# Breast feeding in the swimming pool **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437 "2013-08-16T18:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/61 "2013-08-16T23:04:35Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > a 17-month old probably isn’t going to suck in water by accident. She was there with the 17-month old, but it was a 4-month old involved in the activity in question. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/62 "2013-08-16T23:09:54Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Don’t want to watch a woman breastfeeding? Look the other way. I’m sure there is no shortage of men who have no problem seeing a woman take her boob out, even if there’s a lil’ tyke suckling at it. But somehow, I’d bet you find that pretty objectionable too. So it seems like we’re all expected to all go about our business saying “Carry on — nothing to see here.” Except that there is. Breasts, for all their natural, life-giving, nourishment functionality are **also** a fairly sexualized part of the anatomy, that for whatever prudish, puritanical reason, our society has decided are for private viewing only. Remember how Janet Jackson’s nip slip stopped our nation’s ability to talk about anything else? But whenever these breastfeeding discussions come up, a particularly vociferous faction conveniently forgets the societal norms that have molded our expectations of what’s fit for “all audiences.” So let’s stop pretending that the only factor at work here is some imagined persecution of women’s freedoms by misogynistic troglodytes. An inability to acknowledge all the social facets undermines the valid arguments you are bringing to the table and, quite frankly, is a bit insulting to those who don’t share your black & white view of the situation (like **Skara\_Brae** , whom you just compared to Ann Coulter.) … As for the OP, the mother wasn’t harming anyone and no-one felt like they had to flee the pool for fear of some infectious biohazard. They were just weirded out. Because our society has been telling them to be weirded out by boobs. Getting in a tizzy over public breastfeeding is a symptom of our schizophrenic attitude we’ve developed about sexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/63 "2013-08-16T23:16:14Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Not what I said, but hey, nice job twisting it around. Apologies, the first paragraph in that article made it sound as if she were trying to shame mothers. Then it goes on to say she was protesting the formula companies. I’m fine with that, but I’d hardly call them predatory, and she’s full of shit when she says she had no idea what she was doing when she decided to plop herself right there in the middle of the floor in front of the booth. I don’t buy that for a minute. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/64 "2013-08-16T23:20:42Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I was wondering that myself. In the toddler pools that I’ve been familiar with, the water barely comes up to the knee, if that. I’m guessing she was in a sitting position, if that point hasn’t already been made. And it is the baby that should NOT BE IN A POOL! I don’t care to swim in a dirty diaper. They want baby to play in water? Fill the damned bath tub (cost of the water) or drop a few bucks on a rigid plastic “pool” at wallyworld (how much do those cost vs admission to the public pool?) I wonder what the chlorine level in those toddler pools is? It had damn well be at a level just below household bleach if babies (or anyone wearing an infant diaper) are allowed in it ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/65 "2013-08-16T23:21:06Z")
At the pool, no problem. In the pool, well, if the rule is no eating allowed in the pool then that applies to everyone. Likening breast feeding to urinating is absurd. If they were asking her to stop because of the no eating in the pool, that’s fine. If it’s because of indecent exposure, that’s just silly. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/66 "2013-08-16T23:21:18Z")
I think it’s fine. I often used to breastfeed standing. It’s not hard when the baby is small. She probably wanted to be in the water so that she could watch her toddler while she fed her baby. She might feel that if she got out, then she would have to get the toddler out and then there would be screaming and crying. (I guess some people would let a toddler play in the pool without direct supervision, but I wouldn’t, and many mothers I know wouldn’t. It only takes a second for them to get into trouble and if you were over there on the deck chair, you might not see. Plus, the toddler might not be comfortable in the pool without you.) But even if she didn’t have a particular reason to be in the pool, it would be fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/67 "2013-08-16T23:22:09Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > For those who know more about this subject than me (so, most of you) - when being breast fed, will the little nipper only suckle when in physical contact with the breast or do they get the idea to suckle by the sight of the nip and will suckle until they’ve had their fill? They pretty much need physical contact (babies don’t actually “suck” so much as they compress the entire areola region with their mouths, which stimulates the milk letdown reflex in the mother; once this happens, it’s less like sucking water through a straw and more like having water hosed into your mouth via a rainbird sprinkler) although it’s definitely conceivable that a baby being nursed in a swimming pool could get some chlorinated water in its mouth. Seriously, all commentary about whether or not women should burka up in order to feed their infants aside, it’s pretty dumb, and IMO would be fairly uncomfortable, to feed your kid while standing up in a damn swimming pool. Why not just sit down at the edge? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/68 "2013-08-16T23:46:48Z")
How many gallons of water in the pool? How many ounces of breast milk might escape? This is a dilution of homeopathic dimension. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/69 "2013-08-16T23:58:54Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Likening breast feeding to urinating is absurd. Only in that it is a “bodily fluid.” Read it as spitting, bleeding, or ejaculating, if you prefer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/70 "2013-08-17T00:22:27Z")
