Tuesday
Jul292008
When breastfeeding is a safety hazard
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Yesterday I read a message board post about yet another woman who was told to stop breastfeeding on an airplane (United Airlines). Here is a snippet from her post:
While I was steaming and stewing that once again some idiot had the nerve to tell a mother to cover up in order to possibly protect someone else from being offended that she had the nerve to feed her baby, I decided to Google airline policies related to breastfeeding. I came across article after article of women that have been put in these situations, only to have the airlines issuing embarrassed apologies after the fact (in some cases not without a fight though).
As I was poking around these Web sites and articles, I came across the most ridiculous quote about airline policy on breastfeeding in an article about an apology letter issued to a woman called K.K. Tetreault that was in a similar situation:
They have got to be kidding. Since when can breastfeeding present a safety hazard to anyone? Let me think about this one for a minute...
Imagine a situation where a mother and her baby have the bulkhead seats on the plane. For whatever reason, she decides to sit on the floor to breastfeed her baby. The plane enters some turbulence and the passengers are instructed to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. Clearly, it is a safety hazard for the woman to continue to sit on the floor and breastfeed her baby. However, it isn't the fact that she is breastfeeding that is causing a safety hazard, it is the fact that she is sitting on the floor and isn't wearing her seat belt. The flight attendant should instruct the mother to please sit in her seat and buckle her seat belt. The flight attendant does not need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
Or lets consider a situation where a mother is nursing a toddler and the child's long legs are sticking out into the aisle and no one can get past. This is an inconvenience for flight attendants and passengers that want to get by and can also be a safety hazard because someone might trip over the toddler's legs or the child might get hurt by a flight attendant going by with a drink cart. Again, it would be appropriate for the flight attendant to address the issue of the child's legs and ask the mother to please bend the child's legs or find another comfortable position that doesn't involve the legs hanging out into the aisle. The flight attendant does not need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
Some babies and toddlers have quirks when they are breastfeeding. Some of them like to play with their mother's hair. Others like to clutch a favourite toy. Some like hanging on to a nursing necklace. I guess it is possible that there could be a little boy out there, maybe like Bamm Bamm from the Flintstones, that needs to hold a bat while he is nursing. Bats are prohibited on the airplane because they can be used as a weapon, so it would be appropriate for the flight attendant to tell the mother that her son is not allowed to have a bat on the airplane and it will be returned to them when they get to their destination. However, the flight attendant does not need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
If you are a breastfeeding mother of a child with teeth, chances are you have been bitten. Imagine a scenario where a mother is breastfeeding her baby on the flight and the child decides to chomp down. The mother lets out a startled yelp and the flight attendant comes running over to see what happened. Upon discovering that the child bit the mother, would it then be appropriate for the flight attendant to say "I'm sorry baby, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding now - it is obviously a safety hazard for your mother" ?
Or maybe the flight has just made an emergency landing. The flight attendants opened the emergency exits with the help of the passengers that were sitting in that row and let down the inflatable slides. The plane is in danger of exploding. All the passengers need to exit the plane swiftly. A mother and her baby make their way over to the exit and sit down in the middle of the slide at the top and the mother proceeds to start nursing her baby. She insists that she needs to breastfeed before going down the slide to calm her baby down because she is too scared to go down the slide. In this situation, I will concede that it would be dangerous for the mom to nurse her baby there. The flight attendant should tell the mother that she needs to move down the slide immediately because she is blocking the way of other passengers. But again, she doesn't need to make it about the breastfeeding and doesn't need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
These are serious situations. Ones that require action by the flight attendant. And it would appear that their training told them that in dangerous situations such as these, the way to deal with the situation is to throw a blanket over the mother and the baby.
I had my eyes half closed and she was nursing herself to sleep when all of a sudden I feel this blanket being thrown over us. I jerk my arm out to knock it away and see the flight attendant standing there. He says "I need to ask you to cover up" . I said "She doesn't like that". At that point he tries covering us up again and I knock the blanket away... he tells me that he's not trying to be rude but that I cannot breastfeed without covering up to "protect the other passengers". He wasn't just asking me to cover up -- he was telling me that I COULD NOT BREASTFEED unless I covered up!!
