I beg your pardon?
About every sixth person explicitly rejects breastfeeding in public
© Анастасия Стягайло / Adobe Stock
Public breastfeeding is apparently still not the order of the day, at least as far as its acceptance is concerned. A new study shows what that means for mothers.
Breast milk is an essential part of a baby’s start in life. Because it strengthens it during development and supports the development of the immune system by supplying it with important nutrients. It is not a given that breastfeeding works for mothers. But if that’s the case, then the question of whether you’re breastfeeding or not is very personal – and up to each mom. However, who should not be left to it are other people, especially those who have nothing to do with you and your baby and should therefore not allow themselves to be judged.
More than just food – the baby-mama contact
Breastfeeding not only has health benefits, but also baby-mom benefits: Together, both enjoy physical closeness and the attention to each other. That strengthens the bond. Also, it’s not as if breastfeeding in public is outright malice on the part of mothers who are keen to demonstrate their motherhood. Babies just need food a lot. In the first weeks of life even eight to twelve times in 24 hours. Later, depending on your needs, it can be more or less frequent – and it certainly shouldn’t be the norm to put off this beautiful moment (no matter where). Nevertheless, as a study shows, breastfeeding still seems to be seen rather reluctantly in the population.
Study: 17 percent are against public breastfeeding
For a study from 2020, 1,007 people aged 16 and over and 307 mothers with children up to 24 months were asked online about their attitude towards breastfeeding in public. The results were compared to a survey conducted in 2016. The result: Although more mothers are now breastfeeding in public places, the acceptance of this among the population has continued to decline, including in places such as restaurants. Around one in six people (17 percent) explicitly reject breastfeeding in public.
Women are more likely to breastfeed in public
Even if the population still has to follow suit: Mamas, you’re doing it really well! In 2016, 65 percent of those surveyed stated that they would or have breastfed in public in the presence of strangers. This statement was already confirmed by 73 percent in 2020. On the other hand, fewer people accept breastfeeding in public than in 2016. Acceptance among the population fell in almost all the places surveyed. Both indoors (cafes, restaurants) and outdoors (playgrounds, parks). But why is that – and how can we do something about it?
The benefits of breastfeeding are not well known
While moms, dads and parents are aware of the positive aspects of breastfeeding, other members of the population are not necessarily so, and as such the latter seem to tend to be disturbed by the natural process. According to surveys in both 2020 and 2016, better knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding led to increased acceptance among respondents. Unfortunately, this cannot always be implemented in the situation itself, especially when people behave inappropriately towards the breastfeeding woman.
Mixed reactions that mothers face
According to the survey from 2020, only four percent of breastfeeding women reported predominantly negative reactions. Nevertheless, they do occur. Most mothers reported having had mixed experiences, both positive and negative (40 percent). Almost 70 percent would have received disapproving looks, almost a quarter even critical remarks. 10 percent of the women also stated that they had experienced verbal abuse or requests to move. Similar results were already available in 2016.
Mothers sometimes avoid breastfeeding in public
48 percent of women said they avoid breastfeeding in public places. However, the number of those who frequently avoid it fell compared to 2016 (22 percent; 2020: 15 percent). On the other hand, the number of mothers who rarely avoid it increased (2016: 24 percent; 2020: 33 percent). Both in the population and among the mothers surveyed, 52 percent stated that breastfeeding in public using a breastfeeding cloth was okay (2020).
Why seeing moms breastfeed seems hard for some people seems to be hard to take remains a mystery to us. It’s about health, about a loving relationship – and it’s about meeting the needs of the baby. You can simply leave looks and comments there. However, the following gives some hope: 64 percent of those surveyed explicitly agreed to the question of whether mothers should be able to breastfeed their babies anytime and anywhere. Because breastfeeding is not only natural, but also important for the little people among us!
Sources used: kindergesundheit-info.de, link.springer.com, Gesund-ins-leben.de
This article originally appeared in ELTERN.