Reporter Challenges Kate Middleton to Breast-feed in Public

[louisa05]

I think she would not breast feed in public merely for the fact that we aren't going to see much of this baby except in controlled formal settings very briefly. Charles and Diana arranged "photo calls" when the boys were little and not much more was seen of them. Even royal occasions with the whole family gathered such as the annual balcony appearance for Trooping The Colour have often not included infants and young toddlers.

[RachelB]

I am an aunt, not a mom, but one thing I have learned from watching complete strangers offer unsolicited advice and judgment to my sister-in-law in public is that if you are a mom, someone is going to tell you you're doing it wrong, pretty much no matter what you're doing.

I hope and trust that Catherine will have good support and advice from the people around her when she needs or wants it. And I hope that people will otherwise bloody well mind their own business.

[OkToBeTakei]

They'll most likely have a maternity nurse who keeps the baby overnight. It's what English upper class people do, and it makes it very hard to establish breastfeeding.

But, if she manages to breastfeed I don't blame her for a second for not doing so in public. When I whipped mine out at a moments notice until my kids could ask politely no one was taking my picture. There was certainly no one who was going to get a pic of my stretchmarks and podgy belly and magnify them for the world to see.

:lol: English Upper Class? I think you are confusing some by gone era. IF the landed gentry have any money left, keeping those houses kills them in this day and age. The reality is they tend now to be the crunchiest of parents, totally in to upcycling and vintage. (read Hunter boots owned by Granny.) Very breastfeedy, village school. Until hopefully old favours allow for Eton or similar.

The majority of nanny's and maternity nurses are just the same demographically here as elsewhere. When afforded or by parents who wish to return to work or not for whatever reason. ie. Money.

William and Harry attended private nurseries and schools. I sincerely doubt William and Catherine will be stepping back a century.

I hope she just enjoys her baby however she wishes without any pressure. Doubtful :(

[docmom]

I missed most of a family Christmas celebration when I had my first baby, who was a newborn at the time. I banished myself to a back room and missed out on all of the fun! I never did that again.

You haven't by chance read any Suzanne Barston or Dr. Amy have you? They say the very same thing, which most lactivists ignore and even distort. Hey, you don't happen to be Dr. Amy, do you?? :)

No I'm not Dr Amy. I've just read the literature and discussed it with pediarticians. The wars drive me nuts!

[crazyforkate]

Oh, FFS, who cares? I can't stand the idea that breastfeeding is this all-important holy grail that must be promoted at all costs (at least in our society). Help those who wish to partake, but the choice is nobody's business. If the baby's eating enough to stay alive, that's the important thing. Thank god we HAVE formula at all.

[Arete]

I really cannot stand other people, men or women, telling women that they need to be an example/spokesperson for The Cause. A few weeks ago it was Nigella Lawson and domestic violence, now it's Kate Middleton and breastfeeding. People need to down some Shut the Fuck Up followed by a chaser of Mind Your Own Business. These are people, not causes.

[littlemommy]

I was talking to my 87 year old grandmother about breastfeeding awhile back. She told me that women she knew were so happy when formula was being pushed, because it was a way (the doc said) they could be sure their babies were going to thrive. She said it seemed like an answered prayer. And now everyone is saying that breastfeeding is the miracle. :) I guess the point is just to lovingly feed your child, somehow.

[treemom]

Because of course women are not bullied into breast feeding now using questionable science that doesn't stand up very well. Now a women already harassed by the paparazzi should do it so she can be a role model or something, instead of the myriad of reasons to choose any feeding style.

I am so tired of lactivists.

[treemom]

I was talking to my 87 year old grandmother about breastfeeding awhile back. She told me that women she knew were so happy when formula was being pushed, because it was a way (the doc said) they could be sure their babies were going to thrive. She said it seemed like an answered prayer. And now everyone is saying that breastfeeding is the miracle. :) I guess the point is just to lovingly feed your child, somehow.

Because it was an answered prayer.