I had already looked up South Carolina BF laws before I went on this trip so i just said "Legally, you are not allowed to ask me to stop". He then ran off and had the pilot stop the plane!!!! He ran back to me and tried to get me to move to first class where there are "no other passengers around". I refused but told him I would move to the window seat (i didn't want to get kicked off the plane).
While I was steaming and stewing that once again some idiot had the nerve to tell a mother to cover up in order to possibly protect someone else from being offended that she had the nerve to feed her baby, I decided to Google airline policies related to breastfeeding. I came across article after article of women that have been put in these situations, only to have the airlines issuing embarrassed apologies after the fact (in some cases not without a fight though).
As I was poking around these Web sites and articles, I came across the most ridiculous quote about airline policy on breastfeeding in an article about an apology letter issued to a woman called K.K. Tetreault that was in a similar situation:
"The only time a flight attendant should ask a passenger to stop breast-feeding is when the activity presents a safety hazard to the mother, child or other passengers."
WHAT?????
They have got to be kidding. Since when can breastfeeding present a safety hazard to anyone? Let me think about this one for a minute...
Imagine a situation where a mother and her baby have the bulkhead seats on the plane. For whatever reason, she decides to sit on the floor to breastfeed her baby. The plane enters some turbulence and the passengers are instructed to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. Clearly, it is a safety hazard for the woman to continue to sit on the floor and breastfeed her baby. However, it isn't the fact that she is breastfeeding that is causing a safety hazard, it is the fact that she is sitting on the floor and isn't wearing her seat belt. The flight attendant should instruct the mother to please sit in her seat and buckle her seat belt. The flight attendant does not need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
Or lets consider a situation where a mother is nursing a toddler and the child's long legs are sticking out into the aisle and no one can get past. This is an inconvenience for flight attendants and passengers that want to get by and can also be a safety hazard because someone might trip over the toddler's legs or the child might get hurt by a flight attendant going by with a drink cart. Again, it would be appropriate for the flight attendant to address the issue of the child's legs and ask the mother to please bend the child's legs or find another comfortable position that doesn't involve the legs hanging out into the aisle. The flight attendant does not need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
Some babies and toddlers have quirks when they are breastfeeding. Some of them like to play with their mother's hair. Others like to clutch a favourite toy. Some like hanging on to a nursing necklace. I guess it is possible that there could be a little boy out there, maybe like Bamm Bamm from the Flintstones, that needs to hold a bat while he is nursing. Bats are prohibited on the airplane because they can be used as a weapon, so it would be appropriate for the flight attendant to tell the mother that her son is not allowed to have a bat on the airplane and it will be returned to them when they get to their destination. However, the flight attendant does not need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
If you are a breastfeeding mother of a child with teeth, chances are you have been bitten. Imagine a scenario where a mother is breastfeeding her baby on the flight and the child decides to chomp down. The mother lets out a startled yelp and the flight attendant comes running over to see what happened. Upon discovering that the child bit the mother, would it then be appropriate for the flight attendant to say "I'm sorry baby, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding now - it is obviously a safety hazard for your mother" ?
Or maybe the flight has just made an emergency landing. The flight attendants opened the emergency exits with the help of the passengers that were sitting in that row and let down the inflatable slides. The plane is in danger of exploding. All the passengers need to exit the plane swiftly. A mother and her baby make their way over to the exit and sit down in the middle of the slide at the top and the mother proceeds to start nursing her baby. She insists that she needs to breastfeed before going down the slide to calm her baby down because she is too scared to go down the slide. In this situation, I will concede that it would be dangerous for the mom to nurse her baby there. The flight attendant should tell the mother that she needs to move down the slide immediately because she is blocking the way of other passengers. But again, she doesn't need to make it about the breastfeeding and doesn't need to say "sorry ma'am, but you'll have to stop breastfeeding - it is causing a safety hazard."
These are serious situations. Ones that require action by the flight attendant. And it would appear that their training told them that in dangerous situations such as these, the way to deal with the situation is to throw a blanket over the mother and the baby.
Reader Comments (34)
I breastfed both my children, the last one for two years. But I still don't want to sit and look at another woman's boob and nipple and sucking baby. It's private, not for show. Demanding the right to expose one's breast is just ridiculous.
i'm a male and my wife breast fed three, let me tell you that in all sercomstances feeding your child in "private" is not always that easy. If your child is hungry, do you not feed them, or do you let them starve and sceam and cry cause your not in private.. point is you always have the right to turn your head the other way and look some where else and not to stare at someone's breast that has a nurseing child attached to it.
