Monday
Mar302009
A slap in the boobs by Dr. Sears?
Monday, March 30, 2009
I usually love just about everything about Dr. Sears. There was one comment in the Baby Book that I remember not liking (something about not having the baby sleep between the mom and dad in bed because the dad needs his sleep). But otherwise, I've been consistently impressed.
Today I was on the site and was shocked to see Dr. Sears promoting nursing covers. I mean, I thought he bought into the idea that breastfeeding is normal and that women shouldn't feel ashamed of it. And then I saw this....
I'm not a fan of nursing covers to begin with, as I explained in my post on why I don't using nursing covers or child harnesses, but this has got to be the most over the top nursing cover I have ever seen. This one covers so much that you could repurpose this as a moo moo or a burka when you're done breastfeeding.
I have no problem with people trying to be discreet and hide their breasts when breastfeeding, but this suggests that it is not just the breast that should be hidden, but the entire act of breastfeeding. Maybe we should just hide the fact that we have kids too?
In the words of Alaina Frederick who I was tweeting with about this, it is truly a slap in the boobs, Dr. Sears.
Today I was on the site and was shocked to see Dr. Sears promoting nursing covers. I mean, I thought he bought into the idea that breastfeeding is normal and that women shouldn't feel ashamed of it. And then I saw this....
I'm not a fan of nursing covers to begin with, as I explained in my post on why I don't using nursing covers or child harnesses, but this has got to be the most over the top nursing cover I have ever seen. This one covers so much that you could repurpose this as a moo moo or a burka when you're done breastfeeding.
I have no problem with people trying to be discreet and hide their breasts when breastfeeding, but this suggests that it is not just the breast that should be hidden, but the entire act of breastfeeding. Maybe we should just hide the fact that we have kids too?
In the words of Alaina Frederick who I was tweeting with about this, it is truly a slap in the boobs, Dr. Sears.
Reader Comments (63)
I always found nursing covers to be I don't know an oxymoron(is that even the word?)
Because you are trying to be discreet, but yet you are making it VERY obvious what you are doing. Might as well send up a sign that says...HEY, I'M NURSING my baby!
I found that covers bothered my children and so they would try to fling them off or get distracted which further made it difficult to be discreet about the fact that I was nursing.
I always wore very modest nursing tops during the early years, so I felt that it was more discreet to actually find an out of the way place and nurse my child there. However, that was how my children and I were best able to nurse.
I guess some women feel more comfortable with the large cover? If so, I say go for it!
so, let's just clear something up... it is not the NURSING a woman is trying to be discreet about, it's the showing of breasts, nipples, stomach, what have you. of course women know the cover will bring attention to the nursing, but women aren't trying to hide that part of it. most women are very comfortable with the fact that they nurse, they just don't want eyes peering up their flesh, that's where the discretion comes in, and for that - a cover works perfectly.
I don't like covers, and I wish women didn't feel the need to use them, but if it will keep them nursing then I'm all for it.
As far as the harnasses though? I freaking love ours. It's an important safety device in an urban city. The toddler gets to walk and explore like he insists on doing, but he's secured to me so nobody can snatch him in a crowd. He also gets to put his own stuff in the pouches and use it as a pillow if he falls asleep on a long excursion. (it's a stuffed animal that rides on his back with a long tail as the "handle".) He loves it. We love it. Everyone's happy.
@TheFeministBreeder: I think one of the risks with harnesses is a false sense of security. I'm not suggesting that you are not vigilant, but I have seen many times where parents are not watching their child because the child is on a harness and the child managers to step into the way of oncoming traffic, get into something dangerous or disgusting, etc. It is also possible for someone to snatch a child, if they have something sharp enough to cut it or if they undo the harness. I don't like them, but for parents that do use them, it cannot be a substitute for keeping an eye on your child.
You'd have to use the harness to really understand it. It's not long enough for a child to wander into oncoming traffic without the parenting being hit too. It's no more than an arms length away. It's the same as holding a child's hand, except that you don't have to have the child's poor little arm stretched up over his head. Instead, he/she can feel autonomous while being as close to you as they would be anyway. And it would take an awful lot of effort (and premeditation) to be able to cut the thing. A parent would notice that, unless they were going pretty far out of their way to not pay attention. Like with anything we use (high chairs, car seats, etc.) common sense is still required.
