The Christmas Posts

There are two posts from last year, that may be useful to you as the holiday season really kicks off.

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One addresses the thorny issue of going out and drinking alcohol whilst breastfeeding. It can be found here.

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The other, was written in response to a Mum being tutted at whilst her breastfeeding baby fed in Church. It's a vignette on the Christmas story, and can be found here. Nothing seems to have changed on the need for such stories... and as local newspaper links seem to die quite quickly, I'm going to archive the full text of this article below. But do go to the original site whilst it works - and have a read of 'the usual' lactaphobic comments.

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Breastfeeding mum slams woman for her insults in cathedral

AN Exeter mother has spoken out after being insulted for breastfeeding her baby at a church service.

Nicola Wood, 27, from the city centre, said she was hurt and angered by the rude remarks made by a woman during a Christmas carol service at Exeter Cathedral.

She said: "I was at the cathedral with a friend and her baby, listening to the music, which was beautiful.

"My little boy Theo, who is six months old, was getting hungry, so I started to breastfeed him, but all I could hear was a woman a few pews back moaning and saying, 'oh my God, how disgusting'.

"It ruined the whole service for me. Then she came up to me at the end of the service and said, 'as long as this cathedral has been open I have never seen anyone as disgusting as you in church. You might as well have been naked and peeing in the church'.

"She said it was the most disrespectful thing in the world and that I was disgusting for feeding my baby, but breastfeeding is the most natural, God-given way of feeding a child, and I was very discreet about it. What she said was so unchristian."

Nicola added that several other women who heard the conversation offered support.

"A woman said to me not to listen to the other woman. She said my baby was gorgeous and that he made her smile. Other mothers come up to us as well, saying how well behaved the children were and how wonderful it was to see young people at the cathedral.

"What that woman did really annoys me. I'm quite religious, and it is only recently I have been trying church again. You can see why snooty-nosed women like this put a barrier between you and God.

"I am going to write to the Dean. I'm really hurt."

Tracey Bailey, a health visitor and breast feeding trainer for Devon Primary Care Trust, said the public should support and encourage mothers who breastfeed.

"I am really sad to hear what happened to Nicola," she said.

"There are numerous health benefits in breastfeeding, for both mother and child, and it is the best and most natural way to feed your baby.

"In my experience, a lot of mums are concerned about breastfeeding in public, but for the majority they are able to do it without any problems.

"Soon there is going to be the New Equality Bill, which will legally protect breastfeeding in public. It will make it illegal for anybody to undermine breastfeeding in public.

"We need to raise awareness that people should be supportive of breastfeeding mothers.

"I'm sure Jesus was breastfed and all the old paintings always show Mary breastfeeding Jesus

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