To Reader: If you don't want to see another womans nipple then don't look! I have been on planes and unless you are standing over top of the breastfeeding mom you will not see the nipple.
To Reader:
There are lots of different people in this world. We all have different interests, opinions, ways of dressing, religions, hairstyles, food preferences, political views, and so on. There are plenty of things that you or anyone can be offended by on any given day. But because we all live together in a shared society, we need to learn tolerance. That means when you come across something that offends you, you should ask yourself if it is really worth getting offended over. You should try to look at it from the other person's point of view. If you are still offended, you should turn and look away. Or put a blanket over your head.
Now, there are things in this world that we should not tolerate. We should be offended by hatred, by racism, by intolerance. Those are thing worth getting upset over.
However, a baby being nourished and comforted at a mother's breast, is really not worth raising your blood pressure over. So, take a few deep breaths and stop staring at my breasts.
Most of the time when I am breastfeeding people don't even know that is what I'm doing. They assume that my daughter is just cuddling with me or sleeping. Generally, there is little or no breast to be seen. But I can guarantee that if you do see some breast, you're seeing a lot less breast than you are on the average woman in a bathing suit or tank top.
I do attempt to be discreet, but I don't go out of my way to do it. I'm not going to inconvenience myself or my baby because I'm worried about someone getting into a snit. I want people to see me breastfeeding because I want them to learn that it is normal to breastfeed in public. I want more people to start seeing breasts for their intended purpose, feeding babies, and not just as an oversexualized object.
I think it is sad that so many people are still so closed minded. We need more tolerance in this world in general and specifically on the issue of breastfeeding.
"Reader" should not force her own opinion, procedure, or discomfort on others; and not shame, disgrace, or denigrate breastfeeding wherever and however it occurs. (Some states could charge her with harassment if she tried to interfere with breastfeeding.)
As for her attitude towards women's breasts in general, it's presumptive, arrogant, and harmful. Even if a woman takes off her top to feed, or takes off her top with no breastfeeding going on, why does "Reader" assume it has to be an immoral, indecent, illegal act? Men do it all the time.
The original article is spectacularly well written. I'd be tempted to tell any airline attendant behaving like the one first described to step outside.
Reader - have you not heard of the word 'context'? Breastfeeding a hungry child is no more obscene than bottlefeeding one, but it's certainly a whole lot healthier!
You say that "demanding the right to expose one's breast is ridiculous", but that's not what this is about. Any (minute!) exposure of the breast is secondary to the fact that what this boils down to is a hungry child eating his or her lunch. I agree with the poster above - how closely must you be staring at a woman to catch the possible tiny moment of 'exposure' at latch-on or detach, in order to be so mortally offended by it? There's far more cleavage flesh on show on the average red-carpet event than you're ever likely to see on a nursing mother - after all, the view is somewhat obscured by a child's head!
And if we're talking about rights here...what about the right of a baby not to go hungry?
Perhaps we should all be like Reader. From now on, every time I see someone doing something I don't like or that I INTERPRET to be offensive, I will ask them to stop or try to have it banned. I'll start with smoking. Oh, and all magazines that show boobs must be banned....even if it's just partial boob(that pretty much leaves Highlights and Cottage Home). Then maybe, blowing your nose in public should be next. And some people chew with their mouth open......and what about people who talk too loud or laugh too much. How about we ban low rise jeans, miniskirts, tight shirts, low cut shirts, tight jeans, stilletto heels, open toe shoes, etc.........because if I don't want to see it, then it shouldn't be allowed. Of course, we would have to change our name to something different than America because "land of the free" would no longer apply.
There's a war going on.....people are dying.....humans are being trafficked onto our soil for some pervert to abuse.....children are hungry.......racism still runs rampant.......autism is on the rise......FIND A CAUSE AND STOP WORRYING ABOUT CATCHING A QUICK GLANCE AT MY BOOB WHILE IM FEEDING MY CHILD.
But if you do catch a glance at it.....well....lucky you. After 3 kids, the girls still look awesome.....
So, Reader, you're telling me that in 2 years of breastfeeding a child you NEVER nursed in public? You ALWAYS hid in the bathroom or in the corner? I can't imagine that to be anything but degrading, and I'd think that you'd want better for other nursing moms even though you were too uptight to stand up for yourself.
