Breastfeeding in Public & Controversial Magazine Cover

I have a free Subscription to Baby Talk Magazine, that I do not always have the time to read, but I do not recall getting an issue last month. A few days ago I recieved the most recent issue and discovered in reading the Letters to the Editor that the previous month's cover was a picture of a baby nursing from a naked breast. While many mothers lauded this cover, they were also many angry letters calling this cover "Pornography" as well as disgusting, gross, and went so far as to suggest that breastfeeding it's self is disgusting, not needed when there is infant formula available, and thatif women feel they must breastfeed, they should stay home.

While I am a very conservative, and I would say even modest person that dresses conservatively, and I can say that I am all that wild about a cover of a magazine I ahve in my home displaying a large breast with a baby attached to it, I do advocate Breastfeeding. I was raised to view Breastfeeding as "gross" and believing only poor women in thrird world countries whom could not afford to buy formula Breastfed their babies. I attempted to nurse my first child but he had difficilty latching on and I could not get the help I needed in a timely manner so I ended up going with formula. Deep down, even though I felt guilty, I was terribly relieved. I had not yet worked beyond the teachings of my childhood.

By the time I had my second child, a little girl who latched right on a few minutes after delivery and a champion nurser, I was more willing to try. The first month I was so sore, I absolutely hated it. But as time went on, the discomfort faded, and my daughter and I became more in sync with each other, I began to enjoy the closeness of our. nursing relationship.  I was absolutely terrified of nursing in my parent's house because I knew they would be disgusted by it. Somehow I got through that first visit, and amazingly they did not make any disparaging remarks. As I ventured out into the public toting my solely breastfed infant, I had to learn to nurse discreetly so as to protect both my delicate sensibilties and not embarras those around me. That was painfully difficult when my husband and I went to see a sold out movie and I had to nurse my less then 2 month old sitting next to a very embarrassed stranger in the dark and my baby was afraid of having a blanket covering my shoulder because it was so dark. I am not sure who was more horrified, that poor fellow or me.

We are planning to have one more child and I absolutely plan to Breastfeed, and as always I will be placed in situations where I will ahve to nurse my baby at church, or in the waiting room at the Doctor's office with my baby tucked under a baby blanket, and I know despite my best attempt at descretion there will be those who squirm at the though of what the baby is doing under wraps. In reality, America is really the only country(ok, well maybe England too) that has such a huge hang-up about breastfeeding in public. Ut's ok for a supermodel to walk down a runway with an exposed breast or see women on Venice Beach with bathing suit bottoms that cover nothing in the rear(thong) and show nipples, we call that "Free Expression" and a "Fashion Statement."

But God forbid a woman should try to feed her baby somewhere else other then in her own home.  So what so you think?