Does Breastfeeding Embarrass You?

This is a question asked by Mizmarr.

Breastfeeding at first was a very embarrassing situation for me. The first time I breastfed in public, I had taken Elliot to my place of employment (McDonald's) to show everyone my handsome boy and grab a quick dinner. I sat all the way in the back, by the restrooms, because I knew he would inevitably get hungry while I was in public. He did. So, I cover myself with my nursing blanket my mother crocheted for me, and nursed him. A man came around the corner, and literally stared at me while feeding Elliot. It made it very awkward, and after that I pumped A LOT, so that in public, I could give it to him in a bottle.

Pumping also became embarrassing. While pumping at work, they allowed me to pump in the office, which has a little window. I had to tape paper over it eventually because, well, you know how teenage guys are. I quit pumping at work, because although Illinois requires your workplace to allow you adequate time to pump, the time has to be unpaid. My son was nearly 11 and a half pounds at birth. You can imagine how much he ate, and how long it took to pump. So, we'll say about an hour to pump (a little less). Five days a week, two weeks in a paycheck, amounted to almost $80 off of a paycheck. As a single mother, that is a lot of money! So, I pumped as much as I could before work, and after that was gone, he got formula until I came home.

The fact that I breastfeed, however, does not embarrass me. I am giving Elliot his best start to life, what is there to be embarrassed about? It is a natural process. If people want to judge, fine, but they are the ones that should be embarrassed.