that even NUK nipples or other nipples designed to be more like the human nipple will not function the same way.

Bottlefed babies are more likely to have underdeveloped (or malformed) jaws than breastfed babies.

Breastfeeding is natural, and everything else is subpar to one degree or another.

Susan - my husband wants you to know that he is willing to follow me home, and gladly got me pregnant 7 times. :)

Besides finding me sexy, he also finds me likeable.

But thanks for letting us know what a great example you are setting for young women!

growuppeople -- Yes, of course the corkage would apply to bottle-fed babies as well.

Now that I think about it, though, a corkage fee seems like a bad idea. It implies that Applebee's can't provide suitable food, which I'm sure they can. Applebee's should keep several lactating women on staff, to serve milk "on tap" to nursing babies. I'm sure babies get bored eating the same old thing, day after day. If Mom wants to eat out, why should Baby have to eat the same thing they do at home?

I can see it now. Milk bar -- $4.95. Add a side salad for only 99 cents extra!

The problem with the waitresses providing the milk, is you would have to have lactating women available, and their own babies would therefore need to be nearby in most cases. So then you run into the need to have an on-site child care facility.

I don't think babies EVER get bored of their own mommies' milk until they are ready to wean, though. I mean - we supplement, and my baby always prefers my breastmilk. With my nursing toddlers, they preferred breastfeeding to eating ice cream, even.

And besides, you lose the benefit of the mother-child bonding, and the incredible antibodies offered by breastfeeding if you have others do it.

I knew women who, in the early 70's, lived commune-style and breastfed one another's children, but in that case you have the antibody protection, as they frequently fed one another's babies. But a stranger at a Denny's? I don't think you'd be able to get that.

Another issue, of course, is that when you buy cow's milk, the cow is fed tons of antibiotics to handle infections, and the farms are inspected.

I know that drug use and alcoholism are somewhat common in the restaurant industry. Without government involvement and standard testing, you have no idea what drugs the waitress might be consuming. So you're entering dangerous territory there.

Overall, I don't think that would work.

A corkage fee, though, could work.

I still like the idea of asking people who have visible tattoos to cover them up while I'm eating.

You breastfeed in public, and that is your choice. Applebee's doesn't want you to breastfeed in their restaurants, and that is their choice. If you want to breastfeed in public, don't go to Applebee's. Rather than have a "Nurse-In" at a restaurant that doesn't meet your needs, go to another restaurant where you will be welcomed.

What would you say, Freedom of Choice, if Applebee's didn't want any black people to eat in their restaurants?

I'd say that there would be a lot of very angry people that wouldn't eat at Applebee's likely putting them out of business.

Right.

And that's what these mothers are doing. They are protesting, and asking Applebee's to adopt baby-friendly policies.

And you know what? MOST Applebees already does have firm pro-breastfeeding policy in place. As the story states, one of the managers in another state came right out and said that other manager was WRONG.

These protesting mommies are simply using their money and their voices to educate and create change.

More power to them!

Gotta love America.

breastfeeding is important and awesome, but not everyone needs to see it. it is easy to cover up and one should in public. i don't think it's appropriate for others including children of different ages to have to be exposed to something that can be handled discreetly. please cover up.

I think children NEED to see women breastfeeding, so when they have kids, they will understand it's normal and will nurse their own kids.

My kids think breastfeeding is great, and they have never been offended or embarrassed by a mother nursing in public. They think it's cute, actually. But then, they love babies.

I've also never seen a woman breastfeed indiscreetly. Have you? I mean - you would have to REALLY be watching to see a flash of nipple even when the mother doesn't use a blanket.

To Growup

I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for any babies other than my own. And even if she did stop that doesn't mean her baby is going to automatically die or starve to death. Quite being such a drama queen.

No one is responsible for any mothers choice to breastfeed in public or wean early. You are being ridiculous and such an alarmist. Babies weaned before one year are not automatically going to have health issues. Mine certainly didn't and I don;t consider them to be the exception to the rule. They were reaching for cups by six months. Babies emulate adults, remember? That's how they learn. They were both more than ready to stop. They let me know when they were ready to be weaned, as most babies do.

As for the law being on your side, they can't legislate common sense. You are so militant about what EVERY mother should do that you forget we are all individuals with individual ideas about child rearing. Not everyone feels they have to take their child out and display its eating habits when ever and where ever. You keep saying its what nature intended. Nature did not intend that you go out to eat in a restaurant instead of stay home and take care of your baby for the short few months it will need you to do so. Nature does not force mothers to take a still nursing baby to a restaurant knowing it will most likely need to be fed while there. Babies can't eat restaurant food so the only reason to go to one is for YOURSELF, not your BABY. Those mothers are putting their wants before their babies needs.

And I don't expect moms to be banished to the house. We all have to get out, but we don't have to go to a restaurant or to the movies. That's what take-out and DVD's are for. And yes, in this day and age. Once a baby is on a schedule, you can work around it. Only newborns need to be fed on demand. Older babies should be on a normal schedule, whatever that schedule may be, and their mothers should already know what that cycle is. Notice I said cycle. Every one has a natural cycle of eating and sleeping, babies included. I had to wake up my baby every two hours to feed her for about three months. That was three measly little months that I was at her beck and call, hardly a sacrifice by any stretch of the imagination. Sadly the real ME generation are mothers now and think nothing of dragging their baby anywhere at a moments notice. It's all about them and their pleasure.

To nipples and susan
As for expressing milk and nuk nipples, my doctor recommended the nuk nipples because you have to suck on them harder and in the exact SAME WAY as a real nipple, to get the milk out, which comes out of the bottom of the nipple on the tongue instead of in the back of the mouth. I've watched my own in the past and they worked just as hard on the nuk as they did the nipple so in my case, your doctor was wrong. It's easy to state the worst case scenario. A baby who can switch off between a breast and a nipple is a baby that is not going to go hungry, no matter what the circumstances, like sickness and surgery, and worst case scenario, death. And the mother of a baby who can do this has the added relief of knowing her child will be eating well while she's off working to keep a roof over its head.

In a perfect world it would be great if every mother could breastfeed, but its not going to happen for one reason or another.

It's entirely possible to breastfeed your baby without making a spectacle of yourself. These nurse- ins are just another way for the Mommy Mafia to force their views on everyone else, whether or not others want to be subjected to them. It's rude.

No, this was NOT about forcing all women to breastfeed.

