Breastfeeding and Church

Following my previous post on this this topic I have received the following comments (I have decided to use initial only, even though they gave their names):

L: "Preparing to feed our 2 month old I was 'invited' to use the ladies' toilet to save the
Embarrassment of those around me. When I got there it was a room with a loo and a sink! I retreated to the car and fed there before leaving. Our family of four hasn't been back."

J: "When I was feeding our youngest after a service the Vicar came and asked whether we were warm enough. He also made sure someone brought me a cup of tea (and choccie biscuits) and treated it all as if it was an everyday occurence. This was a deciding factor in our remaining in that church. That said, I have experienced people who tutted and made a fuss. Perhaps that was why they were full of old folk who wondered why their church was empty and dying."

I find it sad that some twenty years on Church still appears to be variable on this issue. Personally, I don't have a problem with it and have never found those who do breadtfeed to be anything other than discrete and the whole thing to be rather beautiful and right.

I am not that much in favour of baby or bteastfeeding rooms as they tend to isolate or exclude the very people who need to be included (having had four children I know how isolated young families (especially Mums) can be - and midweek groups are no substitute for Sunday services.

Pax

Thanks to L & J

Breastfeeding Women and Eclipses

This quote from the Simpson's news anchor, Kent brockman' had me smiling too:

"A solar eclipse is like a woman breast-feeding in a restaurant. It's free, it's beautiful, but under no circumstances should you look at it."

This advice takes me back to the heady days of Kensington Temple when a woman who was sitting at the back discretely breastfeeding her newborn was pounced upon by one of the elder elders. Grabbing her by the hand and pulling her from her seat the previously totally concealed act was made public as the shawl that had surrounded her fell. Until then few were aware that she'd even been feeding the baby because she was so very discrete and the baby was content, but attracted by the noise and the raised voice of the elder they turned to find her breasts exposed and the child screaming (she was wearing dungarees, which didn't help the situation on little bit)

What made the spectacle complete was the fact that the now unsuckled gusher managed to cover the heads (and faces of those who had turned) with a fair helping of lactic products!

Don't think she ever came to the church again ;)

Oh happy daze!