Many men and women struggle with the definition of glamor in today's American society. We have all tried to alter our appearance in some type of way to get positive attention from others — it's a confidence booster! However, what about the glamor of motherhood? Not only are people ashamed of how they look in today's world due to their weight, hair color, etc. Now moms and dads are feeling ashamed because they have worry about where they can feed their children. Breastfeeding in public is an ongoing debate leaving people feeling perturbed about the subject as a whole. Is glamor getting in the way of how people are beginning to view our natural way of life?

According to CNN, "In one of the most recent examples that garnered national attention, a mom in Beverly Hills says she was escorted to the bathroom at an Anthropology store when she was breastfeeding her six-week-old baby. Outraged, she took to social media and less than a day later more than 100 women staged a "nurse-in" at the store to protest." Some people stand behind the argument that their state laws allow them to breast feed in public, however, should we be taking this so far as to create an issue? According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "Forty-nine states, theDistrict of Columbia and the Virgin Islandshave laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private location. (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.)" We are then left with the question of if there are laws that protect women that want to breastfeed in public from indecency, why are people so inclined to send them to the bathroom to feed their child?

Mothers and Fathers that have experienced this have addressed this issue in a variety of ways. Mother of two, Amber Hinds, took to her blog to relay her opinion on social media. She stated, "since Zara is my second child and I am now a dedicated and confident nursing mother, it won’t ultimately have an impact on my nursing practices or relationship. However, the more Chris (her husband) and I discussed what had happened, the more I became concerned about how such an experience might impact a new mom, who may already be struggling with nursing or feeling self-conscious. Being told that she can’t nurse somewhere could be the thing that makes someone stop breastfeeding."

This particular idea provoked me to write this article. As a society, we need to come to accept that this is a way of life. Before there were breast pumps, formula and store bought milk and bottles, moms everywhere were forced to nurse whenever their child was hungry. Just because we have these alternatives doesn't mean that it is a better idea than choosing to nurse the old fashion way. Breastfeeding is better for both the mother and the child. The NCSL states that, "Both mothers and children benefit from breast milk. Breast milk contains antibodies that protect infants from bacteria and viruses. Breastfed children have fewer ear, respiratory and urinary tract infections and have diarrhea less often. Infants who are exclusively breastfed tend to need fewer health care visits, prescriptions and hospitalizations resulting in a lower total medical care cost compared to never breastfed infants." It has also been found that a mothers body produces milk as the child nurses, which means that putting off nursing until one can find a private place to do so can result in a decreased amount of milk for the child. People then entertain the fact that breast pumps will allow mothers to pump ahead of time and feed their child through a bottle in public. However, it has also been determined that when you pump the milk out with a machine, there is left over milk left behind because the machine cannot latch on to the mother exactly like a child can.

It is scary that we are living in a time where we can provoke fear in a woman that is new to motherhood and drive her away from breastfeeding. Although it not every mom's first choice, society should not be making this decision for them. Motherhood is something that no woman can fully be prepared for; it effects everyone differently. While still in the breastfeeding stages, chances are that these women are in a transitional period in their lives when their confidence is at an all-time low. Losing baby weight seems to be the number one concern with today's mothers, however, they are also experiencing a lack of sleep, pain and much more. In light of this, we need to stop pressuring them to change the way that they feed their child because we are afraid that it is going to offend someone. If a woman wants to breastfeed in public, we need to let her. It is just as humiliating for a mother to discreetly take out portions of their body in public as it is for the people staring at her and putting forth remarks on the circumstances.