Above: Photo by Breastfeeding World

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7, 2016), I wanted to take a moment to discuss public breastfeeding. 

I am not sure any of us truly enjoy the process of whipping out a boob in public to feed our little one (especially in our repressed society where the breast is viewed as sexual rather than nurturing), but it is natural, it is necessary and it should not invoke a public commentary.

So, you may have seen the HORRIFYING video (Source: Scary Mommy) that went viral on social media recently. In it, a mom is breastfeeding her baby at Target while being viciously harangued by an older man. Thankfully some Target employees came to her aid. But this begs the question, how is this behavior possible in this day and age? Do we seriously still live in a society that allows public humiliation and harassment for feeding a child in the most natural way possible?

I love the #NormalizeBreastfeeding movement but also want to include those of us who are pumpers. Until every aspect of feeding our babies is normalized, we will suffer the ignorant humiliation of those uneducated souls who feel it is their place to comment. Guess what folks - it’s none of your business.

If you are or want to be part of the solution, we encourage you to join Breastfeeding World’s 2nd Annual NYC Big Latch On. In their own words, “Breastfeeding World’s goal is to encourage and support communities to make breastfeeding a normal part of our day-to-day life. It will be a fun event and a local community based celebration of families, it’s your chance to be a part of something BIG!!!” However you feed your baby – breastfeeding, pumping, whatever – join this event if you can and share it with your mama community.

Do you know of other events that support breastfeeding and breast pumping? Please share in the comments. As always, thank you for your support!

We welcome your feedback and would love to know how we can continue to improve our hands-free pumping bra designs and make your "mom life" easier.

Carey Bradshaw, Author (& Nursing Aficionado)