We’ve all heard it. Some of us have probably said it. “I’m all for nursing in public, but some women just whip it out…”
And it baffles me every time. I mean, have you really ever seen someone do this? “I’m gonna feed the baby now – HEY EVERYONE HERE COMES THE BOOB! WOOHOO!” It makes us sound like Nursing Moms Gone Wild.
Here’s the thing. All I’m trying to do is feed my kid. I’m not trying to flash anyone. Honest. But my baby (and many others) won’t nurse under a cover, nor should he have to. It’s summer. In Florida. Y’all, it is effing hot. A nursing tank top is part of my daily outfit, so there’s going to be some boob showing while I’m feeding my boy. And that’s ok. Breasts are primarily for nutrition. Breasts are not sexual organs or genitalia. Breasts are loved around the world because they are the first thing we ever knew and loved.
Please know that the mother you see is only trying to nurture her baby with the food that is meant for her little one. Why should she be banished to solitary confinement so she can nurse? Why should she have to remove herself from social situations because other people aren’t yet comfortable with the normalcy of nursing? She needs to be with the rest of us, because that’s the only way people will get used to seeing it. That’s the only way we can truly re-normalize breastfeeding.
So next time you see a nursing mother, or any mother, please give her a smile, a friendly nod, or some sign that says “hey, thanks for doing what you do, and keep doing it.” And here’s the key: do that even if you don’t agree with what she’s doing. Because that, my friends, is how we will bring back the village.
Please tell me your story, and how much support you did or didn’t get. Let’s figure this out together and make things better for all moms.
Much love and purple to all of you.
The Purple Mama 
Well I was nursing in the bathroom at Sears (1991) when my son was a newborn and I just looked around and thought, this is BS, I’m feeding my son in a BATHROOM. EWWWW. never again. I guess I’m a “whip it out mom” too.
Yay! You’re a wonderful mom. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
We went to Chattanooga aquarium a few weeks ago, and baby boy decided he did not want a bottle that day, so I had to sit on a bench outside the bathroom and “whip it out.” Wouldn’t have been so bad, except we were at the bottom of the escalator and I got alot of eyeballs from men going up. Found out later, that they actually had a room for nursing. Go figure.
Thank you for commenting! I’m sorry you were uncomfortable, but I’m glad you didn’t go into the nursing room. The only way we can normalize breast-feeding is for people to see it; we need to stop hiding ourselves from the public eye.
I guesa I do “whip it out”, and i’m proud! I have had plenty of support but the older my LO gets the less support. he’s 15 months and he loves his “dada” haha his father and I know he’s not ready to ween so we’re perfectly happy with nursing! I not gonna force him off and i’ll be “whipping it out” any and everywhere until he’s finished!!
I love how you think!! I’m the same way. My second is almost 18 months and going strong; when people ask me how long I’m going to breastfeed him, I say “Ask him!” We’re here for you, and I’m determined to bring back the village in my lifetime. Thank for stopping by and taking the time to comment. You rock, mama!
Even in the frigid north of Scotland I whip em out. Thankfully we get less hassle than our American sisters.
The Willow Smith song just popped into my head “I whip my boobs back and forth” lol
Ha! Nice. Now that song is in my head, too! I’m so glad that you get less aggravation than we do here. I’m working diligently to change how people view breastfeeding here. Thank you for stopping by, and thank you for being a wonderful mama!
I nurse in public all the time. Granted, I do usually use a cover, but I wish I didn’t. My MIL wanted me to switch to formula when my son was a few days old because my milk hadn’t come in completely and she said I was starving him. But I kept at it. Now my son is 10 weeks old and we’re still breast feeding. One day I’ll have the confidence to not use a cover!
I’m so proud of you for trusting your instinct and doing the best thing for your LO! Please know that you have the support of millions and millions of people out there who want to re-normalize breastfeeding. I say re-normalize because it’s only recent that nursing in public is an issue at all. Every time you NIP, you are helping another mama feel good about doing it, too. And every time you nurse without the cover, you help people get used to seeing it also. Thank you for reading and commenting! Keep up the awesome mamaness!
I’m a whip it out mom, in my car, at the park, outside while watching my kids, at the dinner table, at the restaurant.. My formula babies never had to wait for an “appropriate” time or place to eat so why should my breast fed baby? I’ve never once had someone give me a hard time, except for my in-laws, they think I’m “disgusting” and that I allianate the family by my openness.
I’m so sorry that your in-laws feel that way! It’s so hard when the people closest to us don’t support us the way we need them to. Please know that you always have our support, and you are always welcome here. Thank you for being true to yourself and knowing what you want for your baby.
I have nursed 4 babies (currently on #4) I’ve never been ashamed even with #1 at 17 years old. Though the first three were born in winter in Montana so a blanket was more for my comfort, as the seasons warmed the blankets became few and far between. This baby was born June 28 and I dont think she’s been under it but 4 times. She’s the first one I’ve been able to ‘whip it out’ at a public event which was our local street dance and I couldn’t have gotten a better reply from the community honestly. One woman came from a corner and praised me for being a ‘pro’ and said she wishes she will be as good as me one day, that she was just sitting over there trying to be discreet and here I was just like it was nothing (which it is to me after 4). The others who walked by if they even noticed never gave a second look nor a bad one. It made me feel just a bit better about my lil community 🙂
That is wonderful to hear! Gives me hope, so thank you. And thank you for being an inspiration to other mamas! Go you! 🙂
I am a whip it out mom. I didn’t used to be. Started by excusing myself to the bathroom, or any private area. Then I used a cover, which he hated. Now, we proudly nurse anytime anywhere he may be hungry. He is my son and his needs come before my own, and before anybody else’s who happens to be uncomfortable seeing me nurse him. If you see breasts as a mere play toy, you are the problem, not me!