This was about the right of women to breastfeed when and where her baby is hungry, without forcing the baby to do so in a potentially harmful situation, and in circumstances that can be stressful to the baby and the mother.

This is about Brooke, the mother who was denied her right to breastfeed without a blanket (which she did not have) and about the rights of other mothers to do so.

If you find breast feeding offensive --DON'T Look-nobody's forcing you.!!!!!!

These mothers, and I am one of them, are not "exhibitionists", part of the "mommy mafia", or just waiting to "flop out our breasts" because we have "an agenda". Nor are we any of the unbelievably insensitve, rude, and outright nasty things you have called us.

We are mothers who want to feed our children. We want breastfeeding to become the norm in our culture, like it is in so many others, so these venemous feelings about viewing a mother feeding her child will disappear. That is why so many of us stood outside Applebee's today holding signs that support a mother's right to breastfeed her baby.

Other than being incredibly mean, most of the posters responding in a negative way are sadly misinformed and uneducated. Some of the "information" they have posted is downright dangerous.

Calling a mother an "attention craving" "ugly", "fat", "pole dancing" "whore", who should "put your clothes on and shutup" is wrong on every level. And to refer to a child as a "suckling piglet"...there just aren't words for how wrong that is. We are just trying to do the best for our children. If you have particpated negatively in any way in this discussion - Go call your mom and apologize. I'm sure she raised you better than this.

I choose to feed my child in the normal way, the way that doesn't require any expensive equipment or engineered ingredients. Sub-normal feeding has been shown time and time again to lower children's IQ; more than double their chances of dying in their first year; give them six times the illnesses in their first year; increase their chance of getting sick in the second year; weaken their jaws to the point of malformation. All this with sub-normal feeding of imitation milk.

So, some of you claim I'm a fat feminazi because I don't want my child to be sub-normal because of choices *I* made? Your convenience and the titillation or disgust of people who could look away means I should treat my child in a less-than-normal way?

I have breastfed my three for more than two years each. I never "flashed" anyone; had I stayed home that entire time rather than "offend" someone, I wouldn't have left my house for over 10 years, with a year's break in the middle.

But I have three well-behaved, high-achieving kids who will eat regular adult food, including just about anything you'd see cooked on the Food Network.

And GrowUp, if your actions caused my baby to get sick or die, you bet your life you'd be responsible. You'd be betting hers. Tit for tat.

Nursing mothers should be allowed to nurse in public. Period. Where and when did it become taboo, disgusting, sexual, distasteful, wrong? Many mothers drape a cloth over the baby's head, which should be the MOST they are required to do. I would be suprised, however, if any given nursing mother feels comfortable nursing in public places, given the outrage and sexualization of the act. The U.S. should be ashamed of itself.

COVER IT UP! I am all for breasts and everything, but come on! Who wants to see that going on while out dining.

I went to the Applebee's in Chatsworth. I am a PROUD breastfeeding mother. I can cover myself just fine without a blanket. My baby will NOT eat with a blanket over him. I do not just let it all hang out. Everyone is okay with dogs and cats nursing their babies. People don't even take the puppies or kittens away from the mother until about 10-12 weeks. But here we mothers have only 6-8 weeks to be with out babies, unless we are lucky enough to be able to go on family leave. Breast milk is best for our babies, it gives A LOT of health benefits. I feel that it is the most important thing I can do for my little one's health. The news crews at the site even commented how they could not even see any of my breast while I was breastfeeding.
I understand that there are many reasons why some choose not to breastfeed their children, as I did not breastfeed my first. However, I do not look down upon or discriminate against them. If people do not want to look, then don't. Just look away, but if my baby is hungry I will feed him when he needs it no matter where I am at.

Just because you're offended by something doesn't mean you have the right to demand it be covered up, or removed from your sight.

To all of those who suggest women stay home until their babies are weaned, how about you stay home if you can't handle seeing mothers feed their children in the way nature intended. Or an easier solution, just look away.

I have the right to feed my child wherever and however I choose. You are making a CHOICE to be offended. Being offended is not a right.

tracebrooks

I am not responsible for your actions any more than you are responsible for mine. Whatever happened to your baby is your responsibility. Grow up and be responsible for your own choices instead of trying to blame someone else. Your choice, your responsibility.

There is no such thing as subnormal feeding. Either the baby is getting the nutrients they need or they are not. It makes no difference what the source is. Again, you and others feel the need to make millions of mothers feel inferior with your holier than thou attitude. Get over yourselves. Not everyone can breastfeed. And not everyone wants to. That does not make them a bad mother. It is not "subfeeding" that affects childrens wellbeing. It is the lack of care. Chances are a child getting the proper nutrients from whatever source they get it from will not be malformed. Such drama queen tactics. Again, grow up people. Quit trying to scare others because your level of modesty and common courtesy is different. Nutrition is nutrition. With the exception of the first six weeks of milk, there is no difference. With proper care formula fed babies have every chance to be just as healthy as breastfed babies. Your statistics mean nothing unless you know exactly how each child was taken care of. Malnourished bodies don't happen over night.

The law can't legislate common sense or modesty or morality. They also can't tell you how to think either. Just because you are "allowed" to breast feed in public doesn't mean you should and if you do, you should be discreet about it. That's mostly what the people objecting want, some consideration and respect for their feelings. Multi-generations and multi-cultures have all been brought up with different levels of all of the above. I've seen some of those nurse-ins up close and they are most definately in your face.

The definition of normal is different for everyone so stop trying to say your normal is the only normal.

OMG. People, it's a baby having some milk! Get over it. If you feel "offended" tough crap. Kids have a right to eat too. My mom breastfed me and my 4 brothers, and I'm proud of it.

Dylan

No one is against breastfeeding babies. That much needs to be understood. The zealots would have you believe someone is trying to stop mothers from breastfeeding their babies. Babies are not out there starving because mothers are afraid to breastfeed in public and breastfeeding mothers aren't turning to formula because of it either.
What people are against are the in your face activist moms who have turned it into a political statement. They obviously have so much time on their hands they can drop whatever they are doing and grab their babies to breastfeed in front of the news cameras. I don't consider that something to be proud of. instead of just doing what they'd be doing anyway, they have to create a media circus out of it. That's the real tough crap.

And being breastfed doesn't make you any better than your friend who got bottle fed. My kids were a mix and none of them is any better than the other or any worse or any healthier or sicker because of it. Proper nutrition is proper nutrition. They all got what they needed and they all made it to adulthood.

If you want to be proud of something, be proud of your mother, not yourself. She's the one who fed you.

