Breastfeeding in public

Kissaniitty

Any experience?
We are going to travel around India.

Milla and Mesi 1year 8months

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biswajit_27

You will not have any problems unless you are actually exposing your -----s. Its considered extremely bad form to stare at a women breastfeeding her baby. Surreptious glances will surely be cast, but even the most perverse can't dare stare at you in public. For the purpose, I suggest wearing a dress with "dupatta".
An angry glance at the offender (in the worst scenario) will be enough to make him look away. Motherhood is "sacred" too, and people will be generally protective of you and your children.

capt_mahajan

politely disagree.

you dont see many women, except the destitute, breastfeeding in public in india.

think this is avoidable except in emergency

zzzehar

try an avoid it where you can, you will invite unwanted glimpses. If you cannot, better sit in some good restaurant and then breastfeed the baby.

Nick-H

Here's the Chennai answer from Mrs N... Yes, it is ok as long as your breats are covered (hey! It is ok to say breasts here!).

She warns: show your breast and you are likely to be arrested!

Now I guess Chennai women must be amazingly discreeet, because, apart from pavement dwellers,I've never noticed a woman breast-feeding. ---But Mrs N has a lifetime experience here so who am I to argue!

Maybe this is one of those things like an Indian woman being able to bath and emerge in a clean sari without ever showing anything!

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manojb

Don't know about Hyderabad, but I disagree with you about places where I have been to. You can see mothers breastfeeding their children on trains, buses and many other places. They are usually very discreet about it.

Brigit

I absulutly agree its as fine, or more fine than in the west. Just have a shawl, duppata, or something of the kind. Indian ladys will usally cover the baby and their own chest with sari or duppata when breast feeding. Also usfull to give baba some peace and quite when traveling, or if there are many flys etc.
I think you will find it good to be traveling with a baby as it will give you alot of help. Indians love babys! Me too, want to come and vist?

Nick-H

More from Mrs N...

Chennai women will take the opportunity to breastfeed when going by auto, or maybe by train or bus. If a woman needs to feed her baby on the bus, other women will find a seat for her and surround her.

Any man stealing a glance will be scolded: Hey, Go home and look at your mother or sister if you dare! You think she's got anything they haven't? Hey! You can't go home and look at your wife? Thus is the fellowship of Indian women!

And yes, everything goes on under the folds of a sari.

So, yanking your t-shirt up to your neck would not be on...

Nick-H

Showing more is acceptable in the west because ....well, because showing more is acceptable in the west!

capt_mahajan

maybe i am not qualified for this, but i still feel most women in india dont plan to breastfeed in public.

SMARTGUY

Slowly the discussion is deviating,now stop it.......kissaniity would have got the message that how she has to manage that.Its a natural phenomenon.The only message is to possibly avoid public places because perverts are found globaly in every nook n corner.
Hope this would mark the end of this thread.

Nick-H

It really is nothing to do with perverts and everything to do with social norms.

lotus blossom

this is an issue that i have a lot of sensitivity around. babies need to eat, irregardless of where they are. breastfed babies are different than formula fed babies in that they need to eat more often because breast milk is predigested. mothers feed their babies when their babies are hungry, despite where that may be.

now, here in america, many people do not like to see a nursing mother feeding her child in public. some have said that they should go to the toilet to do this. who goes to the public toilets to eat ! there have been bills and senators trying to force no breastfeeding in public! many debates have ensued over this issue, time and money that is much better spent on trying to figure out how to feed those who have nothing to eat.

one time when i was out with my infant son a woman asked if she could see my baby. when i told her that i was feeding him she was so surprised because, as we stood and talked, she had no idea that he was eating because he was partly covered with a blanket.

using something to cover yourself makes the most sense, which effectively keeps people from staring. i myself have been known to watch a baby being breastfed because it is a beautiful thing to see. those who think otherwise, the perverts, can go eat their meals in the toilet.

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jjacquemain

Lotus Blossom, Well said!

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greenchutney

privacy is hard to get in a country of one billion and with this a high a population density. go to a nice restaurant/a mall in the big city~

if you are in long distance trains, women do do it..but follow the suggestions mentioned above with a cloth. in the open booth(4, 6, 8 people depending on the class of a train) in the train, men have been asked to step out if the husband or others accompanying the mother request this for the feed time for babies. they do draw the curtains sometime, sometime they dont.

mrs N has some good advice...

you sound like the taliban man...