I'm a mother of 3, and have breastfed them all in-flight from 1999 to 2008. This article, and Reader's comment afterwards now have me paranoid! Any feedback from other passengers has been positive (admittedly the crew and some passengers have remained neutral) about doing so.
Getting down to tin tacks - I can promise the ramifications of me not breastfeeding my nurslings in-flight are for more intrusive and offensive to those on board than those of me breastfeeding them. Breastfeeding is fantastic for equalising ear pressure on landing, and for calming babies and toddlers (and their mother!) during takeoff.
And as ridiculous as you may find it, I do demand the right to expose my breast wherever and whenever to breastfeed my child/ren. Why on earth not?? If me and mine are not to your particular taste, then feel free to take in the view from the remaining 270 degree spectrum.
tee hee
@reader - you've evidently hit a nerve here! good for you.
alright - on the one hand, we have a group of good but insecure people who want to show that humankind has dominion over the earth and must therefore not do or show anything that relates us with animals - no skin, no cleavage, no suckling children, must stay clean and prim and proper (don't talk about bodily functions, either) so as to show how civilized and advanced we really are compared to the wild.
on the other hand, we have a group of equally good and insecure people who believe how important it is precisely because it is what is done in the wild.
Of course, the former dismiss the latter's arguments as "uncivilized" while the latter dismiss the former's as "ridiculous."
As with anything else, the side that has the loudest voice (number x enthusiasm) in a given group makes the rules, so I urge each of you to check how the circles are drawn in the Venn diagram of society before trying to impose your views on others one way or the other - and beware of pushback AKA the pendulum effect.
Personally, i'm uncomfortable when a woman is breastfeeding conspicuously - i view it partly with admiration but at the same time feel like I'm intruding and I instinctively want to avoid invading your personal space. If its *grossly* conspicuous, I will probably take offense that you're not allowing me the opportunity to honour the space I feel you deserve, whether you feel you need it or not. Respect is a 2-way street, after all.
Reader - yes I'm rather puzzled how you managed to breastfeed your child without showing even just an inch of flesh.
Crammer - I agree, respect is a 2 way street. However, since people who breastfeed, don't generally go up to random strangers, and wave boob into their faces, and then feed hungry baby, I'm afraid that I can't see why a mum breastfeeding can offend. You can move/look away you know! I know very few, if any mum, mums who would impose themselves on others while feeding unless they had no choice (close quarters for example).
It doesn't bother me that much if someone accidently catches a bit of flesh, especially if my son suddenly latches off mid feed (as he has a tendency to do!) but I would feel uncomfortable with someone actively staring down to see what he/she could see. And so I tend to sit a little bit way from people when feeding, my son (especially as he kicks as well!).
But I'm afraid that other people's discomfort is of secondary importance to the comfort of the mother and hungry baby.
At the end of the day, mums do not choose to breastfeed - they can only choose NOT to.
Crammer,
I think where you're going wrong is assuming that women breastfeeding in public is all about making a point, that it's natural, their right etc.....
What you should also take into account is that these women are feeding every few hours, all day, every day, and that what it is really about is keeping their baby alive & healthy- this is a much bigger issue & should therefore take precedence over some prude's sensibilities. No contest.
Crammer I'm certainly not sure how all of us have managed to garner your insecure classification - but be that as it may...
I absolutely respect a person who wishes to do her breastfeeding in private. If her level of comfort dictates that, it's fine, and frankly not an iota of my business.
What I don't respect is the potential assumption (from her, or from others) that me breastfeeding my child/ren is about exhibitionism, seduction (I wish!), bragging, sexual politics or any other motivation that trumps taking care of my child and myself. I'll breastfeed on an aircraft/park bench/train/chair etc. etc. etc. if I need or want to because I parent my young children using breastfeeding as nourishment and comfort. Call it a God-given, inalienable, women's, maternal or whatever kind of 'right' from whatever preferred source takes one's fancy - but for me, that right is very important and in this enlightened age ought to be considered the norm, as our very biology dictates, rather than something culturally questionable.
Crammer,
The point that you feel like you're intruding on someone's personal space is well taken. But that is the unfortunate reality of sitting on an airplane. We are suddenly very restricted in our personal space.