If a nursing mother is asked to cover up, she should instruct the business employee to leave her alone, and then ignore him/her. Then she should sue the restaurant for sex discrimination.

The nurse-in should have been conducted at each city councilperson's office. The city should be obligated to revolk the business permit of any business which gets an excessive number of complaints for harrassing nursing mothers. The city should also be obligated to terminate the landing rights at LAX or the docking rights at the harbor for any airline, boat, or ship which persistantly harasses nursing mothers. And the L.A.P.D. should be obligated not to remove any law abiding person from a business, just because she is nursing a child.

This works for me. Breastfeeding moms can do as they like. So I'll do as I like, I ask the waitperson to have the mother drape something over her exposed breast. If that is not possible, I tell the waitperson quietly we are leaving, right now! I explain quietly that this has ruined our evening, we are never asked to pay the check. When Applebee's has enough people walk out because of this type of militant exhibitionism, they'll make a change.

In regards to breatfeeding. If they do it without us having to see the breast I think it's fine. But if I have to see there breast while I'm trying to eat then to me it is discussing. Put a lite material cover over them.

If babies died from blankets over them then the blanket was too heavy and too close to there nose. Which would be Mothers fault.

I have seen Mothers breatfeeding on the bus and they have a light weight blanket on there shoulder and covering baby.

Seriously, why is being “discreet” such an imposition? I’m at the point of saying that everyone ought to just mellow out a bit, and recognize that in a communal environment, making a huge point out of one’s “rights” can make life less, rather than more, pleasant.

Its ok to breastfeed in public just cover up.

I started to read all of the posts here, but got annoyed and had to stop. As a mother of two, I breastfed both of my children in public when necessary but chose to cover myself and my child with a blanket. That was my choice. But how dare anyone say that you cannot feed your baby whenever or wherever necessary? I would think that they would be more annoyed by a crying baby. Some people have posed alternatives - scheduling your meal time so that your child isn't hungry. What happens if the baby doesn't eat too much, and you go out to eat and the baby is hungry again? As someone who used to be an infant caregiver at a preschool, I can say that happens a fair amount of time.
What does it say about the ignorance of people who offer a plastic bag to cover a baby? And I'm curious if Applebee's plans to wash the blankets that they are considering offering to mothers after each use? After all, there are contamination issues with breastmilk. If a baby consumes another baby's breastmilk, the Health Department is supposed to be contacted and there are tests that are supposed to be run. Who is going to regulate Applebee's to make sure that the blankets have been washed thoroughly?
If the people are that uncomfortable seeing a woman breastfeeding, they should ask to move to a different table. When I'm at a restaurant and there is something that makes me uncomfortable (a group of people cursing like crazy while I'm trying to eat lunch with my children, etc.) I asked to be moved to a different table. Unless abuse is an issue, nobody has the right to tell anyone what to do with their children.

Honestly, i don't understand the need for women to nurse in public...the way i see it.. you didn't make public the act of your procreation..which consequently produced a child..therefore why should the rest of society be subject to such a personal and private act as breastfeeding. i am the proud father of a newborn baby, and my sons mother and i are in complete agreeance that breastfeeding like all other private acts should be kept as such...private

Tracebooks: The way you call only breastfeeding "normal" and bottles/ expressed or formula "subnormal" and then deny you're a feminazi, says it all. You ARE the worst kind of holier-than-thou type who needs to flaunt your udders in public to make a point. As do your fellow sit-ins like L (or M, one of those letters) who is proud that the media commented that they couldn't see her actual breasts. (Proves it CAN be done then; this whole issue arose from women who don't want to cover up while feeding, maybe they were totally exposed.)

Well, I'm not a fat cow, I'm the kind of woman who when I show up get lots of looks from men, and proving they can't see my nipples wouldn't be the same thing as for your kind, trust me.

To those who keep talking about Europe, it's almost a cliche but so true, their women are rarely so fat and ugly. Except in Germany and Austria, but I've never seen a fat frau whip out her breasts in public. They could not begin to understand the militancy which forbids discretion.

If that's how you want to get attention, it's gross, but so it goes. My two kids are highly gifted and gorgeous, and that comes from being around a mom who is more interested in how she raises them than in having flaunted her breasts feeding them.

No one is talking about NOT feeding your kids in public or staying home (unless you need to be an exhibitionist), just doing it discreetly and with sensitivity to the kids and tweens who will be in a family restaurant.

Dominick, your wanting to shut down restaurants that even receive customer complaints, shows what nutty radicals you people are.

To the one who wants nursing moms to fill every councilperson's offices, I'm sure they have better things to do, but don't you? What's your point?

I don't want to see some fat breasts while I'm eating with my kids and can't get up and move, and your baby needs to nurse, so do it DISCREETLY.

I just read some of the comments--wow--talk about uptight. I don't have kids, but I hope to have children some day, and I plan to breastfeed.

If people would stop looking at a mother breastfeeding her child as sexual or gross--then there wouldn't be a "problem". That's what it comes down to--some people are so ignorant and can't see past the fact that it's natural and wholesome to breastfeed a child--covered up or not covered up. Have people forgotten that they were once babies who use to feed on their mothers' breast for survival and nourishment? Are people truly that uptight and insecure with themselves to see it's normal, and it's been in practice for thousands and thousands of years? Or are they so perverted to think that breastfeeding is obscene? Something is only obscene and gross if YOU make it that way.
I applaud Melissa and Caroline for standing up for us future moms! You both look so beautiful in the picture! You Women Rock!

Please, do it in private. Or at worse cover it up.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and then supplement with solids for a year. The health benefits of breastfeeding strongly outweigh formula.

Unless people lighten up about breastfeeding in public there is no way that is going to happen. Not everyone can give the baby a bottle in public or pump.

Just a bit about pumping....I do pump to give my baby breast milk when I am at school or work....otherwise he gets my breast only. In order to keep up my supply of breast milk he needs to breastfeed. Pumping reduces my supply since the pump is not as efficient as his eating directly from my breast. And I am one of those mothers who do not use a blanket to cover up, but I do not show it "all" either, only when I am at home. I think the thing that bothers us the most, well at least for me, is the looks that we get when someone realizes what I am doing and they don't like it....then it seems like they can not keep their eyes to themselves.

Let the individual business decide. Public Breastfeeders can choose to patronize progressive businesses, and conservatives can patronize establishments that prefer women don't do this in the open. Problem solved.

