Melissa's Place

All Remaining Dignity

I've heard many women say that after giving birth, with all the peeping that goes on at their yoo-hoo's, they lose all shyness and worry about who sees the various parts of their bodies. I've heard women declare that they could now be naked in huge crowds at formal get-togethers and wouldn't feel an ounce of shame. The birthing process wasn't what separated me from all dignity, it was breastfeeding.

My breasts are not asthetical objects, they are functional. And if my baby requires food (necessary for survival), then I will feed him. And I won't hide in the corner to do it.

Well, today I visited my school. And wouldn't ya know it, Cole got hungry. And I was in the staff room, so I found a corner on a couch and decided to nurse him. Incidentally, a good friend, who happens to be a bit shy about breasts and breastmilk (she formula-fed her two beautiful daughters) was the only one sitting on the couches.

Not wanting to make her nervous, I covered Cole and myself with a receiving blanket and, luckily, he didn't protest. When it came time, however, to de-latch him and re-attach my bra, I was not as graceful as one would have hoped. I struggled to get my boob covered so quickly that, when I put Cole to my shoulder to burp him, I realized I hadn't re-positioned the nursing pad. In fact, I hadn't seen a nursing pad at all. I looked across from me at my friend and said, "I can't find my boob-pad."

She glanced down at my mid-section then turned a bit red, "It's by your waist-band."