[yetanothermeg]

And speaking of shaming women into parenting a certain way, what is up with all the celebrities saying they won't have a nanny or baby nurse? Like having someone to help you is a bad thing? Fools! We'll see how soon that nanny gets hired after the baby gets here. I guess Kate's mother is coming to help for a while, but she has a business to run and a life of her own to lead. So once she goes home, who is going to watch the baby when Kate needs to get a haircut, go to the dentist, etc. I know when you are royal some of these people come to you, but someone still needs to tend the baby when you are getting your weekly blow-out. Is William taking paternity leave? Even then, they will get a nanny within the first six months, mark my words. I'm a sahm with small kids and if I could afford full-time help, I would be ALL OVER THAT and no apologies. Human females are not meant to care for children all alone.

[August]

:lol: English Upper Class? I think you are confusing some by gone era. IF the landed gentry have any money left, keeping those houses kills them in this day and age. The reality is they tend now to be the crunchiest of parents, totally in to upcycling and vintage. (read Hunter boots owned by Granny.) Very breastfeedy, village school. Until hopefully old favours allow for Eton or similar.

The majority of nanny's and maternity nurses are just the same demographically here as elsewhere. When afforded or by parents who wish to return to work or not for whatever reason. ie. Money.

William and Harry attended private nurseries and schools. I sincerely doubt William and Catherine will be stepping back a century.

I hope she just enjoys her baby however she wishes without any pressure. Doubtful :(

Maybe in the last ten years they've stopped, but I can tell you that the posh women of Chelsea all had one fifteen years ago. Even if they were planning to drop back to just the one nanny for two children (economies, you know) they'd have a nurse to cover the night shift for a newborn.

[louisa05]

And speaking of shaming women into parenting a certain way, what is up with all the celebrities saying they won't have a nanny or baby nurse? Like having someone to help you is a bad thing? Fools! We'll see how soon that nanny gets hired after the baby gets here. I guess Kate's mother is coming to help for a while, but she has a business to run and a life of her own to lead. So once she goes home, who is going to watch the baby when Kate needs to get a haircut, go to the dentist, etc. I know when you are royal some of these people come to you, but someone still needs to tend the baby when you are getting your weekly blow-out. Is William taking paternity leave? Even then, they will get a nanny within the first six months, mark my words. I'm a sahm with small kids and if I could afford full-time help, I would be ALL OVER THAT and no apologies. Human females are not meant to care for children all alone.

No one expects that they won't have a nanny. I think what they are resisting is the nanny who does the child rearing with parents who occasionally pop by for a visit pattern that was previously the norm for the royal family. The Queen actually resided near Phillip's naval posting in Malta, I believe, when Charles and Anne were small while they remained in London cared for exclusively by nannies.

As for needing a nanny while she gets a professional blowout during her maternity leave...this is the woman who did her own make-up for her internationally televised wedding to the future king of the U.K. and British Commonwealth. Perhaps she doesn't plan to go out for a blowout while officially on maternity leave. It is quite likely that she can do her own hair.

And just as her plans for how to feed her child are really no one's business, her intentions about child care should not be, either.

[August]

The UK papers are all abuzz over the fact that no maternity nurse or nanny has been hired. She is likely due any day (the July 13 date was made up by the Daily Mail), so if they haven't hired a nurse by now, they clearly are not. The Palace has said both parents intend to be "hands on" and that is why she has an open ended "maternity leave" from royal duties that may last as long as the remainder of 2013. Speculation is that a nanny will be hired once she is ready to resume duties as she will be a working mother and need child care, but that nannies will not raise their children in the way they have raised royal children of the past.

Remember, Kate grew up in a normal family without all of that. It is not surprising that she is not embracing those customs. And, additionally, as long as William remains in the military, they are not "full time" royals which gives them more flexibility as well.

Yay!!! That whole system is so damaging. I'm glad they're going to break the cycle. (of having others raise their children instead of them)

[yetanothermeg]

No one expects that they won't have a nanny. I think what they are resisting is the nanny who does the child rearing with parents who occasionally pop by for a visit pattern that was previously the norm for the royal family. The Queen actually resided near Phillip's naval posting in Malta, I believe, when Charles and Anne were small while they remained in London cared for exclusively by nannies.

As for needing a nanny while she gets a professional blowout during her maternity leave...this is the woman who did her own make-up for her internationally televised wedding to the future king of the U.K. and British Commonwealth. Perhaps she doesn't plan to go out for a blowout while officially on maternity leave. It is quite likely that she can do her own hair.

And just as her plans for how to feed her child are really no one's business, her intentions about child care should not be, either.

