Babies in the Workplace

become relatively rare in our culture
(though this is changing). As a result, some people are uncomfortable when they see a nursing baby because they just have no idea how they're supposed to react. Even though women's breasts are specifically designed for the purpose of feeding, nurturing, and providing babies with immune system benefits, many in American society consider nursing a baby in public to be inappropriate or even obscene. Our cultural norm is that women's breasts should be covered in public, which actually increases the tendency for breasts to be sexualized (the "forbidden fruit" effect). It is understandably difficult for many people to reconcile this association--and the idea that breasts are "supposed" to be covered--with the fact that human babies have been designed since the beginning of humanity to be nursed by their mothers.

Another issue that makes some people uncomfortable was described by the editor of a parenting magazine. She pointed out that a mother nursing a baby can be an extremely fascinating thing, especially the idea that a mother's body can actually create everything a baby needs to grow. It can also be a beautiful thing to watch--especially given how utterly content babies tend to be while they're nursing. So many people are curious about and naturally drawn to look at a nursing mother. But because breasts have become so sexualized in our culture, this creates a mental conflict--people feel as though there's something wrong with them because they want to look, which then makes them uncomfortable with the whole issue.

As more babies are nursed in the workplace and in public in general, the sexualization issue will start to wear off and nursing will be seen more as what it is--