That said, I am 19 and have a 4 month old daughter and though I am not attending college yet I will be as soon as my husband (who recently graduated from Purdue University) has a job and we are settled wherever we are going to move to. My mother, who will soon be 40 graduated from Purdue in May 2008 so just because Karen was 33 does not mean she couldn’t have been a college student. Not to mention that facebook IS NOT just for college students anymore. It is a PUBLIC networking site that does not demand that you be affiliated with any college to be a member. I joined when I was in high school and there was a Jefferson HIGH SCHOOL network. Not to mention the fact that you would be hard pressed to find a college student out there who has not been exposed to breasts, either through having their own, being sexually active, seeing women breastfeeding (either in public or within their families and friends) or sex education classes. If they have been so sheltered as to not have been allowed to attend sex ed classes (and thus not exposed to breasts if they had not seen them in any other way) that is a sad thing indeed and we can only hope that they have received proper education from somewhere.

There are laws protecting a woman’s right to breastfeed in public and even if facebook was meant only for college students there is nothing stopping them from seeing a woman breastfeeding in public. Even young children can see this without the mother having to stop feeding her child. Why should places like facebook be any different? And I will tell you the same thing I will tell ANYONE who says I should not feed my daughter where it can be seen. “Who do you think you are? What gives YOU the right to tell me that I have to hide myself and my child away because she is hungry? Would you have me let her go hungry until we can be somewhere private? Would you yourself go hungry because you were in front of others who may not want to watch you eat? If you do not want to see my daughter eating, or me feeding her then DON’T LOOK! It is a SIMPLE solution. A CHILD could understand that if you don’t want to see something you just don’t look!” NO ONE is holding a gun to you or anyone else’s head saying look at this woman breastfeeding or I’ll shoot. Are you so ignorant that you can not understand something that simple and think women should not breastfeed where others can see, but rather should neglect their child’s most basic needs? Would you tell a woman who bottle feeds that they should let their crying baby go hungry?
There is NOTHING sexual or indecent about it. It is the most natural, healthy thing you can do for both yourself and your child and I hope that if you do have children you can grow up, and mature enough to understand that first. There was nothing wrong with that picture. I could possibly understand if her nipple had been showing but facebook was DEFINITELY in the wrong here and so are you.

No one made anyone look at those pictures and I am PROUD to be breastfeeding my daughter. I know that it is one of the best things I will ever be able to do for her and I do not feel the need to cover myself or my child, or hide away the pictures of me feeding her. I am not sure if I have put any on facebook but if I have not it is not because I was ashamed or embarassed by the thought of someone seeing it.

If we support breastfeeding mothers and do not make them feel like it is something to hide. If we make it more convenient rather than more difficult. If we do not act like it is indecent or embarrassing. Then maybe more mothers will make the right choice for themselves and their babies. As others have said BREASTFEEDING IS WHAT BREASTS WERE MADE FOR! Yes they can be sexual but factor in the baby attached to that breast and most people’s sexual thoughts will go right out the window.

For those of you saying that breastfeeding women should “bottle it” when they are in public:
What about women who cannot pump? The women in my family, including my sister-in-law, who is not blood-related, CANNOT PUMP. It takes me over THREE HOURS to get 2 ounces. My daughter can eat as much as 8 at one feeding when I do give her formula. And women who can produce all the breast milk their baby needs should not HAVE to give their child formula (or pump if they are able)to please insecure, immature strangers.

To all women reading this:
If you can not breast feed or truly do not feel comfortable with it (through no coercion from others)… If you do not feel that it is the right choice for you, then by all means use formula. There is no shame in that either. I myself supplement breast milk with some formula because I can not make enough breast milk to satisfy my daughter’s ever-growing appetite. But DO NOT let others shame you into giving up something that can be so good for you and your child. THEY are the ones who should be embarrassed and ashamed!!

If you want to exclude anyone exclude college students. Get out and meet some real people instead of bigging up your fake friends list. Facebook is for people with enough life experience and world travel to keep in touch with people they live too far away from to see, or are too busy rearing children to get out of the house. Personaly I don’t have a child but have anough brain cells to realise what an asset a social networking site is to those stuck indoors with a baby.

So to all you disapproving children, urm sorry college students, who feel breastfeeding photos are inappropriate get out and party – you clearly need it to get over your damaged social skills cause by being bottle fed.

Sam Larner BSc MBA CMI

The comment about bottling it is ridiculous and obviously made by someone who has never nursed a baby. My baby will not just take a bottle to ease your uncomfortableness. So since my baby does not take a bottle, I should just let her starve so that I am thinking of YOUR comfort level.

Breasts are for feeding babies… really our society needs to get over themselves and applaud every mother for feeding her baby!

We have enough problems in this world, how about supporting a mother who is trying to nurture and feed her baby, instead of shunning her.

Facebook is a SOCIAL NETWORK. When I signed on, I didn’t see the box that said “you must be a collage student to join.” Someone better tell my entire graduating class onf 1998… Oh, and let the over 4000 members of the Victoria School of Performing and Visual arts school know… they shouldn’t be here, even if they DID graduate 30 years ago. Hmmmm…. there really is an epidemic here. What ever will we do? Guess I’ll just have to go take off my socks, get knocked up and go cook supper. I really thought that we had come farther then this. I supposed I shouldn’t bother voting in the next election either. In fact… maybe I should never leave the house. After all, I’m not in collage anymore.

First of all, it is really not even relevant why or why not I am on facebook. It is a *networking* site, so I use it as such. I am a breastfeeding volunteer, supporter, lactivist, advocate, and I use facebook to start support GROUPS and help other breastfeeding moms. Nuf said.

I will also address Heather.

Number one, I don’t, nor have I EVER, whipped out my boobs in public. I discreetly nurse my babies (and yes, my toddlers, too) when they are hungry.

Number two, none of my four children have ever needed a bottle. Why should they, when they can drink the milk straight from the tap? Why would I want to go to the trouble of buying a bottle, buying a pump, pumping the milk, storing it in a bottle, keeping the bottle cold, taking it to the mall with me, finding somewhere to heat up the bottle, and feeding my baby out of an artificial plastic container, all to make YOU more comfortable.

No thank you.

I breastfeed my baby in public, but feel free to eat YOUR meal in the bathroom.

Oh, Amber you said it so well. I agree that breast feeding is just NOT in the same league as “ass-ets” and “bangable chicks”.

And I agree that Facebook has the right to take care of whatever content they wish, but it is truly sad that so many people can only equate a breast with pornography, titillation and sleeze.

I think Americans in general have a lot of growing up to do–College age or other age.