My point is that celebrities, including the royals, are going on and on about how they won't have any help because there is an assumption that if you have help, you aren't raising your child. Which is not true. Of course they will have help, as do most people in the public eye, and its disingenuous for them to publicly say otherwise. If they want to say they will be very hands-on, well that's great, be hands on. No matter how down to earth or "normal" Kate is, young children need care and I seriously doubt the Queen is going to be dropping by so Kate can get a workout in.

[louisa05]

Again, no one said that William and Kate won't have help. They did not say that, Buckingham Palace's office did not say that and St. James Palace's offices (where Kate, William and Harry's office is) did not say that. Actually, you are the one who decided that they announced they would have no help. What has been made clear is that they did not hire anyone yet. That doesn't mean Kate is never going to the dentist again or will need the Queen to babysit. I would say she will have plenty of other options for a babysitter other than having to call the Queen, including her own mother and sister. I would assume, though, that for the first few months/until a nanny is hired, she will do things like working out, getting a haircut, etc...when William is at home. His military shifts are a few days on followed by a few days off, so it is workable. Or to put it another way...perhaps until she is working again and a nanny is hired, she will manage like other new mothers manage. It is possible that they intentionally want to do it that way and let their family bond as a family without others in the house constantly. And why would it offend you or anyone else if that is what they want?

They lived in Anglesey, Wales without any household help prior to their marriage and continued to have no staff there (other than security) until about two months ago when a housekeeper was hired. Kate has been photographed putting groceries on the conveyor to pay and pushing her own cart back to the car. William was photographed getting on a train carrying his own bag recently. It truly is entirely possible that they plan to initially care for their own child by themselves with the help of some family members because they WANT TO not because they are trying to make a statement or trying to upset you.

[tabitha2]

normal is a relative word in royal circles. the nordic royals are very liberal and laid back compared to the brits but still have nannies to do the hard stuff while they do their duty .

she and William may love and spend time with the children as did Elizabeth and phillip but at the end of the day she is going to go off on world trips leaving the children for how ever long and missing birthdays and entertain heads of state instead of helping with home work. to paraphrase an actual quote from the queen about herself-she can either be queen or be a full time mother but she can't do both.

[noni alabaster]

I strongly dislike people pressuring a new mother like this. I hope Kate ignores everyone and feeds her baby the way she wants and does it when and where she wants.

When my first child was born, we had to stay with my in-laws for the first couple of weeks because a bad snowstorm blocked the road leading to the remote area we lived in. Right away the pressure was on. My husband and I had both been bottle fed so I didn't really think about breast feeding. It was a shock to me to wake up from the emergency C-section to find a nurse standing over me telling me it's time to feed the baby and reassuring me they hadn't given her anything by mouth because my husband had informed them I would be breast feeding. Seems my husband had decided that I was to breastfeed both because he felt "Breast was best" and he didn't like the cost of formula.

The next afternoon my mother arrived from out of town and said "Uck!" and rolled her eyes every time I tried to feed my baby.

Then we found out that we couldn't go home and we all headed to my in-laws house. Once there, my FIL went outside and stood in the snow any time he even suspected I might be feeding the baby - I thought that he was embarassed but my husband thought that it was my own embarassement that made his dad stand in the snow all day. My MIL was either fascinated with the process, or she thought she was being supportive, but every time I fed the baby MIL would come in the room and put her face just inches from my breast and as "Is Baby nursing?" Then other relatives who lived nearby kept visiting and were treated to a 'progress report' on the situation. I got a lot of unsolicited advice on what I should be doing, with one particularly open (male) relative who found it all very funny encouraging me to "whip it out and go for it. I like to watch women breastfeed when the kids start teething - sometimes they get bit and that's always funny."

I asked my husband to help me out and ask these people to back off, but he was raised with the notion that any relative older than him, no matter if they were only a day older, had to be respected. In his book respect equaled blind obedience. It was a relief when my mom went home, and a bigger relief to be able to finally go to my own home. I continued to try to breastfeed for a few weeks and finally quit. My husband and his mother were terribly disappointed, but my FIL finally admitted that he was worried about the baby, he felt she was getting too thin. She did actually look thinner, but at her first well-baby visit the doctor said she'd put on 5 ounces and had grown an inch! It's too bad I was unable to continue, but when every feeding time brought on the bad feelings engendered by those first couple of weeks I just couldn't do it.

