Breastfeeding Mother on Sesame Street?!

When I saw this I literally did a DOUBLE TAKE. I'm a big fan of "Sesame Street" and watch it with my kids quite frequently. I love how they teach children about tolerance towards race, culture and gender AND they get an education on top of it. I love that they show that nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes but we can learn from that. So when I saw this clip from a 1977 airing, it made me realize how the "times they are a changing". Breastfeeding has come a long way since the 70's, but you can guarantee that this clip would never make it on "Sesame Street" today.

My favorite part of this first clip is when Big Bird says to Buffy "you know, that's nice". It was just so real, and sweet. Nothing outrageous or racy about it. If we can't get across how beautiful and natural breastfeeding is than we haven't come as far as I thought. I can't say that I'm comfortable with having other women just "plopping" it out and sticking their baby on their breast when I'm around. I'm a private person myself and prefer other women to nurse discreetly under a blanket or a nursing cover or at least have minimum exposure of their breast like Buffy in this video. Yes, I know we as women are all equipped the same but that doesn't mean I want to see their breasts. Frankly some breasts are so saggy and worn out that I would really rather NOT see them. Let's face it, we can't all have supermodel breasts people! (Well we can if you're willing to pay the price!)

Not to offend, but think about it, have you ever walked by an overweight person wearing spandex with rolls of fat hanging out and thought to yourself "surely this person could find more flattering clothing for their size?" I personally have a gut and there are outfits I would NEVER be caught dead in because I know it emphasizes what I don't want the world knowing I have BELLY FAT! Yikes!

I'm not comparing my belly fat to a Mother's breast by any means. All I'm saying is yes, I believe a women has the right to breastfeed in public no matter what. HOWEVER just to make those around you more comfortable and to keep the men from gawking I might add, please use discretion that's all I ask!

That being said I'm a BIG advocate of breastfeeding and the many wonderful benefits. If you need support or advice contact your local la leche league. There is so much info out there. Just remember to follow your heart and not all the advice you're given. Sometimes that "well-meaning" advice can cause more harm than good.