Feed Me Seymour!*

Earlier in the week, while lounging in the hotel's bed, I learned from the BBC Breakfast Show that a legislation is currently being drawn up in the UK that will give women the legal right to breastfeed in public.

The news came as a shock to me since I had recently travelled to the UK and indulged in some public acts of nursing whenever the time urgently called for it.

I even briefly nursed Sadia in Harrod's cafe when she noisily signalled for a 'fill-up'! However, she was too distracted by other patrons sitting at the adjacent tables to complete the nursing session.

I wonder now what would happen if I had continued nursing her at the table. Since the waitress who came by to deliver our grub didn’t bat an eye at me, I presumed all were hunky dory. Else, she had been properly trained to handle all sorts of situations and remained the ever so professional Harrods personnel. Or perhaps, if she were to stop my nursing, we would have caused a ruckus and left the place abruptly without paying! :)

So when I told my cousin, Lindsey, whom I later met the same night, about my public nursing ‘stint’ in Harrods café, she was aghast at my nonchalance in flouting the rule. Huh? I had thought she was just winding me up. On hindsight, considering her legal academic background, she must have been serious. Sorry Lindsey for taking it lightly!

Statistics reveal that about 52% of breastfeeding mothers in the UK feel embarrassed to nurse in public at some point in their maternal lives. Another figure shows that only 20% of UK women breastfeed exclusively for the first six months as recommended by WHO. These percentages are quite staggering coming from a fully developed country.

And it was ONLY in 2005 that Scotland passed a law that allows women to nurse their babies in public places. In fact, it is considered an offence to stop a woman from doing so.

Why so strong a stigma attached to public breastfeeding? I think it all boils down to the culture and local customs. Contrary to some beliefs and despite the fast accessibility to all kinds of smut, the British lot is more conservative compared to their European counterparts.

In the Netherlands for instance, the exposure of a person’s derriere on television ads are commonplace and culturally acceptable. At times though, some ads pushed the envelope and showed some ample bosoms for as long as five seconds! Anyway, since liberal-mindedness is synonymous with the Dutch society I guess they do not have any qualms about public nursing at all.

In other words, if it were not for the smoke-infested restaurants, cafés and many other establishments, I would be more than happy to nurse Sadia. (Side note: when will the Dutch government going to implement a blanket non-smoking policy in public areas?!)

Conversely, decorum, countenance and all things proper rule the day in good old Britain. The long, irreproachable history of stuffy conservatives must have a hand in perpetuating this societal aversion towards what should be a natural ‘womanly’ conduct.

Likewise, tv ads in the UK follow a similar traditional route where immoderate bodily exposure is universally frown upon. (I think the US also errs on the side of caution with respect to tv commercials, save for those being aired on cable channels)

One ad that stuck in my mind is Sanex – a ‘douche gel’ (shower gel) – whose storyboard centers on a sea of naked men and women. The glistening backs of these models are prominently featured in the commercial, undulating in harmony like the ocean waves. In the UK, these back shots were zoomed very close to the bodies, thus ensuring no slip-ups of any sensitive body parts. Contrarily, the Dutch version generously shows haunches of different colors and peeks at the sides of some mammary glands.

How about Malaysia, you would ask? When I first tried nursing in public there, I was both self-conscious and awkward. As time went by, I became more confident in nursing Sadia thanks to the aid of big nursing rooms in most Malaysian malls that I patronized. I became dependent on such cavernous spaces that I was peeved with the lack of proper facilities here. Therefore, when push comes to shove, I have adapted to the local culture and nursed my baby whenever the need arises.

Based on my 6-month Malaysian experience, nursing publicly is not as prevalent as compared to the Netherlands due to the presence of reliable nursing rooms and the general modest mindset of Malaysian women. This, however, does not translate to any societal disapproval towards breastfeeding in public. Also, I might add, the roving eyes of some loutish males contribute to the hesitancy to immediately giving into your nursling’s request. As someone once said to me, “Only perverts want to take a look. Decent guys would avert their glances.” Well put.

No one stares when you nurse in public areas in the Netherlands. Probably the prevailing national customs that include legalized prostitution and marijuana consumption foster this casual attitude towards public acts of nursing. Maybe, unlike those nosy Asians, they just couldn’t care less. ;)

One tudung-clad, traditionalist friend, Khalina is such a noteworthy figure in this public nursing realm. I once bumped into her nursing her baby away in the common seating area facing Watson – a local pharmacy store – located on the ground floor of Mid-Valley Megamall. And during our outings, she wouldn’t think twice about suckling her baby.

On the condition that one remains fairly discreet while nursing, I believe no one in his right mind should have any diabolical, selfish reason to stop a grown woman from nourishing her growing baby. I am more than relieved that the UK is finally taking that important step to remedy this trifling situation.

"Go into any newsagent, you see a variety of breasts on display on the counter there and yet a woman who's breastfeeding - very discreetly - a six-month-old baby can be told to leave a cafe"

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*That's what Audrey Junior (or Audrey II), the blood-thirsty alien plant implored her owner in the off-broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors.