Public Breastfeeding – A Partner’s Role

Public breastfeeding has become a hot topic for parents who are thinking about or are currently breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is important for a child’s health. Support from fathers is a major factor affecting breastfeeding success. It is established that women who have strong social support from their partner are more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding. 

Public Breastfeeding

Unfortunately feeding your own baby in public is frowned upon by some people. I am very proud of my wife. She has been a champion of public breastfeeding while showing no shame. Just the other day she was feeding our son on the side of a bike riding path. People rode by and she didn’t care. She is proud to be doing what is completely natural and best for our son and so she should be. If people just feed their babies in public so it becomes the new normal again, the issue will go away.

Partners Role

It is important for the partner to participate in learning and understand breastfeeding to provide support.  Taking classes together is the best way to do this. Learning about positioning and latch is also very interesting. I never knew there was so much that goes into it. I always thought they were born and just knew what to do and everything will be easy. That is not the case. There are also plenty of books, articles, and blogs (like this one 🙂 ) to help. I am sure my wife would love to answer any questions as well. The partner encouraging is essential for success.

“Fathers’ involvement in parenting is associated with positive cognitive, developmental, and socio-behavioural child outcomes such as improved weight gain in preterm infants, improved breastfeeding rates, higher receptive language skills, and higher academic achievement [33]. However, Giugliani et al. suggest that fathers need to be better prepared to assume their new role as breastfeeding supporters [34].”

According to this article on www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

I remember as a new parent I would get nervous when my wife would feed our son at a restaurant because of stories I had heard of people being really judgy and saying inappropriate things. I am not a person that likes confrontation, but I think if someone said anything my father bear instincts would cause me to … ehhh you can fill in the blank here, it wouldn’t be pretty though.

Learn your rights in your state and country to breastfeed in public. You may find you are protected from being discriminated against. So far no one has approached my wife in a negative way. If someone did we would remind them that it is completely natural, my son has to eat somewhere and I would add to go f### off and grow up (in a polite and gentle voice, of course).

See my wife’s post regarding her journey on breastfeeding and other posts.

By ending advice, take it or leave it. BE PROUD!