Should mothers breastfeed in public?

We live in Africa where barely half a century ago, bared breasts were culturally acceptable but with changing times, even breastfeeding in public is becoming a topic of debate. So when did it become a concern? Here's a conversation on that trail.

When has breastfeeding in public ever been a cause for concern in Kenya? It has never been, right?

Back in the day kids latched onto their mothers’ breasts in any position: Standing, sitting, lying diagonally or even standing sideways – with the head tucked from the armpit. All the while mom would probably be busy peeling bananas or picking beans for supper.

There was nothing dishonorable about it. The activity went on like nothing (absolutely nothing?) was wrong with it.

But times have changed. Already in the West, breastfeeding in public is a divisive subject – enough to do a dissertation on. But should it matter that a mother flips her breast out to breastfeed in social spaces?

“It is very wrong to ask a mother not to breastfeed in public,” Dr Esther Wanjohi, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Nairobi hospital says.

The reason Esther is gobsmacked by the subject itself is because, like you and me, she didn’t think it is something to talk about. As far as she is concerned, on breastfeeding, the jury had passed with nature.

“Technically there is nothing wrong with breastfeeding in public,” she says, “and I would encourage mothers to breastfeed whenever a baby needs to: the venue should not matter.”

Breast milk, Wanjohi says, is the most nutritious substance for a baby. “It can’t be substituted with anything else. In fact, we advise that a baby breastfeeds exclusively in the first six months of life.”

She further argues that blocking women from breastfeeding in public has nothing to do with health.

“This is about what the society thinks is right. No one will get sick, or be affected health wise, because of breastfeeding in public,” she says.

In the UK, Sam Lucas, 33, was asked to leave a venue where she was attending a performance, at the Arts Theatre in central London. That happened happened two weeks ago.

And in July, an American woman took to social media to complain about a mother who squirted breast milk to her face when she (the complainant) asked her to stop because her husband and child were close by.

Instead of sympathizing with her, those who read her post lashed at her, saying that the breastfeeding woman was doing nothing more than nourishing her child; minding her own business.

“I encourage women to breastfeed in any place, and at any time. There is no reason why a baby should be bottle-fed when nature calls for her to latch the baby directly to her breast,” offers Martha Kimkung, founder of Career Mothers For Exclusive Breastfeeding.

Immediately after birthing a baby, nurses are required to give the newborn to its mother to commence breastfeeding. That, says Bernadette Muendo, a nurse and midwife, has always been the modus operandi in the birthing room.

“That is how much breast milk is important to the baby’s health and survival,” she says. “Why then would anyone object to breastfeeding in public if a mother who has just given birth – and is still in pain – is asked to breastfeed immediately?”

Silent critiques of public breastfeeding, like Michael Otieno, say that a woman’s breast is an intimate part that should not be exposed to all and sundry.

He says: “My wife’s body is not for everyone to ogle at. I am the only one who should see this part of her body. I would recommend that she breastfeeds with a covering that will block her breast from view.”

An opinion to which Dr. Esther sheds her white coat and adorns her ‘activist’ hat, posing the question: “What if you came from cultures, like in Turkana, where women walk bare chested? Would it still be troubling to breastfeeding?”

Wandia Maina, a counselling psychologist, says there is nothing sexual about breastfeeding to warrant discomfort for both men and women.

“The act of feeding a baby from the breast is not provocative in any way. Yes, men are visual by nature. But breastfeeding is not a sexual gesture: it is a natural call that a woman responds to,” Wandia says.

The context, she adds, matters. “For instance,” she says, “if the woman was fiddling and playing with her breast as she breastfeeds it could provoke sexual desire from a man. But if all she is doing is breastfeeding there is nothing to be uncomfortable about.”

Wandia says that men who feel aroused at the sight of a breastfeeding woman should visit a psychologist for analysis.

“They could be having hang-ups from childhood traumas and may really be in need of psychological evaluation,” she says.

However, she adds, while breastfeeding in public is not wrong, it calls for decorum in particular situations.

“You can’t breastfeed during a boardroom meeting. Or when you are teaching a class - if you are a lecturer. A mother ought to study her environment and take cognisance of the formality around her,” she says.

Edith Warenga is a mother of one. She believes in the rights of a mother to breastfeed her baby “in any space she deems fit”. She however says that a breastfeeding mother should as well put into consideration those around her.

“It is good to be considerate of others’ discomfort too,” she says. “For me I would use something to cover up exposed parts of the breast: because I wouldn’t want to make anyone sitting close to me uncomfortable.”

If she had a choice, Edith would rather avoid breastfeeding in public altogether. “But if my baby is really hungry and needs to feed I will look for a suitable place to sit and breastfeed. Of course I will get something to cover up and be discreet.”

Challenging the morality of a mother breastfeeding in public could cause her to develop feelings of failure, inadequacy and isolation, according to a recent study, published online in Maternal & Child Nutrition.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Gill Thomson, of Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, United Kingdom, told the press that breastfeeding women experience judgment.

It should not be this way, Wandia appeals. After all, she says, breastfeeding not only provides nourishment for the baby, “it is also a bonding process between a mother and an infant. The baby feels a mother’s love and care through breastfeeding.”