the breastfeeding in public non-issue

so breastfeeding in public.
goodness gracious what a stir it's causing over the pond there in the US and Canada.
i mean, how long has this been going on for? every couple years something comes up and everyone is all up in arms about it. those on the "pro" side are venting and defending and those on the "con" side are bashing it and whatnot.
and then it dies down.
and then something else happens and woopdeedoo we're all crazy again!

anyway.
so i'm somewhat removed from it all. somewhat because geographically i'm removed. but i have internet. so ... ya know. i read stuff.
but i just want to say that i love how much of a non-issue it is here. culturally it's not unusual to see a woman breastfeeding her child. fully exposed. one day i saw a woman at a little pedicure shack/store getting her toes done and breastfeeding her baby. love.
then another day i was at the craft market and saw a vendor breastfeeding her baby while sitting outside her shop. no "udder cover". no shawl. no receiving blanket. just a baby receiving his nourishment from a boob. that's right. a boob. {look at me being all controversial.}

and a part of me instinctively wanted to walk up to her and say, "good for you, mama!". but then my brain kicked in and i realized where i was and almost laughed at myself. if i did that, this mother would have zero clue what i was referring to. zero. because breastfeeding in public and showing your breast {gasp! no modesty!} is completely fine in most african cultures. so of course she'd feed her child where she was. she has a store to run to make money so she can put a roof over her child's head. closing up shop for 10-40 minutes so she could feed her child somewhere privately could mean the loss of several customers.

it's been interesting here knowing a few missionary mamas who are breastfeeding their kids and with both of them, they've checked with me to make sure i was okay with them nursing their babies around me and my boys. i've never asked them, but i'm almost 100% sure that they don't ask the ugandan's they are around if they are okay with them nursing. it's just so interesting. {oh and of course i said i was okay as long as they were fine with jude being a bit more curious about it all. and i got to see twins tandem nursing. ah.maze.ing. mamas of twins who breastfed them...you are absolute super stars!}

i personally don't feel the need to cover up when i breastfeed {although this was a long road for me, personally to become comfortable with it and eventually did it successfully with jude in public places and never had a single person stare at me or give me negative feedback. in fact, more people noticed when i breastfed with a cover as it drew more attention to the fact that i was breastfeeding.} and we'll see how it goes here. does it matter that i am white {and therefore so are my breasts} and breastfeeding? will that be an issue? i have no idea. but i'm guessing less of an issue here than in Canada or the US.

it will also be different as we will be sharing our living space with the other Canadian guy on our STINT team here and so that will bring another dynamic into the mix as well.

and so like most things, i am weighing in after all the hype has died down.

breasts are for feeding babies. but they are not just for feeding babies. which makes this {non}issue just a bit more complicated.
i want to be sensitive {and will strive to be when this baby is born}, but i also completely and fully endorse a woman's right to feed her child using her breasts wherever and whenever she deems necessary.

so that's where this Canadian-born, Ugandan-living mama stands on the whole breastfeeding in public non-issue.

thoughts? agree? disagree? does it make you uncomfortable to see a woman breastfeeding in public? why or why not? do you think it's okay as long as a woman "covers up"? what does that mean? is it okay if part of her back/stomach is showing as long as her breasts aren't? give it to me straight.


**edited to add** while i fully believe that as a woman and one who will be {hopefully} nursing a third baby soon it's within my rights to feed my baby wherever and whenever i deem necessary, if i'm around a man who feels uncomfortable or that it's something that could cause them to stumble, i would gladly forfeit this right and cover up {not that i would ever intentionally whip out my breast and fully expose myself}. my intention is not to purposely expose myself or cause someone to stumble, but to feed my baby and my intention in writing this is perhaps to cause people to re-think what they've been conditioned to think about breasts. 

kids are people too

so this has been on my mind and heart for the past month or more. so much so that i have a sticky note on my desk top {a virtual one} with some thoughts i've had on this subject.
then today a friend on facebook linked to this article which relates to how i've been feeling and what i've been thinking. {and also brings this whole issue back to my heart and it was a good read. go read it for yourself.}

basically, kids are people too. we need to treat them as such.
yes they are cute. and little. and squishable. but they have feelings. and opinions. and preferences.
now i'm definitely not saying that when a kid prefers to eat candy over vegetables that you should make sure you do a switcheroo and put a plate full of candy in front of them. no sir. but i think the way we speak to our kids {and the way you speak to other people's children - whether you have your own or not} should be respectful and understanding.

i've seen my kids poked, prodded, and picked up against their will while here in uganda. i've seen people get right up in their face and speak loudly and give no time for an answer before asking them another question. loudly. and in their face.

part of this is cultural, but i've also had things happen in canada where my kids are saying "no" and that they are done and the person playing with them thinks it's funny or cute and is not respecting my child's boundaries or request for said activity to finish.
you wouldn't walk up to an adult and pinch their cheeks or twirl them around or tickle them mercilessly and disregard any request for those activities to stop, so how come this is acceptable with our children?
how will they learn that when they say "no", people should listen and respect that if the adults around them don't seem to? or that they should speak up about things that make them feel uncomfortable and take a stand?

one of the realities of living here is being treated like a celebrity.
while we were up north on safari, it seemed like every single staff person at the hotel knew my kids by name and would say hi to them. which was fine. but it was the staff coming up to us during our mealtimes and demanding conversations with my kids and one staff even demanding jude to share his food with him and when jude {understandably} refused, he picked up jude's fork, put it in a potato on my plate and then put it in his mouth. um? no.
it's no wonder that my older son, noah, does not take well to this. he dislikes a lot of attention to begin with {even from people he knows}, and so this has been extremely stretching for him. we've worked hard and role played with him to help him learn that even if he doesn't feel like being someone's best friend, it's still polite to say hello and shake someone's hand. {the shaking hands thing is not even close to happening, but we're still working on it.} we talk through situations, but i completely understand how hard it must be for him.
after our experience at the hotel, it's no wonder he hides his face or gives an angry look at strangers to ward off unwanted attention.

anyway, all i'm saying is, let's treat these little people with respect. just because they're little does not make them less of a person.

agree? disagree? thoughts or advice? i'm all ears!