I don't like eating my lunch while sitting elbow to elbow with a stranger. Neither does my husband. Neither does my son. Neither does my brestfeeding daughter. However, while my son and husband will choose not to eat or to eat less as a result of their discomfort, neither my daughter or I are willing to go hungry out of discomfort. I get grumpy and mean when I am hungry and so does she!
If we are not on an airplane and I need to breastfeed my daughter, you can choose to get up and leave if it makes you feel uncomfortable or if you feel the need to give me space. If we are on an airplane, we both need to suck up the fact that we cannot afford a private jet and therefore need to deal with being a little closer to strangers than we really would like to be.
Crammer - are you sure what you are feeling is respect??? Sounds more to me like insecurity and embarrassment. Breastfeeding mothers don't have any obligation to allow you to give them space, they are only trying to feed and nurture their child so if you have a problem with it turn your head and look away. No need to stare.
"I will probably take offense that you’re not allowing me the opportunity to honour the space I feel you deserve"
The only answer to that twisted nonsense is MYOB.
My problem with the people who argue for you to hide is that for the most part you have to CRANE to see anything when this happens. There is usually rumpled clothes, loveys, and burp cloths in the way, and even if there weren't there is a baby covering just about everything. If you want to be offended by skin, look around, there are plenty of 16 year old girls flaunting way more of their bodies than the typical nursing mother. For the mothers that don't like being exiled to nurse, but don't feel like standing up for their rights in any given plane or restaurant, i would recommend hooter hiders. if nothing else, it helps my 7 mo old concentrate on nursing, and lessens the distractions around her.
Gwyneth, I think you're implying that women's breasts are indecent and that others have the right to tell you how to breastfeed.
By all means lessen distractions for your child; I just find any hint that women have to be "discreet" the same old junk that women have been told by men's legal systems for centuries.
[...] When breastfeeding is a safety hazard: I only posted this a few days ago and already it has the number two spot in my statistics. Moms being told they can’t nurse in public is always a hot topic and this one was helped along by a number of posts (one my own, several by others) on message boards and groups on related topics. I had never heard of MumsNet before a few days ago, but someone posted a link to my blog there it brought me hundreds and hundreds of visitors to this post. [...]
This is absolutely obsurd!! I believe I would have had to say something with regard to the attendants inappropriate attention and handling as well as unauthorized contact with me and my child in throwing a blanket over us. I have breastfed both my children, however, not in a plane. I have fed in a mall, an amusement park, a pool, you name it, I've fed there. I do want to be clear that I do respect others when it comes down to certain situations. My oldest was very into what I was doing when I was feeding her little sister and while I was very comfortable explaining it, other parents aren't. I also have a 12 year old nephew and an 8 year old nephew and I know that they get embarrassed because they don't know how to react. It is not my place to explain breastfeeding to them, I am not their parent, but I do respect them and their feelings. In part, I feel that if the baby is hungry that is FIRST!! Then if the mother is comfortable with where she is and her surroundings, go for it. Sometimes we do make concessions for others that we love if we are able. I still go to another room when my father or father in law are visiting or they will leave the room when I announce that it's dinner time for baby, not because I feel dirty or ashamed, it's out of respect for them as well. It is a two way street, but only for those that deserve the same respect they give a breastfeeding mom for the great thing she is doing for her child.
[...] 16, 2008 by phdinparenting A while ago I wrote a post called when breastfeeding is a safety hazard as a reaction to what I thought was a ridiculous clause in an airline policy. I’ve been [...]
[...] in public. I wrote about a few of them on my blog, including the Guelph swimming pool incident, a United Airlines incident, and a summary of all airline incidents that I am aware of. A number of other recent nursing in [...]
[...] only time a flight attendant should ask a passenger to stop nursing is when the activity presents a safety hazard to the mother, child or other passengers. If they receive a complaint from other passengers about a [...]
Hi, I've been on 5 different planes in the past few months and i haven't had that experience thank goodness.. my child nursed almost the entire trip.. Actually the person beside me asked if i needed any help.. talk about creeping me out... Flight attendant Asked if i needed extra pillows to help even things out so baby was happier....
i have to agree there are many other things that you could do instead of getting offended .. ie bring a book, music, something to occupy yourself :)
I think most people are annoyed with the women that need to show off both bare breasts and make a big deal out of their breastfeeding. We get it, you can breastfeed and it's natural. There's no need to take off more clothes than you need to just to feed your child.
