Breatfeeding around older children???

I don't think I've had to deal with this per se, I have photos of me breastfeeding my kids, and they've seen the photos, I believe they did ask me what I was doing and I told them that mummys breasts make milk to feed babies. When my nephew was born they saw my SIL feeding him and that promted more questions about how milk was made and why does Auntie not bottlefeed,.

I think you should be open and honest and just answer her questions. If you've got a baby book you might be able to show her some pics of women breastfeeding.

I tend to be a very modest person, but I've breastfed around all of my children. My oldest two are boys, 9 and 7. It really hasn't been an issue with us. For the first few weeks I tried to keep covered when they were around, but after awhile they got so used to it that now, they don't even seem to notice. I really think that if you are matter of fact about it, the children view it as just part of life also.
At Christmas time my cousins dd, about 3, was in the room when I was bf the baby. She wanted to play with her, and when I said that she needed to wait because the baby was eating, she gave me the funniest look and wanted to know what the baby was eating because she couldn't see any bottle. I just told her that the baby gets milk from me. That seemed to completely answer her question.

I agree with sara elizabeth... kids can be so used to it that they don't even look anymore. You also have a daughter, so that will help.... there is nothing to be ashamed of, she will be interested but it will be perfectly healthy. I bet within a month you'll catch her breastfeeding one of her dolls....

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I think older children--girls and boys both--should be exposed to breastfeeding. It promotes a healthy attitude toward the best way to feed and comfort babies; it helps the children to look at breastfeeding as something good and normal, not something that should be done behind closed doors (or carefully arranged blankets ).

As for the modesty aspect of it, I don't believe the act of breastfeeding is remotely immodest, even if you're not covered with a blanket. Just as it's not immodest to have a medical examination, neither is it immodest to uncover your breast in order to nourish a child. I realize it's not a common sight, but it should be. It's not dirty, it's not shameful, it's certainly not sexual--why hide it?

giddybiscuit said:

I think older children--girls and boys both--should be exposed to breastfeeding. It promotes a healthy attitude toward the best way to feed and comfort babies; it helps the children to look at breastfeeding as something good and normal, not something that should be done behind closed doors (or carefully arranged blankets ).

As for the modesty aspect of it, I don't believe the act of breastfeeding is remotely immodest, even if you're not covered with a blanket. Just as it's not immodest to have a medical examination, neither is it immodest to uncover your breast in order to nourish a child. I realize it's not a common sight, but it should be. It's not dirty, it's not shameful, it's certainly not sexual--why hide it?

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I agree with this totally.

When we told our daughter (4) that we would be having a new baby she mentioned bottles and I explained to her that the baby would be getting special milk straight from Mama. She asked where it came from and I told her from my breasts and she goes "oh, your num nums" LOL Nums nums was her word for nursing when she was a baby. Now every time she passes bottles in the store or sees a baby given a bottle she proudly lets people know that her "baby brother" (she's convinced the baby is a boy) will get special milk from Mama. I find it quite sad that my daughter who was breastfed for 2 years thought that feeding babies through bottles was the way babies were supposed to be fed. I'm glad for the opportunity to show her God's design for feeding babies.

One of my nicest experiences was when my oldest son wanted to curl up next to me and hold his baby brother's hand when the baby was nursing.

giddybiscuit said:

I think older children--girls and boys both--should be exposed to breastfeeding. It promotes a healthy attitude toward the best way to feed and comfort babies; it helps the children to look at breastfeeding as something good and normal, not something that should be done behind closed doors (or carefully arranged blankets ).

As for the modesty aspect of it, I don't believe the act of breastfeeding is remotely immodest, even if you're not covered with a blanket. Just as it's not immodest to have a medical examination, neither is it immodest to uncover your breast in order to nourish a child. I realize it's not a common sight, but it should be. It's not dirty, it's not shameful, it's certainly not sexual--why hide it?

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I disagree completely...
I don't mind the nursing but I've had too many comfortable women nursing IN THE OPEN at the park, restaurant and around town...

BJWS said:

I disagree completely...
I don't mind the nursing but I've had too many comfortable women nursing IN THE OPEN at the park, restaurant and around town...

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Please define "in the open". In my opinion even if everything is hanging out it's good for kids to see breasts associated with something non-sexual as they are bombarded with sexual images all day. It really is only western culture that views any kind of breast exposure as sexual when in the case of nursing it's anything but.