I agree with TheFeministBreeder- using a harness gives you a better feel for what the harness does and does not do. The one that I use has an adjustable "leash" portion that I adjust down to the point where my son has maybe a step or two more leeway than he would have if I were holding his hand. I then attach that to a parent belt and hold his hand myself. It is simply insurance for if he pulls away from my hand, or if someone pulls him away from my hand.
The particular harness I use is the TommiGuard. I tested it with a 120lb rottie-lab dog of mine just out of curiosity. It's STRONG. It would take quite a bit of working at to cut it even with a sharp knife or scissors.
It basically does several things:
1- It makes it so that if he suddenly pulls away from me in a crowd, no one can get between him and I.
2- It makes it so that he can't suddenly pull out of my grasp and do a face-plant or dash into the street. He did the face-plant thing once where he managed to pull away from my husband who was holding his hand and skidded on his face on the asphalt because of the momentum that he had from the sudden pull.
3- It makes it much harder for someone to grab-and-run. Not only would they have to cut through the leash (and it's a strong leash) or undo the clip and take the harness off (which requires 2-3 separate motions) or cut through the harness itself in three or four points.. But they'd also have to pull him out of my arms since by the time they were able to do any of that, I would have pounced those few extra inches and grabbed him up myself. It's much much easier to grab a child that is not tethered, or that is in a stroller.
I think that harnesses can be "used properly" or "misused". If you strap your child into a high chair for four hours in front of a television, the high chair is being misused. If you use it for a safe place during meal times, it's being used properly. If you use a car seat as a place for your child to sleep on a regular basis, you're raising the risk of SIDS. But if you use a car seat in the car to enhance safety, you're using it right.
Just like a car seat isn't a license to drive recklessly with your kids in the car, a child harness is not a license to ignore your child. A child can quickly become injured as a RESULT of the harness if you're not paying attention to the child, because the child can walk in a way that the harness will catch on something and pull the child to the ground with quite a bit of force.
Just like anything, if it's used right it's a good thing.
[...] Like in when to give up on breastfeeding or what gives you the right? Or posts like sabotage or a slap in the boobs by Dr. Sears. It means I won’t stand for people calling me or any other breastfeeding supporter a Boob [...]
Honestly I have nursed in all sorts of public settings without an issue. I will say though that I did find using a blanket or cover helpful when my daughter was 4-9 months old. She would settle and nurse to sleep if covered, but not if she was free to be distracted by the noise and goings on around her. It was never for anyone else's comfort, but a baby who won't nap that needs to is worth wearing nearly anything for.
Otherwise I simply nurse where I am when I need to, it's been so long and become such a normal part of my routine, I think I would be shocked to have someone take issue. Now with my second baby I didn't feel remotely concerned about NIP. It's a non-issue. Anyone who has a problem with me feeding my baby has bigger problems than anything I can do for them can help. It's feeding a baby for crying out loud. People are against that!?
He is just providing a product in case a mother would like to use/buy it. Why wouldn't he? You trust his advice so why not trust his product if you are looking to buy it. Many women might be pleased to buy something from a doctor they trust instead of a random company. He isn't "selling out", this is his business. It doesn't change the fact that he is a wonderful doctor with wonderful advice. If we want our boobs out-great, if we don't-great. Who cares as long as our babies are getting the healthy milk that is coming out of them?!
Using a cover isn't always about covering the boob or hiding the fact that you are bfing. I'm an overweight mama and I dont mind if my back fat is showing while I'm nursing around my friends and family but when I'm at the zoo or a nice restaurant, I don't think it's appropriate for my back or tummy to be showing. I live in Arizona where is is extremely uncomfortable to layer clothes in the summer time so that's not always an option. I have a hooter hider but it's pretty small and with a wiggly toddler is tends to get moved around and bares skin. I like the idea of a large cover. Again, it's not the boob, it's the belly.
Chrissy:
I completely understand. I was always more uncomfortable about my tummy showing than my breasts. That is why I opted for shirts that I could pull down or unbutton at the top to nurse, rather than shirts that I had to pull up.
Mothering Magazine is now offering a promotion for free nursing covers on their website. What an insult to nursing mothers! I hate those covers so much!
Hiding my tummy is what I want to..I hate nursing tanks though since they give me uni-boob..not a lovely look. I found undercovermama.com and am hooked! Brilliant! The tank hooks onto your nursing bra with a hook or loop and voila a nursing tank! love love love love them. Highly recommend them. Plus you can easily NIP without showing hardly a bit of skin for those that are uncomfortable with that part making the nursing cover (aka PIA) unnecessary.