Goodness! That is an awful story. My in-laws were similarly controlling. I hope things have improved for you.

[yetanothermeg]

Again, no one said that William and Kate won't have help. They did not say that, Buckingham Palace's office did not say that and St. James Palace's offices (where Kate, William and Harry's office is) did not say that. Actually, you are the one who decided that they announced they would have no help. What has been made clear is that they did not hire anyone yet. That doesn't mean Kate is never going to the dentist again or will need the Queen to babysit. I would say she will have plenty of other options for a babysitter other than having to call the Queen, including her own mother and sister. I would assume, though, that for the first few months/until a nanny is hired, she will do things like working out, getting a haircut, etc...when William is at home. His military shifts are a few days on followed by a few days off, so it is workable. Or to put it another way...perhaps until she is working again and a nanny is hired, she will manage like other new mothers manage. It is possible that they intentionally want to do it that way and let their family bond as a family without others in the house constantly. And why would it offend you or anyone else if that is what they want?

They lived in Anglesey, Wales without any household help prior to their marriage and continued to have no staff there (other than security) until about two months ago when a housekeeper was hired. Kate has been photographed putting groceries on the conveyor to pay and pushing her own cart back to the car. William was photographed getting on a train carrying his own bag recently. It truly is entirely possible that they plan to initially care for their own child by themselves with the help of some family members because they WANT TO not because they are trying to make a statement or trying to upset you.

It doesn't upset me at all, I just don't buy it.

I happen to like the royal couple quite a lot. They both, however, live a life of privilege. Kate's family are self-made millionaires so she has money in her own right. While they did not have live-in help in Angelsey, its naive to believe they "do it all themselves" like a middle-income couple might. People with money don't scrub their own bathrooms.

And that's all I have to say about that.

[LilMissMetaphor]

No one should ever tell another person that they have to let a thing with strong sucking power, clenching power, and/or teeth to latch on to a very sensitive part of their body.

[Flossie]

I hope things have improved for you.

Well, the in-laws are dead, and I'm divorced, so...

[desertvixen]

I strongly dislike people pressuring a new mother like this. I hope Kate ignores everyone and feeds her baby the way she wants and does it when and where she wants.

This times a thousand.

It was a shock to me to wake up from the emergency C-section to find a nurse standing over me telling me it's time to feed the baby and reassuring me they hadn't given her anything by mouth because my husband had informed them I would be breast feeding. Seems my husband had decided that I was to breastfeed both because he felt "Breast was best" and he didn't like the cost of formula.

If he had been my husband, he would have been lucky he was in the hospital at that point. I'm all for nursing, but it's not really his decision.

[PennySycamore]

"Royal" children are raised by nannies and governesses. I doubt Kate will breastfeed.

They may be raised by nannies and governesses but not only did Princess Diana breastfeed, but so did Queen Elizabeth. I don't know how long she breastfed, but at least the young Royals started out at the breast. Princess Grace of Monaco also breastfed her babies. In fact, she was the guest speaker at the 1971 La Leche League International Conference in Chicago. I think she was the speaker at the banquet, but I'm not positive.

[miffy]

I was talking to my 87 year old grandmother about breastfeeding awhile back. She told me that women she knew were so happy when formula was being pushed, because it was a way (the doc said) they could be sure their babies were going to thrive. She said it seemed like an answered prayer. And now everyone is saying that breastfeeding is the miracle. :) I guess the point is just to lovingly feed your child, somehow.

Yeah, until recently fat babies were healthy babies. Because childhood illnesses were a worry for parents even in the 50s.

*Both my parents have photos of themselves as smiling bald fat lards. :lol: Very cute!

[OkToBeTakei]

Maybe in the last ten years they've stopped, but I can tell you that the posh women of Chelsea all had one fifteen years ago. Even if they were planning to drop back to just the one nanny for two children (economies, you know) they'd have a nurse to cover the night shift for a newborn.

OH totally! Still do. It was the upper class bit I meant. The richest residents of Chelsea after all tend to be the players and their wives of Chelsea FC! (an exaggeration, but you get my drift :lol: )

[dora]

I hope she does breastfeeding if she can, but I certainly wouldn't expect she will do it in public - I wouldn't if I were as photographed as her. And it's not like she'll get stuck at the mall or the supermarket with a hungry baby, she'll have the freedom and the new to arrange her life how she likes it.