Prissanna said:

OK, I plan to breastfeed this baby like I did DD (17 months at least). Anyway, DD (6 yrs. old this month) is getting curious about how we will be feeding him because we are telling her he won't take a bottle for awhile - I will pump eventually and she can give him my breastmilk in a bottle, but to begin with I breastfeed exclusively. She wants to know how he's going to get his milk and I say from Mama! Well, I know there will be no way for her not to figure it out once he gets here but I really don't know how to approach this with her. I'm not sure why, but I'm a little apprehensive about it. Has anyone else had to deal with this? How did you handle it?

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Once you get going with the breastfeeding, you probably will find you are very comfortable around your kids. I'm pretty modest around my kids, but when it came to breastfeeding, it was as natural as can be, they asked lots of questions, and enjoyed sitting close while the baby ate - precious! Since I finished breastfeeding a year ago, I'm back to feeling more "private" about my body.

Even my oldest kids (23, 22, 16, 14, 12...) all know that breastfeeding is extremely normal and natural. They've seen a little boob here and there while I was nursing a younger sibling and they don't think anything about it. I agree with giddybiscuit completely~ the more normal and nonchalant you act around your kids, the less they'll think anything of it.

I'm one who believes in breastfeeding modestly in public. I used nursing clothes for nursing in public vs throwing a blanket over my shoulder because where I live it's VERY hot most of the time. It was money well spent, and not one person in over 16 yrs of nursing in public has ever said anything negative to me or given me a dirty look. I firmly believe that we as breastfeeding moms need to be "goodwill embassadors" for breastfeeding and show the world that it's normal and natural and that we can still be modest (as Christians we should be anyway).

BJWS said:

I disagree completely...
I don't mind the nursing but I've had too many comfortable women nursing IN THE OPEN at the park, restaurant and around town...

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If you don't want to see, don't look.

Athene said:

If you don't want to see, don't look.

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Yes. I like this quote: "If nursing in public offends you, feel free to put a blanket over your head."

giddybiscuit said:

Yes. I like this quote: "If nursing in public offends you, feel free to put a blanket over your head."

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LOL yeah, cos that's what some people would have us nursing mothers do. Never mind the fact that it's 120 degrees where I live and they want me to make my baby hotter by covering their head with a blanket....

I do nurse modestly but even that's not enough for some people...

Because of our culture, I don't think I would feel comfortable having my breast exposed while breastfeeding. I would have to cover up somehow... I would be afraid of some sicko looking at me in the wrong way.

Leanna said:

Because of our culture, I don't think I would feel comfortable having my breast exposed while breastfeeding. I would have to cover up somehow... I would be afraid of some sicko looking at me in the wrong way.

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I found it very easy to nurse modestly just lifting up a shirt or t-shirt. Especially after you've been nursing a couple of months you'll learn to be able to latch and unlatch your baby quickly to where no one will see anything.

~Mrs. A2J~ said:

I found it very easy to nurse modestly just lifting up a shirt or t-shirt. Especially after you've been nursing a couple of months you'll learn to be able to latch and unlatch your baby quickly to where no one will see anything.

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Yeah, and I would do that without a blanket.... and I've seen a lot of ladies who can do it without showing their breast. On the other hand, I've seen some women who expose their whole breast hanging over while they feed and that was like.... I used to work retail, you see, I've seen it all.

I honestly hate it that folks even 'havta' worry bout thins like this... how screwed up man has gotten thins! Despite what folks may think, the actual fact is that God gave breasts to WOMEN for child feedin's... they are only an I mean ONLY a plus er a perk to men to git to fiddle wit em. Breasts are for feedin, thier natrual they should be used the way God intended em for, an I could careless where a mother chooses to feed thier baby, given the chance if'n I was a millionaire er sumthin ever woman I ever seen in public nursin thier children would git a hundread bucks from me. Cause I think it's so horrible that nursin mothers have been shafted out in society that what they are doin is some sort of dirty er nasty thin, it's not it's the way it's meant to be.

I don't think gals oughta jes take thier shirts off an have at it er anythin but I haven't a problem in the world wit a gal opein er shirt a bit to nurse an for cryin out loud, you really gotta be a sicko to try an see a ***** anyways!! It's not like the kids head is in the way er anythin. I welcome some poor sucker to come tell my wife sumthin if she's breast feedin, I'll hand em thier tongue.

Oh yeah.... there was a topic in here somewhere wasn't there? LOL I say answer the questions truthfully, nuthin to be ashamed of, God gave us our bodies, they are natraul, we should gaurd em but not make em into sumthin dirty cause they aren't they are all beautiful. (Least to someone out there LOL)

When I was pregnant with number 2, my son was 3. The questions I got were more about the baby in my stomach and why my tummy was so big, he didnt' ask about how baby was going to be fed so I didn't answer those questions. I didn't make any issues out of it, just told him straight out in a child friendly way.

When Emily was born, I just breastfed her in front of him and it was never an issue.