Most public pools I know do not let children wearing diapers into the pool. I’d be surprised if an 18 month old baby was toilet trained, so the child probably should not have been in the pool regardless of whether s/he was being breast-fed or not. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/71 "2013-08-17T00:48:17Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > You seem to have done some study on this issue. I might suggest looking at a woman’s face when she is breastfeeding, instead of carefully scrutinizing the amount of areola she has visible around the face of the child she is currently feeding. I can’t agree that it’s reasonable to expect all women to feed their children under a cover-up (perhaps in the heat of summer, or with an infant who simply hates being covered up) simply to avoid the slim possibility that someone like yourself might be scandalized by the momentary glimpse of a nipple. (Or, heaven forfend, a bit of areola.) I looked because I’m a guy and it’s a naked breast. I’m all in favor of naked breasts, frankly. (Well, that’s the answer after puberty, anyway.) I wasn’t scandalized or harmed by these experiences and consider breastfeeding a natural bodily function. It was an attitude shared by many members of my family, hence my exposure to some of these experiences. I was actually present at the home birth of my youngest brother and saw everything. But I also think we have laws, and these laws frown on performing natural bodily functions in public, and on certain body parts being displayed in public. Maybe these laws are not necessary for everyone and maybe they’re even due to be changed. I think the appropriate response is to write to your Congressman. Start a PAC. Participate in a legal demonstration, even. You’ll probably have my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/72 "2013-08-17T01:13:38Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > I think it’s fine. > > I often used to breastfeed standing. It’s not hard when the baby is small. She probably wanted to be in the water so that she could watch her toddler while she fed her baby. She might feel that if she got out, then she would have to get the toddler out and then there would be screaming and crying. (I guess some people would let a toddler play in the pool without direct supervision, but I wouldn’t, and many mothers I know wouldn’t. It only takes a second for them to get into trouble and if you were over there on the deck chair, you might not see. Plus, the toddler might not be comfortable in the pool without you.) > > But even if she didn’t have a particular reason to be in the pool, it would be fine with me. Yeah, that. It took 66 posts for someone to point out the blindingly obvious reason why a person with both a 4 month old and a 17 month old might choose to be in the pool rather than at the edge? I thought we had more parents of multiple children around these boards than that! Regarding the waist deep water - it does say her husband was there too. So, one parent per kid, sounds like a reasonable setup even in deep (for a toddler) water. But even with a dad on deck for the older kid, it seems perfectly reasonable to choose to be with your family rather than shunted off to the side of the pool (let alone “in the toilet” :smack: :rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/73 "2013-08-17T01:16:53Z")
Agreed it’s probably what she was thinking, but really, what’s she going to do if there’s trouble? How is she going to rescue a 4-year old with a baby stuck on her tit? She can’t set that one down. (We all seem to agree that nursing poolside with the family is no problem, just not in the pool) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/74 "2013-08-17T01:29:21Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > But I also think we have laws, and these laws frown on performing natural bodily functions in public, and on certain body parts being displayed in public. What on Earth are you on about? She wasn’t breaking any laws. I can’t speak for the state of affairs in every corner of the U.S., but, in any case, this was in Manchester, and women’s right to breastfeed in public is protected by law in Britain. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/75 "2013-08-17T01:34:30Z")
Ummm. I think it already is legal. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/76 "2013-08-17T01:37:43Z")
If she should be thrown out of the pool for anything, it’s for naming her daughter “Harmonie” with an “ie” at the end. That kid is set for a lifetime of having her name misspelled. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/77 "2013-08-17T01:38:19Z")
I think women should nurse wherever and whenever they want. Our breasts are conveniently located so that we can even nurse a baby while doing other things. (I always wished I had nipples on my knees, too, once my kids were toddlers, but that’s another story.) Would I personally bring my baby into a pool? No, but that’s just because I’d worry about the chlorine. Different issue. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/78 "2013-08-17T01:39:49Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > You’ll probably have my vote. You’ll be cheered to know that your vote isn’t necessary. [http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx](http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/79 "2013-08-17T01:48:43Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Yeah, that. It took 66 posts for someone to point out the blindingly obvious reason why a person with both a 4 month old and a 17 month old might choose to be in the pool rather than at the edge? I thought we had more parents of multiple children around these boards than that! > > Regarding the waist deep water - it does say her husband was there too. So, one parent per kid, sounds like a reasonable setup even in deep (for a toddler) water. But even with a dad on deck for the older kid, it seems perfectly reasonable to choose to be with your family rather than shunted off to the side of the pool (let alone “in the toilet” :smack: :rolleyes: ) Honest to god, if there hadn’t been another adult there, I would have considered what she did as horribly negligent. My kid tends to be pretty far along the curve for gross motor skills, but at 17 months I would not have been AT ALL sanguine about his ability to pull himself back up to a stand if he fell forward onto his knees in the pool in any sort of timely fashion. And if you had a baby at the breast–pool side or in the pool–it could easily be 60 seconds or more before you got the baby down safe and got to the toddler. And sixty seconds is a long time to be breathing water. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437/80 "2013-08-17T01:52:06Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > And if you had a baby at the breast–pool side or in the pool–it could easily be 60 seconds or more before you got the baby down safe and got to the toddler. And sixty seconds is a long time to be breathing water. I would tuck the baby under my arm like a football and rescue the toddler with my other arm. But actually I wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place, so basically we agree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-feeding-in-the-swimming-pool/666437.md?page=5)