Is it ok to breastfeed at Mass?

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nat_c1990

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My husband and I have a 9 month old son who is breastfed. If he happens to get hungry during Mass, I was just wondering if it would be ok to feed him sitting in the pew or would it be better to walk out and do it somewhere else? I wouldn’t really want to do it in the bathroom just because I think bathrooms are kind of a gross place to eat, I mean I wouldn’t want to eat in one. But our church does have a “Cry room” in the back of the church for people with young babies and children. Would it be better to do it in there? Or does it even matter? I’m always discreet about it anytime that I nurse around other people. Usually you can’t even really tell that I’m nursing him, it just looks like I’m holding him. Thanks in advance.
 
nat_c1990 said:
My husband and I have a 9 month old son who is breastfed. If he happens to get hungry during Mass, I was just wondering if it would be ok to feed him sitting in the pew or would it be better to walk out and do it somewhere else? I wouldn’t really want to do it in the bathroom just because I think bathrooms are kind of a gross place to eat, I mean I wouldn’t want to eat in one. But our church does have a “Cry room” in the back of the church for people with young babies and children. Would it be better to do it in there? Or does it even matter? I’m always discreet about it anytime that I nurse around other people. Usually you can’t even really tell that I’m nursing him, it just looks like I’m holding him. Thanks in advance.
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If it were me I’d probably head for the “cry room” if just for a little privacy and so as not to disrupt mass in any way since feeding babies can sometimes also be fussy babies (and mind you being daddy I’m bottle feeding the breast milk). But if baby is fairly quiet, you’re comfortable doing it in public and the priest doesn’t object…
 
nat_c1990 said:
My husband and I have a 9 month old son who is breastfed. If he happens to get hungry during Mass, I was just wondering if it would be ok to feed him sitting in the pew or would it be better to walk out and do it somewhere else? I wouldn’t really want to do it in the bathroom just because I think bathrooms are kind of a gross place to eat, I mean I wouldn’t want to eat in one. But our church does have a “Cry room” in the back of the church for people with young babies and children. Would it be better to do it in there? Or does it even matter? I’m always discreet about it anytime that I nurse around other people. Usually you can’t even really tell that I’m nursing him, it just looks like I’m holding him. Thanks in advance.
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If you’re discreet, I don’t see a problem. Neither does the pope.

usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/12/pope-francis-breast-feeding-sistine-chapel/21620337/

The guy in the pew next to you might disagree though… 🤷
 
I breastfeed my three month old daughter in Mass all the time, almost every week. I’ve breastfed her two older siblings at Mass as well. I just sit and nurse in the pew, wear easy-access nursing clothes. I personally think it would be more disruptive to stand and leave the main body of the church.
 
I believe that it,s better that you do it behind the door,s leading into the church,or if they have a cry room, their too, but in the main church,while Mass is going on ,I wound,t what too see that happening,. May God help to understand what I,am saying. Amen
 
The_Apostolate said:
I believe that it,s better that you do it behind the door,s leading into the church,or if they have a cry room, their too, but in the main church,while Mass is going on ,I wound,t what too see that happening,. May God help to understand what I,am saying. Amen
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I guess my question would be: what don’t you want to see happening? A baby snuggled against his mother? Because that’s really all you can usually see.
 
Just don’t leave your breast hanging out. 😛 Back at my home parish there was a lady who would sit in the very front and breast feed, except she would leave her entire breast (not even attempting to cover it) exposed to the congregation while she was moving the baby around. It happened a couple times, so our priest had to ask her to either stop, or do it in a less revealing way.
 
Absolutely feed your infant at Mass. As catholic mothers we are very conscious of modesty and like you said, no one can tell what you are doing other than snuggling your baby. I always nursed my babes during mass if I needed to. I go to a parish where the families are large and there are always new babies around, so there is plenty of breast feeding going on, discreetly of course. 🙂
 
nat_c1990 said:
My husband and I have a 9 month old son who is breastfed. If he happens to get hungry during Mass, I was just wondering if it would be ok to feed him sitting in the pew or would it be better to walk out and do it somewhere else? I wouldn’t really want to do it in the bathroom just because I think bathrooms are kind of a gross place to eat, I mean I wouldn’t want to eat in one. But our church does have a “Cry room” in the back of the church for people with young babies and children. Would it be better to do it in there? Or does it even matter? I’m always discreet about it anytime that I nurse around other people. Usually you can’t even really tell that I’m nursing him, it just looks like I’m holding him. Thanks in advance.
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As long as you are discreet please do it in the place where you and your little one are most comfortable (at our old Church the cry room was so crowded and active it was the last place you would want to go :D) and speaking for my wife I second the idea of not using the bathroom.

It seems that this question or one like it comes up a couple of times a year and makes me wonder - would would we say if we saw Mary nurse our Lord in the Temple? Would we be supportive or self-righteous? Would we snicker and make snide comments? Would we wish that she and her baby would leave?:confused:
 
My wife had to breastfeed our daughter, now seven, at church. It’s been several years, so I’m trying to remember, but I am sure she breastfed at least a few times in the pew with those covers they sell for breastfeeding. She probably want to the cry room some, but I’d guess the majority she stayed there.
 
nodito said:
I guess my question would be: what don’t you want to see happening? A baby snuggled against his mother? Because that’s really all you can usually see.
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I just don,t thing it,s right to do it during Mass in the pew,It,s better if the women were to go to a place were people,don,t have too see her breastfeed,. I have never since it done in my church,so maybe women should not ,and do it were people will notice what their doing.
 
