Segregated b/f area! GRR!

[MummaSue]

Been meaning to post this since I got back from the UK.

DH and I were in Edinburgh and we went to a large department store to find a parents room so that we could do a nappy change and give DD a feed in the warm (bbrrr, it was chilly in Edinburgh!).

Anyhoo, the parent room had 2 sections, one for nappy changes and then behind this huge wall there was a large seating area to feed. I sat myself down and got a bit comfy so that we could have a good feed and was alerted by another mother (who was bottle feeding her baby) that "the breast feeding section is round there".

I looked and indeed there was a sign pointing round a corner to the "breast feeding area". And stuck round this corner were 3 seats in front of this huge frosted glass window.

I felt like a second class citizen! DH was furious!
DD didn't care as long as she got boobie

*sigh*

[~Hestia~]

I've never seen that! Seem strange to me, and sounds like there were less seats in the BF area?

[Persephone1]

ETA: Maybe it's so the bottle-fed babies don't get jealous?

[PumpkinZulu]

what the??

[Babyluv]

I've heard there is still a bit of stigma towards BF in the UK, I saw a show on foxtel about a group of women campaigning to change ppls views. It's sad

[tellytubby]

Ugh that's ridiculous!!
Err, what was with the other mother pointing it out to you also? Build a bridge and get over it!

[krisp]

In my experience people in the UK can tend to be a little conservative so perhaps the BF Mummys actually "like" to be segregated? Just a thought.

Seems odd, and a little sad, though that were less chairs in the BF section...

[CinderToriella]

Sorry Sue that's all i have!

With some mothers i know with bubs DD age, they are all bottle fed , when i feed DD, they look at me like i am weird,Makes me feel awful when it shouldn't ..I hate all this ,I dont look at anyone else weird so don't do it to me.

I would have been shocked if i were you to say the least

[Lenny]

ETA: Maybe it's so the bottle-fed babies don't get jealous?

Bahaha!!!

Where did you go if you were using EBM? In between?

That's too too weird!

[MummaSue]

In my experience people in the UK can tend to be a little conservative so perhaps the BF Mummys actually "like" to be segregated? Just a thought.

Exactly what I think actually. I met a few friends for coffee who also had babies and (sadly only) 2 of them are b/f and they were soooooo self aware when we were out. In fact, one only met me for an hour because she didn't want to b/f in public. There I was sitting with my boob out (haha, not quite but I wasn't scared to feed in public)!!

[Fleur]

Wow that seems really weird

[onthefly]

How odd.
Those with EBM maybe have to stand in the middle or something

[~Lashes~]

wow. my reply would have been, (in a nice tone) sorry love, but im comfy and am not ashamed of how my baby feeds, so if you dont mind" and continued on. when my kids were little, i use to pop them on and throw a bunny rug over them and my shoulder while i was walking round the center or were ever we were when they got hungry. (mind you they were only fed untill 4 months at the most, so still small and light!)

[meow]

Wow! I'm shocked. And saddened. The bottle feeding mum shouldn't have said anything either.

Hmm... I don't think the states are too big on BFing either- I'm looking forward to raising some eyebrows when we move there

[Traveller]

I have seen a segregated BF/FF parents room like that in Scotland. I was really shocked at first but my pal said it was because a lot of BFing mums are nervous about feeding in public, especially if they have a very new baby, so in the BFing only area they feel more comfortable to feed because everyone is in the same posistion. I did like it more than the parents rooms in some malls here where the feeding area is a small cubicle with a curtain round it for privacy. At least in the segregated area I didn't feel like I was in a box

But overall I prefer a nice big feeding room where all parents can mingle regardless of how they are feeding their bubs. But then I am not nervous about feeding in public.

[UntoldAngel]

I actually had a conversation with a mum in the parent's room recently because of how the b/f mums are made to feel like we have to sit in the little cubicle behind a curtain. I always sit in the chairs where the curtains aren't, or I leave them open if I have to.
It is sad that b/f mums have to 'hide', it isn't like we are doing something wrong by feeding our babies... I don't have to get my boob in everyone's face to feed, and I don't feel the need to cover bub's head when doing it

[Raupe]

Maybe it was more for the privacy of BF mothers. I know my mum always preferred to feed alone in a room away from everyone else. Not because she cared what everyone else thought (or saw) but because to her it was something very special and intimate that she wanted to share just with her child away from all the hustle and bustle. She also said we were very easily distracted and fed a lot better when we were focused on the boob and not everything else around us. And she wanted to only focus on us and not be disturbed or having to make conversation when all she wanted to do is spend time with us and watch us feed. It was her 'special time' when she could sit back and relax. I think there's nothing wrong with that!

[Kazbah]

:blink:

What if you're b/fing and then do bottle top-ups? are you supposed to relocate?