Breast feeding is a great thing and very natural, but respect is important as well. There are ways of feeding and respecting other people at the same time. A shawl or a blanket is not going to kill you or your baby. Not everyone is comfortable with women exposing themselves in public, even for breast feeding. Baby or no baby it is still indecent exposure to show your breasts in public.

The compelling reason is the baby is hungry! Maybe distressed being in a loud & unfamiliar setting.

Wonder if Vicky (9-8-07) is a good mother; if she tells her children thatit is"gross". Children learn from their parents Vicky.

Dave (9-8-07) must not have a clue. One never knows exactly when a baby will want to nurse. ie: 1st paragraph.

S.H.A.M. Scam Sam should put an "E" at the end of S.H.A.M. He should be ashamed!

Loved Eril Nelsons' remarks.

Women who give their time & love to their babies by nursing should NEVER be dicouraged from doing so by uniformed persons.

The compelling reason is the baby is hungry! Maybe distressed being in a loud & unfamiliar setting.

Wonder if Vicky (9-8-07) is a good mother;if she tells her children thatis is"gross". Children learn from their parents Vicky.

Dave (9-8-07) must not have a clue. One never knows exactly when a baby will want to nurse. re: 1st paragraph.

S.H.A.M. scam Sam should put an "E" at the end of S.H.A.M. He should be ashamed!

Loved Eril Nelsons' remarks.

Women who give their time & love to their babies by nursing should NEVER be dicouraged from doing so by uniformed persons.

Scotty, I'm a conservative and believe breastfeeding is THE conservative thing to do. It's been done for millions of years.

Purchasing treated cow's milk for one's baby is a new thing (not exactly progressive, though.)

I will stick with the traditional method of feeding babies, thank you!

As for where we eat, I think any restaurant that allows infants should be required to allow them to be fed in the best way possible. Otherwise we return to the days when most women bottlefeed, and babies just aren't as healthy that way.

When I'm old and grey, I want the young generations to have been raised with the natural benefits of breastfeeding. Our society really needs this.

To growuppeople: Yes, babies need to be fed on demand, past the first few months, if they are breastfed. Even if they are given bottles in public, when the baby gets hungry, the mother's milk will let down and can be painful, embarrassing, and potentially fatal. Not feeding a baby when milk lets down can cause plugged ducts and potentially infections.

It only makes sense that when the baby is hungry, the mother's body responds by preparing to feed him. That's how it works.

No one is saying that all mothers should breastfeed in public - simply that all mothers should have the RIGHT to do so.

It was the violation of a woman's right to feed her child that created this "controversy." We are only stating that mothers' and babies' rights should no longer be trampled on in some bizarre American anti-woman reaction to what the rest of the world sees as commonplace and perfectly natural.

Why all the comments that the women in this picture are fat? I know Melissa (the blonde) and she is at most a size 6. The angle at which the picture was taken is terrible - I ask any one of you to have someone crouch down at knee level while you're sitting and take your picture - see how thin you look. Not that any of this matters. Fat, thin, green, brown, white, whatever you have the right to nurse your baby wherever and however you choose. But since people keep throwing ugly words around like "fat cow" and "hideous" I just thought it warranted saying that these women are far from fat. What does it say about our society when we focus on a person's size to deflect the real issue at hand?

Question, the women in the photo volunteered to be photographed, have their names published, and allowed the photographers and reporters full and close access. Whenever you do this, you subject yourself to a Reality Check, and the results may not be what you'd hoped for. They all look very pleased with themselves, but if they gross out some commenters and those who'd have to sit next to them while eating, they have learned something about how many others view them.

Maybe to you and themselves they look great, and the joys of new motherhood are often blind. But look at the harsh criticism Britney Spears is getting for her body, which is better toned than 99% of new moms; she obviously thinks she looks pretty hot, too, from the way she flaunts it on and off the stage. But she just had a reality check, too. If you're going to put yourself out there for judgment, it will come back at you, maybe slap you. OF course no one is comparing nursing mothers to a star, but I'm making the point that both are calling attention and comment to themselves, and if people are horrified instead of admiring, so it goes. No one made them seek attention.

These moms are not wearing bikinis and thigh high boots and dancing and singing on stage. How can you even bring up Britney Spears into this topic?? We are talking about nursing moms nursing in public. As a matter of fact, I know both moms. Both are NOT overweight by any stretch of the imagination. Both are really sweet and caring moms. They volunteered their time to a cause they believe in and for that we must applaud them. They are not doing this to seek any sort of attention, believe me they were even reluctant. They are simply trying to feed their children in peace without getting harrased by ignorant public like YOU. They are not exposing their bodies. You don't even see much skin on either of them! What the hell is wrong with our society that we think breasts are meant to sell beer and cell phones!!! What the hell is wrong with society when we get bent out of shape when we see a breast DISCREETLY nursing a child?? Doing what its meant to do!
If you see too much skin, its because you are looking too closely so STOP LOOKING AND TURN AWAY from it. That simple.

I just read a comment on another board by a guy who was offended by a woman breastfeeding in public - in a bookstore - while there were guys reading Maxim nearby. (He said about 20 men looking at Maxim.)

He's offended by the breast being used for its intended purpose.

But not for the perversion of it (which, any way you look at it, men getting off on the sight of baby's feeding organs is an actual perverted use of the feedign organ.)

This society IS warped.

Seriously so.

Feed the infants powdered garbage and turn the organs meant to feed them into sex toys for adult males.

I actually think this comes from bottlefeeding -- the babies grow up with weird issues on breasts.

The ladies on the cover are beautiful. I know Carolin personally from BEFORE she had a baby, and she has always been very sweet, caring, and beautiful. She has always supported the causes she believes in, and I'm happy to see her continue to do so into her mothering years.
She is not fat! Nor is she a fat frau as someone called them. Neither of them are! Not too long ago she was asked to appear in a music video for pete's sake. She turned it down because she is not an attention seeker. Not that that is so important now, just wanted to point out that she is considered pretty even by our warped society's standards. Leave them alone and if it bothers you look away.
I commend her and her friend for being on the cover of this page to bring attention to a cause they believe in.
Kudos to you both. You look wonderful.

For crying out loud, it's a 7 month old child who isn't going to starve.

Your tits aren't more important than some guy's lunch.

Cover up a little and then please explain to your children that the world doesn't revolve around them. It's the first step to keeping them out of therapy.

feesvam7 I suspect in a few years you'll be really embarassed reading what you wrote.

