There seem to be some women out there who oppose the idea of a breastfeeding mother using a nursing cover. They argue that you should not use a cover up when breastfeeding in public because ‘breastfeeding should be normalised’. The premise of this argument is that women cover up because of what others think or may say to them. In reality, I think very few people would actually express a negative sentiment towards a breastfeeding woman.
In many cases it is the mother who prefers to use a cover up when breastfeeding while she’s in the company of other people. The argument that ‘breastfeeding should be normalised’ will not convince them that they should feel comfortable to pull out their breasts in front of other people when this is not something they’ve been used to doing (unless they are the bare-top type of gal on the beach). On many occasions these women advise other women to use a muslin and not a breastfeeding cover. That does not make a whole lot of sense to me if the intention is still to cover up their breasts. I wonder how many of these ladies who are so opposed to a nursing cover openly breastfeed in front of their father-in-law or brother-in-law?
It’s a shame that some people feel the urge to disapprove of women who choose to cover up their breasts when breastfeeding. If these women have been through breastfeeding themselves, they should have an appreciation for how difficult breastfeeding can be and the commitment it takes. So why not encourage mothers to continue with breastfeeding however way they choose to go about it. To cover up or not should be a personal choice after all. And if using a breastfeeding cover gives mothers the confidence and freedom to keep up breastfeeding for longer then that is a positive outcome.
