A few weeks ago, a coffee shop owner in Tulsa famously twittered that he was banning breastfeeding in his establishment.

Of course, that was illegal and wrong, and he was promptly advised of his patrons’ right to breastfeed in his store regardless of what he thought about it.

But I am going to come out and admit that I myself feel uncomfortable when a woman breastfeeds in public.

I would never tell a woman she couldn’t do it, I recognize it as her absolute right, and I support breastfeeding, but if I am to be truthful, I have to look away when I see it being done.  I think it is because I view it as a private thing, but of course it isn’t really because one can never know when a child will become hungry.

I remember going to my first Mom’s Club meeting years ago, and one of the board members just lifted her shirt and exposed her entire breast during the meeting, and I just sat there staring at the table because I didn’t want to seem like I was staring at her chest.

I personally had issues with my seven year old son seeing me breastfeed, and I’m sure that it’s due to my fairly Victorian upbringing.  It’s also the mixed message that our society gives about breasts and how they are viewed more as sexual instead of utilitarian. It wound up that I wasn’t able to breastfeed my daughter, but I pumped exclusively for eight months (even though everyone told me I was crazy) and I will say I was somewhat relieved when I didn’t have to go around the house lifting my shirt up all the time.

So am I just a prude? Am I the only one? Am I going to get harassed by the breastfeeding brigade?