A 7 month old won't die without breastfeeding so your argument is disingenuous at best and hysterical at worst (notice how I put in that totally abrasive to feminists word?).

It's also reasonable to expect women to stay at home for a while. I'm sorry but you don't HAVE to be at Applebees. Clearly you're no health freak eating there....

tee hee.

What alternate suggestions do the naysayers have for making breastfeeding more socially acceptable, and hence, increasing the chances that moms who want to breastfeed will actually do it? As a public health educator, I'm all ears.

I think unrestricted nursing in public is one of the most effective ways to do this. I'm a huge fan of the Social Learning Theory-people learn from what they see and experience. If new mothers see other mothers struggling to keep blankets over their childrens' heads as they nurse, if they see how much negative attention breastfeeding gets (especially of moms who protest violations of civil rights, which is what the breasteeding protection laws are), is that going to increase their chances of breastfeeding?

I consider it laughable that the protestors are being dismissed as militants with too much free time on their hands. Wouldn't you be militant if laws designed to protect you and your child were being violated, especially if the violators did nothing about it---and so many people were on the violator's side?

If a protest is to call attention to something, why would the news NOT cover it? Why do some readers automatically pull the "they're all exhibitionists" lever in their brains? It sounds to me like a knee-jerk response rather than one which was thought out.

Also disturbing is how at least one reader manages to neuter lactivist moms ... nobody would have followed you home after having seven kids ... women on posters not being the sort men would chase anyway ... they're the types of moms that scare young wome from being moms. This reader also seems to take a very black-and-white view of women. They are either fat cows or Angelina Jolie. Both are bad. Is there a good type of mother and/or woman?

What would happen if all the people who feed their children bottled infant formula were told to cover up their offensive baby bottles? Would they be considered militant? Would people call them media sluts? Would they call the people's education, lifestyle, political alignments or mothering ability into question? I doubt it.

"What would happen if all the people who feed their children bottled infant formula were told to cover up their offensive baby bottles"

That's just stupid and you know it.

Find a fight worth having.

Breasts were meant to feed a child. Not sell beer and cars and chicken wings! Milk comes out of them for a reason, and that;s too feed a child. Otherwise beer would come out of them if they were meant to promote beer!!!! Get over yourselves and let nursing moms nurse. To the moms in the cover. YOu look great and bravo on advocating this serious health concern.
To all the naysayers. GROW UP and open your mind. A woman's body was not designed to market goods. Take a biology course and learn a thing or two. It wouldn't hurt.

I'm Melissa, the "self indulgent", "narcissistic" "enormously hideous", "attention seeking", "fat cow", who "should be pole dancing", or "cover up and shut up". I should "never leave the house" to "whip out my fat boob", or I will "horrify" people, not "turn them on". I needed a "reality check to find out how others view" me. I have an "in your face attitude", and I'm certainly "not a lady". I am the "fat blonde" in the cover photo who "should be covered up with a plastic bag", along with my "suckling piglet", sitting beside my gorgeous new friend Carolin. I'm a "selfish, selfish, selfish mother" who "just wanted to get my milk filled breasts on the cover of the paper." My "suckling piglet" is 2, and can definitely "eat from a plate" and "ask for it himself" so I'm guessing he's "too old to be nursing" which of course is "disgusting to watch". I'm "doing this for my own selfish pleasure", not for the pleasure of said "suckling piglet." My "tits" are clearly "more important than some guys lunch". And I most certainly, desperately wanted to be crucified in a public forum such as this. I was so hoping to be torn apart in such a brutal way because I am part of the "Mommy Mafia", a "feminazi" and completely made of stone. Words cannot hurt me because I am so clouded by my "agenda" as an "exhibitionist" that people calling me hideous things (including "hideous") don't affect me at all.

Did I leave anything out? I'm sure I missed a dozen more hate filled barbs at my expense, but the gist of it is - I should keep my mouth shut, and keep my fat butt, and my fat breasts at home where they belong. Oh, wait, did I mention that I'm really, really, really, REALLY fat?

I was shocked to find that standing up for mother's civil rights, and the civil rights of children, would open me up to a world of hatred, discrimintion and sexism, that I couldn't have possibly imagined. This experience has opened my eyes to what we are up against, and why these protests are so necessary.

To all of those who said, and continue to say nasty things about me, and the other amazing, courageous, wonderful mothers who are standing up for our chidren, you needn't bother. You have proven, post after hate filled post, that you are lowest common denominator. Insulting mothers and children is the lowest of the low. Go after senior citzens and the diabled next, I'm sure you have a lot to say.

To all of those who have supported me and Carolin, thank you, thank you, thank you! Maybe someday the rest of them will realize that we are just trying to feed our babies.

to mommom

Older babies do not have to be fed on demand. They need to be fed regularly. There's a difference. The baby can learn/modify their inner clock with very little effort. I'd nurse my kids before I went to work in the morning and as soon as I came home after work. Very rarely would they be ready before I was because I planned ahead. Their bodies learned this and came to expect when to be nursed. Their bodies adjusted to it. During the day they drank breast milk and sometimes formula (hospital stays) from a bottle. If I couldn't get home on time for some reason, the caretaker would know to feed them again because that was the schedule their bodies were on. It's a simple concept. Any mother worth her weight in gold can easily get used to her child's internal clock and plan accordingly. That clock can be adjusted to make life easier for the whole family. It's not harming the baby. This idea that a mother is helpless to know when her child is going to need to be fed is ridiculous. I speak from experience, but I understand it is only the experience of those who agree with you that matters. I learned my child's schedules and adapted it to make everyone happy. So don't tell me other babies can't make the adjustment. With that said, I see no reason why more mothers can't plan ahead. The only reason is they choose not to.

And mothers don't struggle to hold blankets over their babies heads to feed them either. A thin clothe will not smother anyone especially when its draped over the mothers shoulder, not laid on the babies face. A lot of these posters can't say anything unless it's filled with extreme drama. Babies are not starving here. And they aren't being smothered.

My children were allowed to eat in a restaurant AFTER they knew how to eat at the family table. Same with the movies. They could go to the movies AFTER they could sit through a two hour video at home. It's called teaching your children manners. Babies don't have manners, just needs. The only appropriate place to learn manners is at home, not at a strangers expense. So I didn't go out very often for a few years. That's hardly a sacrifice in the big scheme of things. Women today think nothing of dragging screaming babies to all places public because they want to go somewhere or do something. The child doesn't benefit from it. They can't miss what they were too young to remember. It's all about priorities.

