Comments on: I’m sick of discreet!

By: breastfeeding advice

breastfeeding advice — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:40:06 +0000

When you hold your baby for the first time in the delivery room, you should put his lips to your breast. Although your mature milk hasn’t developed yet, your breasts are still producing a substance known as colostrums that helps to protect your baby from infections

By: Ruth Moss

Ruth Moss — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:46:55 +0000

“If one is outside the home it’s usually for a purpose” – yes…. but I was thinking specifically of places like cafés etc too though, where the purpose is to stop and have a brew and a laugh… why shouldn’t the baby, too?

I was not intending to slap anyone down or make a mockery – I am truly sorry if it came across that way.

But I just think the word itself – not the fact that many women breastfeed covered up – implies that we are embarrassed about nursing. Other things that are done “discreetly” are things that are shameful, as per my first paragraph.

I just want a different word, I certainly don’t think people should have to feed their babies as some kind of political statement!!

By: Lorayn Brown

Lorayn Brown — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:29:02 +0000

Ok, it’s not always possible to be discreet. That much is obvious, especially once you’ve passed about four/five months and you have someone grabbing at your top because they’re hungry
When you feed are you intentionally trying “to attract attention or cause offence” No. Therefore it is ‘discreet’..
And should we sat be sat in a toilet? Hell, no. But should WE feel comfortable. No argument.
There is nothing wrong with WANTING to be discreet.
No-one should be forced to be discreet, but nor should discreet feeding be made a mockery of or fought against. The law is on your side. Feed however you feel comfortable when you need to, but please, allow those of us who wish to be discreet not to feel we are doing something wrong by not making feeding our child into a political statement.

By: trogette

trogette — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:06:32 +0000

Good points, well made, but part of the definition of ‘discreet’ (which is a totally different word to ‘discrete’ and that’s probably a whole other blog post for a whole other place, lol) is about attracting attention. It doesn’t really matter whether that’s positive or negative attention, does it? Part of the desire for discretion is most definitely about *not* having someone coming over and cooing over your baby/babies and distracting them, because while I can definitely see the ‘not necessarily all in one go’ argument, if one is outside the home it’s usually for a purpose, which is not going to get on and happen if one is constantly stopping and starting for ‘snacky’ babies, particularly if one hasn’t mastered the art of feeding while slinging.

So…

I agree that breastfeeding helpers, journalists and baby-goods retailers (myself included I guess!) could lose the term ‘discreet’ but don’t slap down the mothers who prefer it that way, it might not be purely about negative attention…