I’m with you! http://apronstringsattached.com/2013/06/21/nip/ I always get kind of nervous when people look at me, but I try to just focus on my baby. I hate confrontation and all the horror stories you hear about strangers getting all up in a nursing mama’s business, but the only way to normalize it is for people to see moms breastfeeding in public. The more I do it, the more confident I feel about it, so I am just going to keep whipping it out! 🙂
Oh, how I love everything you said here! You are singing my song. The more we all nurse our babies anywhere they want it, the more it will come back as the normal way to nurture our children. Thank you for being a wonderful mama and inspiration to others!
Whip it mom over here. #3 is 18 months old and he is not going to wait for the “proper tine and place”. If I don’t get a boob out quickly enough he will help himself. We usually nurse in a ring sling it in public. I have never covered with him and I never will. I have got only 2 negative comments but I’m sure more will come when he is 2-3 and still nursing. But I can handle them.
Also my hair is purple! Rock it mama!
Kristie, you sound exactly like me! My 18 month old is going to nurse where and when he needs and/or wants to. It’s about nurturing our young and has nothing to do with anyone else’s opinion. I expect to get more and more looks as he grows, but I’m doing my darnedest to change that. I’d love to see your hair! Send me a pic at purplemommablog at gmail dot com if you like. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I had some business cards made up through Vistaprint that I give to nursing Moms that I see. They list the FL law protecting breastfeeding and say “thank you for nursing in public”. People think I’m crazy.
Manda, I have some too! You’re inspiring me to take a pic and write about them. I think it’s a great way to show tangible (literally) support and spread the love. So thank you!
I agree 100%!
I loved nursing my babies EVERYWHERE! And I am incredibly happy when I see other nursing mothers.
It is the most beautiful, healthy thing we will ever do for our children!
It is very upsetting to me that we live in such a fake world where no one seems to remember what boobs are for.
Heather, don’t worry – we are going to change things in our lifetime! Mothers and breastfeeding supporters are everywhere, and I am determined to get this movement growing even bigger and louder. Thank you for commenting and nurturing our future!
I don’t really agree that breasts aren’t also sexual organs. There are receptors in them that go straight to the sex organs. I fully support normalizing breastfeeding, but it’s a reality that people are going to be uncomfortable seeing an exposed breast in public….which I agree is backwards considering how much sex and boobs are used to sell everything and spread all over every TV show. I personally wouldn’t whip it out in public because I’m not comfortable exposing my breasts in public. But also because I don’t see the point in making other people uncomfortable just to prove a point about it. My husband’s grandfather has dementia and he lives with us. When I have my 2nd, I will not nurse in front of him because I know it will make him uncomfortable…that’s the generation he is from. It doesn’t personally bother me to see women whipping their boobs out in public, but I acknowledge and respect people who might be uncomfortable with it. I don’t think it means they’re anti breastfeeding, or anti breastfeeding in public…they just don’t want to a breast. I have many friends who NIP, without a cover, but their breasts are never really exposed…or minimally. But I have also seen women NIP with their shirt down, both breasts fully exposed…that’s uncomfortable. Please don’t hate on me for my feelings…
Biologically speaking, breasts are secondary sexual characteristics like pubic hair. To be sexual organs they must be directly involved with reproduction. You can reproduce without breasts.
I agree people have the right to be uncomfortable but their discomfort never gives them the right to impinge on my child’s right to eat. I was taught it was rude to stare at someone eating, if someone is getting uncomfortable then they are staring and therefore rude in my book.
Dani, don’t worry – hatefulness won’t be tolerated here, and I support mothers, period. Mandy stated it perfectly (thank you!) – breasts are not part of the reproductive system and are not therefore sexual organs. We have brought them into the sexual realm as a source of pleasure, but that does not and should not supersede their primary purpose of feeding our young. With enough time and exposure to breastfeeding, it won’t be a source of discomfort anymore. At least no more than the sight of someone eating a food that you don’t like at a restaurant. Would you expect that person to stop eating that food because it bothers you? What if it’s the only food they can eat? This is not a rhetorical question, I genuinely want to know your thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! 🙂
I remember once nursing my daughter at a pool. I sat on the edge of the kiddy pool we had been swimming in, simply pulled down the top of my suit and nursed her while I chatted with my friend who was still in the pool with her baby. You literally could not see ANYTHING. Anyhow a lady swimming by in the adjacent adult pool gave me the dirtiest look ever and I remember thinking “really? People wear bikinis here that show more!”
I’ve been there! What I’ve been trying to do is engage those who look at me like that. I’ve looked at the person (usually a woman, which makes me sad) and smiled warmly and broadly. Or if they’re close enough, I’ll engage them in conversation. I think if we can connect with people, we can garner more support. Thank you for stopping by and whipping it out! 🙂
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