Your children should be the most important thing in your own life, but don't expect strangers to think they're important to them. You can't legislate a law that tells people they can't be offended or uncomfortable. All people want is for women to be discrete about it, not in your face. As I've already stated, I've seen the militant moms and I don't respect them one bit. Those are the ones that make it difficult for the others.

To "growuppeople"
I'm so glad that you were able to "modify your children's inner clock" according to the schedule that worked for you. I'm also pleased that you had children that tolerated nursing under a light cloth. My children would have neither. They are hungry when they are hungry. I certainly don't wait when I need a little something, (as evidenced in the cover photo, don't forget that I'm a "fat, fat, fat cow") so I don't make them wait. I tried nursing my first under a blanket and we both hated the experience. The first time we tried it was a disaster and it never got better. He was sweating profusely, even though it was a light receiving blanket, and he kept pulling it off. Between his sweat and my dripping breastmilk (because I couldn't see what I was doing to get him latched on correctly) I was a wet mess when we finished. I was very embarassed to walk back to my car covered in milk and sweat! What was meant to be a quiet afternoon under a tree in the park ended up with us both in tears, nursing in a hot car in August! So kudos to you for being able to handle it. You are clearly a much more together mom than I'll ever be.

As for these "militant moms" everyone keeps talking about - How, does having a picture of myself breastfeeding my son in my friend's home, on her couch, make me "militant"? Because it's on the front page of the paper? Am I doing anything unlawful in the photo? I was taking a break from making posters to nurse my son, who had just bumped his head and needed comforting. Imagine my surprise to find out that was a selfish act! (Among the hundred other nasty words I was called)

Asking for the right to have a law enforced (for some reason or another everyone opposed to public breastfeeding seems to keep forgetting that the law is on our side) does not make me "militant". What good is a law if no one pays any attention to it? Apparently the government thought it was worth making a law, why can't American citizens peacefully see that it is followed through?

You also claim that we are "making it difficult for other moms". How is that in any way true? We are paving the way for other moms to be able to nurse their children, without fear, anywhere they happen to be when their baby needs them. Those opposed to the idea of public breastfeeding, are making it difficult for them. I can't even conceive of how you think it is the other way around. Even the title of this article is meant to make people upset with us. "ANGRY moms" "TARGET" Applebee's. I can tell you that not one of us was "angry". We were hopeful, jovial and in lovely moods. But "Angry Moms" sells newspapers, and gets people fired up, backed up with a backpack full of slurs like "militant" and "exhibitionists", etc. Not one of those words describes me, or any of the wonderful mothers I've met through this experience.

Women didn't get the right to vote until other brave women stepped in front of the White House day after day holding signs demanding equality. Plenty of people were offended by that! But they got over it. And you will get over this too. Someday (and I hope it is soon) in our country people will forget that anyone ever made a fuss about babies eating the way nature intended.

Bah hah

"To all of those who have supported me and Carolin, thank you, thank you, thank you! Maybe someday the rest of them will realize that we are just trying to feed our babies."

A two year old does not require milk. You were trying to make a statement and if your child were 2 months old I'd be patting you on the back. Since your child is two years old I'd ask you to plan better and realize that although you are enthralled with parenting the world is not enthralled with your child.

"A two year old does not require milk. You were trying to make a statement and if your child were 2 months old I'd be patting you on the back. Since your child is two years old I'd ask you to plan better and realize that although you are enthralled with parenting the world is not enthralled with your child."

No matter how many times we say this, and apprently it has to be OVER and OVER and OVER again - the only statement I am making is that my child has the right to eat when he is hungry, or just plain wants to nurse. It is not up to you to tell me he "does not require milk" you know nothing of our situation. I never asked for you, or the world to be "enthralled with my child". If you don't want to see him nurse, then don't look.

I forgot to put my name in the above comment. That was not meant to be "anonymous"

Bravo Melissa!

Well said!

I'm the "other" mom in the photo. I have to say I am puzzled by all the nasty remarks. I just don't get how nursing my son is offensive to anyone, or in fact, any one's business. To all the posters who insulted us time and time again, shame on you. Please please please take a few moments and really think about what you have said. I understand the Internet provides an anonymous forum so you can insult as you please, but remember, we are just moms who are tying to comfort or feed our children. If you think my son who is 1.5 years old, is too old to be nursing, that's fine. That is simply your opinion, no more/no less. You do not get to impose your views on me or my family. Before you say it, NO I AM NOT imposing my views on you when and if I nurse my son in public. If you are offended, LOOK AWAY. You don't have to stare. If you see too much breast, it means you're looking too closely anyway.

You should really do some soul searching (and or therapy!!!) if you are looking to "get turned on" by a nursing mom in public. So what if the breast if firm, saggy, big, or small or fat.... It is serving its purpose and feeding a child. Yes, that is the purpose of the breast. TO FEED A CHILD! Imagine your surprise when you find out the real purpose of the breast is NOT to sell beer and cars.
We all have to find a way to coexist in our community. That means I leave my house when it suits me and my family. If that means I have to nurse in public, it is my RIGHT to do so. You don't get to dictate when I should leave my house. Seriously, why do you think your opinion should be forced upon me? You say we have a "holier than thou" attitude. However, don't you think you're the ones with that attitude if you are asking us to be locked up in our homes until you feel comfortable enough to let us out again? Talk about "holier than thou"!
If it were up to me, a lot of things would be different in my community. However, I realize I am a member of a larger group and make modifications and coexist peacefully with others. Why can't I be afforded the same courtesy?

Its been said dozens of times, but let me repeat it one more time. If you are offended (or disgusted, or grossed out....) LOOK AWAY. You don't have to stare!

"What would happen if all the people who feed their children bottled infant formula were told to cover up their offensive baby bottles" That's just stupid and you know it. Find a fight worth having."

What would YOU have used as a comparison? They both involve feeding a child in public and being treated as if the feeding were shameful event. And what are you so angry about? Nobody violated YOUR civil rights. And who are you to tell me which fight is worth having? The protection of civil rights is very important to me. Haven't you ever been discriminated against? Have people never judged you harshly for doing what you knew to be best for you and your family? If so, you are a very, very lucky woman. If you have and you've never spoken up for yourself (which seems unlikely, and I'm not saying that to be a wiseacre or put you down), you just might be missing out!

Something my thirteen year old neighbor boy told me:

"One of my friends came running over to me and told me with, like, this AMAZED look on his face that he just found out breasts were for breastfeeding."

Ponder that a while.