The_Apostolate said:
I believe that it,s better that you do it behind the door,s leading into the church,or if they have a cry room, their too, but in the main church,while Mass is going on ,I wound,t what too see that happening,. May God help to understand what I,am saying. Amen
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Yes, heaven forbid a child be fed the way God intended. :rolleyes:
 
The_Apostolate said:
I just don,t thing it,s right to do it during Mass in the pew,It,s better if the women were to go to a place were people,don,t have too see her breastfeed,. I have never since it done in my church,so maybe women should not ,and do it were people will notice what their doing.
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Pope Francis has expressed approval of breastfeeding in the pew.
 
In short ‘yes’.

It’s a comfort thing too. If there is a cry room, not a bad idea.

I think my wife just sits in the pew using a cover blanket.

I guess, we’ll soon find out again here before the year is out.

Take care,

Mike
 
The_Apostolate said:
I just don,t thing it,s right to do it during Mass in the pew,It,s better if the women were to go to a place were people,don,t have too see her breastfeed,. I have never since it done in my church,so maybe women should not ,and do it were people will notice what their doing.
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In charity, I think it likely that you have seen women breastfeed in church and just haven’t realized that is what they are doing. It’s not often obvious.
 
OP, thank you for being a caring mother and choosing to nurture your child in this special way!

Please breastfeed as and where you and your baby are most comfortable (e.g. in pew, elsewhere, with a cover, without). 🙂 Breastfeeding is an entirely natural and appropriate act for a mother and child to engage in, and no reasonable person is going to give you grief for feeding your child. After all, who designed this marvellous feeding system?

FWIW, I nursed my child until self-weaning at 4, and that included nursing without a special cover in the pew regularly until early 3. It resulted in VERY good Mass behaviour. 🙂

He went through a phase around 4-6 months where he was extremely distractable nursing, so we would often step out to the breezeway to avoid a big wavy show of a feeding. But then, so would a formula-feeding mother whose child repeatedly dropped a bottle on the pew, making loud noises.
 
nat_c1990 said:
My husband and I have a 9 month old son who is breastfed. If he happens to get hungry during Mass, I was just wondering if it would be ok to feed him sitting in the pew or would it be better to walk out and do it somewhere else? I wouldn’t really want to do it in the bathroom just because I think bathrooms are kind of a gross place to eat, I mean I wouldn’t want to eat in one. But our church does have a “Cry room” in the back of the church for people with young babies and children. Would it be better to do it in there? Or does it even matter? I’m always discreet about it anytime that I nurse around other people. Usually you can’t even really tell that I’m nursing him, it just looks like I’m holding him. Thanks in advance.
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I don’t think anyone would say anything to you if you did it in the pew, but you can be sure some would talk behind your back, etc. So, I would opt for the cry room. That’s partly what they’re for.

It also depends on the church. If it’s routine for mother’s to breastfeed in the pew, then you should have no worries. Now if it’s a very large church like I go to, where people can’t possibly know everyone, it’d be frowned on unless it was in the cry room. It would be forbidden in our Mother Church. They have twenty-six pages or rules they give to new parishioners! And we have to follow them all! No cry rooms there because it’s the old - and beautiful - cathedral. One of the rules is for a breastfeeding mother to leave the church. To be sure, the cathedral is not a kid-friendly church. It’s beautiful, but not kid friendly. So, it depends on the church as well. Still, I’d be on the safe side and opt for the cry room. If he’s a fast eater, you can soon return to your seat in the pew. And if you sit in the back when he’s hungry, fewer people will notice.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone.

I didn’t really think it would be a problem unless someone was being really obvious about it to the point where they were distracting others around them. My general opinion on public breastfeeding is that I think women should be able to nurse anywhere that they need to. We can try to feed our babies before we leave the house but the fact is, babies are unpredictable. My son tends to want to eat every couple of hours and sometimes even more often than that. Sometimes I think he may want to nurse and not even be that hungry but he just wants it for comfort. Sometimes he gets fussy because he is sleepy and wants to take a nap, and nursing helps him to fall asleep. There’s a number of reason why babies nurse, its not all about just being hungry.

Its my personal taste to try to be discreet about it and to not be any more exposed than I absolutely have to be, but I know some women are a little less discreet about it than others. Some women use the excuse that their baby doesnt like to be covered because he gets hot under the cover or rips the cover off, but there are discreet ways to nurse without using a cover. I do it all the time.

So normally, I wouldn’t even ask about this type of thing, I’d just do it. But since its church… I just thought I’d ask to be on the safe side. I am so glad to hear that most everyone here seems so supportive of breastfeeding, and the fact that the Pope supports it as well is pretty amazing.

The doctor- I love that you asked the question of what would we do if we saw Mary nursing baby Jesus. I’m pretty sure noone would ask her to leave. I think everyone would just be admiring her for being such a loving, caring mother to her Son. It is a gift from God that we are able to breastfeed our babies and I think we should embrace it and be thankful for it.
 
I think it’s fine to breastfeed in the pew, in a discrete way. Those breastfeeding covers are great.

However, out of respect for the pastor, I would suggest making sure he’s fine with it first. Mainly incase some whiner complains, Father isn’t caught off guard.

God Bless
 
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