I've seen plently of women breastfeed in public and only two of them made a huge deal of it and then got offended when asked to cover up a little. You do not need to bare both breasts in public to nurse. Get over it already, have some common sense.
I'm concerned with how Paul Rapoport seems WAY too into supporting these women and an article on nude children. He's the firt person to pipe up on these articles and these women are more than happy to send him bare breast photos and breastfeeding photos. Breasts are natural and we should not be ashamed of them, but it's a little creepy seeing him slink into these articles and facebook giving these false "hurray for boobies" in hopes to see more breasts and nudity.
It's one thing to support them Paul, but to have a fetish and take advantage of these women? Shame on you. You may claim to be a Dr. but give us a break.
[...] challenge it all the way through the 114 comments. I’ll challenge ridiculous concepts like breastfeeding being a safety hazard. As ardent a breastfeeding supporter as I am, I do understand there are times when it is not [...]
[...] When breastfeeding is a safety hazard [...]
Great post Annie! I've breastfed Willow at least five times on airplanes and while I did get conflicting information each time (one flight attendant said yes to BFing on take-off and landing while another said no), I did not have any problems with passengers and the like.
The first few times, my husband was with me so I sat in the window seat and he sat in the middle seat. We sat next to a pilot. When Willow was getting too hot under her cover, I took it off after latching her on. The next few times, I was by myself and sat in a seat with a male passenger. I breastfed Willow the entire flight and she slept the entire flight and I chatted to the passenger next to me. The good news is that he was still completely engaged in conversation, didn't feel uncomfortable and didn't make me feel uncomfortable.
Breastfeeding is just feeding from the breast and people who think it should be something we need to hide in closets, bathrooms and rooms for, obviously have a discomfort level with a baby feeding at the breast. I would encourage those people to dig deeper and ask themselves, "Why am I feeling uncomfortable with this baby breastfeeding? What is it about the act that gets my back up?"
Breastfeeding women aren't saying, "LOOK AT MY BOOBIES!" when they feed their children. I was one of those seriously shy people who would change in bathroom stalls at the gym because I didn't want people seeing my bra and underwear. After I had a baby and knew that I was going to breastfeed, I still was a bit nervous at first about breastfeeding in public. However, over time, convenience trumps self-consciousness and when I need to breastfeed Willow on a plane or in the mall or wherever else it happens, I do it and I am as discreet as possible but I will certainly NOT run off to a closet, a bathroom, etc. just because other people may not have figured out how to be comfortable with it yet.
Great post, great conversation and keep bringing light to these situations Annie -- people need to see how difficult it is to FEED your child.
Thanks for another great article, Annie.
I've been asked to stop nursing before (Frontier Airlines) because it was a "safety issue."
In our case I was told that nursing the baby I was holding on my lap during takeoff was a "safety issue." I'm not exactly sure why holding a baby upright as opposed to 3 inches down and cross nursing would make any difference to safety (I'd think they'd be equally unsafe, if anything.)
I told the attendant that out of the roughly dozen flights we'd taken with many airlines, never before had this issue come up. She was quite insistent (I personally think it had more to do with me nursing a 16 month old than nursing on take off.) Anyway, I politely refused, citing a screaming child is worse than a nursing child. She was displeased, but went away.
I was angry with Frontier Airlines, because REALLY? I simply decided I wouldn't be flying them again since I really do have a choice with whom I fly. I'll always remember her stupidity. And I'm glad I had the guts to tell her she was being silly.
My son and I recently went on vacation that involved four plane trips. I breastfed him on each one with nary an glance askance.
I just want to thank you and all the other mothers who have paved the way to making this a more feeding-friendly world!
The entire conversation about breastfeeding in public seems ridiculous to me. It's a fact of life. Breastfeeding is beautiful. It doesn't need to be hidden and it certainly doesn't pose a risk to anyone ... unless it's some horny old man who is at risk of a heart attack at the sight of a bare breast. Even then ... it's his problem, not the breastfeeding mom's.
While I applaud you for for standing your ground, I would have gladly accepted the upgrade to first class...assuming of course it was free of charge. If that went against your principles, then perhaps offering that choice to offended passengers? Assuming they existed.