I have one comment in regards to the picture of the 2 women breast feeding their kids. I DECLARE PEDOPHILLIA SHENANIGANS!!! These 2 kids are not infants. The 2 mothers should be arrested and charged with a crime of child endagerment, molestation, and pedophillia. If these kids can walk and wear sandals, they are two old!!! Thank You

IT JUST INCASE EVERYONE HAS FORGOTTEN! THIS IS WHY THEY HAVE INVENTED BOTTLES FOR YOU TO CARRY TO FEED YOUR KIDS WHEN YOU CAN NOT BREAST FEED!

Pedophilia shenanigans? Too old? Pedophilia is
a sexual attraction to children. Breastfeeding is feeding a child milk from the lactating mammalian breast. The World Health Organization advocates breastfeeding for at least the first two years of life.

One of the main reasons I go to a restaurant is so I don't have to wash dishes. Why would I bring a bottle?

Here is another example for people, since there are plenty of "cover it up" stories. I would like to see a store owner tell a person of color to cover up because there is a chance their presence might make somebody in the establishment uncomfortable. After all, brown skin is natural, the majority of people across the world have brown skin. People who don't often try to find means to darken their skin. However, some people are scared of "them."

Comments like "pedophilia shenanigans" are so idiotic, that they are laughable.
UNICEF and World Health Organization (as well as Pediatric Associations in many other countries including our neighbors up north, Canada) all recommend breastfeeding for two years. Are you telling me that moms all over the world are pedophiles? I suggest you educate yourself and learn what the word means before you throw it out there. Ignorance is not an excuse!

AND,

If that's why they invented bottles, I will give you once guess to tell me why we have breasts? Breasts that in fact miracleously produce the perfect nutrition for our babies!

Thank you!
"the mom in the picture!"

Carolin, you said this so perfectly that I felt it warranted being said again...

"You say we have a "holier than thou" attitude. However, don't you think you're the ones with that attitude if you are asking us to be locked up in our homes until you feel comfortable enough to let us out again? Talk about "holier than thou"!"

And to the person with the fabulous grammar (" I DECLARE PEDOPHILLIA SHENANIGANS!!! ") and the brilliant ideas about how wearing sandals makes you too old to breastfeed - I think you should call the police. I mean, if we really should be "charged with a crime of child endagerment, molestation, and pedophillia" then it is your duty as an American citizen to report us. Why are you just whining about it in an online blog. Don't just sit there - CALL! Oh wait, I forgot, it's LEGAL to breastfeed your child, and you know it. It's even legal for, (gasp!) a two year old, who wears sandals. Please pick up a book about breastfeeding. You just might learn something.

To all the anti breastfeeding nasty bloggers out there:
I am a single mom of 25 month old beautiful girl who not only wears sandals but old and developed enough to pick them out herself. She nurses on demand and since I don't have the luxurey of hiring a babysitter every time i need to run an errand she goes everywhere with me. Plus I have no intentions of following the footsteps of the mom who keeps her children at home untill they are old and well behaved enough to be taken out of the house. I let my child be a child and enjoy her childhood to the max and Its my job to meet her needs so if she wants to be nursed while we are out, then that is what she needs. My little girl and I will be everywhere. At the bank, markets, family restaurants , Malls, Parks , children friendly concerts and in line at target ........
She will get nursed on demand whenever she wants and I will not make her wait till we find a smelly restroom AKA "ladies lounge" nor I will force wean her as she will wean herself when she is ready. So PLEASE entertain one of the following options if You dont like to see a toddler nursing. call the police, don't look or better yet throw a blanket over you head as my little girl likes to sight see while she nurses and she might find that entertaininG :)

Mothers have been juggling their entire families needs since time began. The scheduling works for the whole family, not just for my convenience. You have to strive for balance. Starting the process of nursing a baby before the need is so great is an easy enough thing to do, it takes no great skill.

A baby old enough to pull something off his head is old enough to know how to latch on. And a year and a half is more than old enough to have learned to use a cup in public. If he needed to be comforted then comfort him, don't use yourself as a pacifier. And food should never be used for comforting. That's a bad habit for anyone to get started.

And yes it is still making it worse for other moms. A lot of moms feel uncomfortable nursing in public, especially in front of strangers, never mind family, so you mothers who push for in your face nursing make it worse for them. I live near San Francisco/Bezerkely, home of the militant in your face moms who think nothing of walking around an arts and wine festival with a two year old hanging from a bare breast, just daring someone to say something to them so they can hold a press conference. You know why its not a problem in Europe? Because the mothers don't draw attention to themselves and are discreet about it. Not here. We have to have nurse ins and punish people and companies who try to make the majority of their customers comfortable instead of just the one. The law doesn't mean anything if it pits one group's version of modesty against another.

You can't legislate people's opinions, and you clearly don't care about any opinion different than your own and its already been stated numerous times on this site that you don't think its anybodies business any way. If you don't want people to get in your business then don't do your business in public. Anything done in clear sight of Mr. Joe Public is most definately Mr. Joe Publics business and Mr.Joe Public has the right to an opinion about it. You can't have it both ways. You want to nurse in public, go ahead. Just don't complain because someone else complained about you. The law does not say people can't complain about it. Freedom of speech was around long before this law showed up. Anyone has the right to ask you to be discrete, law or no law. JUST BECAUSE THEY ASK YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO IT.

To the person who "DECLARES PEDOPHELIA SHENANIGANS":
"Please pick up a book about breastfeeding. You just might learn something."
I agree with this response, or even better yet, please pick up a dictionary so you know what pedophelia means.

I am a breatfeeding mom of a 6 yar old. have no intentions of weaning as it will happen when my son is ready. My breasts are milkfilled and busting at the seams and very saggy, I'm totally fat and ugly. We go out to eat and my son like to "suckle" after he eats his meal for dessert or to help him digest his food and by the way we never cover up as the previous poster mentioned my son also likes to sight see as he nurses.
If anyone has a problem with this too bad.

God intended the breast to feed children, not to feed the narrow-minded priggishish victorian attitudes I am reading about here! I cant believe this is an issue in 2007! I WISH that I could have been physically ablle to breast feed my children. You people ought to be ashamed!

I cannot believe how narrow minded some of you appear to be. Only attractive woman should nurse? That is like saying only men with a large penis should have sex (and trust me guys you don't get to be your own judge). The female body was designed to reproduce. As part of that process our breast are designed to produce milk to feed our children. You don't see cows drinking human breast milk do you? Here is another thought. If more women breastfeed or were required to breastfeed as opposed to being given WIC (which your tax dollars pay for) think of how much money we would save. Anyone who would eat at Applebee's lacks taste anyways and those babies are lucky that they don't have to eat that terrible food. Given the tone of some of these responses it is apparent that many of you missed the bonding train. Yes it is true your mothers didn't love you. They don't now and probably never did.

PS. Mr. Bagwell I seriously doubt your appendage is ever firm so please do us all a favor and keep it covered up. Heaven forbid you reproduce.

This is a real no-brainer.

First, y’all need to take off your boxing gloves or get down off your soapbox. There is way too much anger going on here and you’re missing the point of this blog.

If you need to nurse your baby, go for it, just be discreet. It’s your right to nurse when ever, where ever, just be considerate of the public and give your baby some privacy too. Breast feeding your baby is supposed to be a serene, peaceful experience. Doing a “nurse in” or dealing with the angry public is counter productive. A little FYI, it is your civil right to breast feed your baby. But you don’t have the civil right to flash your breast, what the ever size and ruin my dinner. Not everyone is going to view your breast as a “working breast”, there are people who will enjoy the view “out of context”. So have a little self-respect, cover up and save your indignation the women whose rights are being trampled in third world countries.

Now if your 2 year old needs to nurse and you’re out in public, give him a sippy cup for petes sake! A 2 year old is old enough to not need to be fed on demand; your child is 2, not 2 months! You can breast feed your child as long as you want, that is your choice, which should never be anyone’s business but yours. But your civil rights do not supersede mine, never have, and never will. You do not have the right to force me or anyone to view what we do not want to view.

If I walk into a restaurant or any other public place and view something I am not comfortable with, I have the right to leave and not complain to you.

If I am already in the restaurant or any other public place and you decide it’s time to nurse; you don’t have the right to make me uncomfortable with the view.

So be discreet and considerate when nursing your baby in public. If you have a 2 year old whip out the sippy cup, not your breast.

I'm amazed at how many people are uncomfortable with a baby eating in public. I'm also amazed at how many people must have witnessed bare breasts just dangling in the breeze while nursing their children, because I know I never have. As for the right to make people uncomfortable with the view, there is no law protecting you from being offended. For those who judge mothers for nursing children more than six months old, perhaps you might consider reading some professional material on the subject before castigating breastfeeding mothers.

Public breastfeeding calls any attention to itself here is because it's not considered the norm here. Would people have such a visceral reaction if this happened in, say, southern France? Well, they'd probably be upset at the store, not the mothers. The women here who attend the protests are attacked as if they were criminals. They broke no laws. Their civil rights were violated. These people who were, the day before, fine upstanding citizens, good neighbors, wonderful teachers, etc. are now people who have too much free time on their hands, militant, pushy, pedophiles, etc.

Finally, women in developing countries (saying "third world" is becoming increasingly non-PC) do not have the same rights we do. But they do marvel that in the USA, where everybody seems to have dazzlingly rich lives, women have restrictions imposed upon them for nursing their children.

People just might enjoy a breast out of context. That's a risk most breastfeeding mothers (and their children) are willing to take when their child needs them. Parents may use this opportunity with their children to tell them what breasts do when they're not selling Rolling Stone.

I'm amazed at how many people are uncomfortable with a baby eating in public. I'm also amazed at how many people must have witnessed bare breasts just dangling in the breeze while nursing their children, because I know I never have. As for the right to make people uncomfortable with the view, there is no law protecting you from being offended. For those who judge mothers for nursing children more than six months old, perhaps you might consider reading some professional material on the subject before castigating breastfeeding mothers.

Public breastfeeding calls any attention to itself here is because it's not considered the norm here. Would people have such a visceral reaction if this happened in, say, southern France? Well, they'd probably be upset at the store, not the mothers. The women here who attend the protests are attacked as if they were criminals. They broke no laws. Their civil rights were violated. These people who were, the day before, fine upstanding citizens, good neighbors, wonderful teachers, etc. are now people who have too much free time on their hands, militant, pushy, pedophiles, etc.

Finally, women in developing countries (saying "third world" is becoming increasingly non-PC) do not have the same rights we do. But they do marvel that in the USA, where everybody seems to have dazzlingly rich lives, women have restrictions imposed upon them for nursing their children.

People just might enjoy a breast out of context. That's a risk most breastfeeding mothers (and their children) are willing to take when their child needs them. Parents who are concerned about the presence of lactating breasts in front of their children may use this opportunity to tell them what breasts do when they're not selling Rolling Stone.

As for civil rights, there is a civil right for children to eat which was passed by the UN (which the USA is a member of). It is up to the discretion of a child's parents what he or she eats, not yours.

First and foremost I am a woman of color and I breastfed my child for 18 months and I NEVER did it in public. 1) There are bags for you to reserve your milk once you have pumped it because any nursing mother should expect to leave their house with their child and KNOW that the child will need milk 2) There are ALOT of nipples for bottles that are formed just like your breast so you should take that milk that was naturally pumped from your breast and place it into a bottle so while out in public places you can feed your child....especially in a restaurant! 3) A child who can demand to be breastfed is TOO OLD and does not need to be nursed..point blank period!

As far as the comment on 9/8/07 by Towanda, Amazonian Jungle Temptress, your simile in regards to people of color is a bunch of ignorance on your behalf when it has NOT a damn thing to do with breast feeding but since you went there let me EDUCATE you on people of color and people not of color!

People with natural brown skin(quote/unquote) control their kids and DO NOT let their kids control them. People that were not BLESSED to have natural brown skin, let their children control them for example..they let their children get old enough to demand to be breast fed on demand and DO NOT have the strength to know that at a certain age a kid does not need to be asking to be nursed. Being able to ask is too old!!!

People with natural brown skin will NEVER be disrespected by their children, like people who do not have natural brown skin!

People with natural brown skin DO NOT get murdered by their children like, people who do not have natural brown skin and that is simply because at a young age you have to be a parent and not scared of your child. The moms who breastfeed kids that form full sentences are scared that the child will be sad, upset and that is when you as the parent know that it will not kill them and give them a cup to drink milk out of and do other exciting things, and live life with them and not worry about pulling your breast out when they start whining!

*****Correction*****

As far as the comment on 9/12/07 by Towanda, Amazonian Jungle Temptress, your simile in regards to people of color is a bunch of ignorance on your behalf when it has NOT a damn thing to do with breast feeding!