What’s wrong with pumping milk in public, so long as it’s done discreetly?

WOULD you want a mother pumping milk out of her breasts sitting next to you on a plane? Perhaps not, but keep it discreet and you’re more likely to win others over, says Susie O’Brien.

Mother-of-three Natalie Sawyer should not have been made to cover up.

WOULD you want a mother pumping milk out of her breasts using a mechanical device sitting next to you on a plane?

Perhaps not.

I’ve expressed milk for all of my children at various times, and I have to admit it’s a bit weird. You attach a device to your nipples that sucks them in and out, stretching them way beyond what you’d think possible.

I certainly would never have had the confidence to do it on a plane flight.

However, as long as it’s done discreetly, I have no problem with others doing so.

I see nothing wrong with a mother-of-three, Natalie Sawyer, pumping breast milk on a Jetstar flight from Brisbane to Townsville. She was pretty well covered up; it’s not as if she was flashing her amazing bionic stretchy nipples around for everyone to see.

So it’s a great pity Jetstar staff took opposition to her pumping milk, asking her to “cover up” because people might walk past her on the way to the toilet.

Given that she exclusively breastfeeds three children, I can imagine Ms Sawyer spends quite a bit of time pumping when she is travelling without them. Why not do it discreetly on an early morning flight?

Ms Sawyer has said staff talking to her like that made her feel as if she was doing “something dirty rather than something normal”.

The fact that she was largely covered up means she should have been left alone to get on with it.

Nicole Trunfio was trying a bit hard to make a point. Picture: Supplied

Although I defend the right of women to breastfeed pretty much anywhere anytime, I do think it’s up to us to be conscious that it may make others feel uncomfortable at times. So we should cover up where possible, and get on with feeding our bubs.

There are women – and a lot of them seem to love posting photos on the internet – who seem to think it’s okay to flash bare breasts, including nipple and all, to a room full of diners.

There are “badass breastfeeders” who make a point of not covering anything up when they’re feeding.

There are even Facebook sites set up just for breastfeeding shots: some show tiny bubs sucking away. Others show pre-schoolers bending backwards over couches to grab a feed from mum.

There’s even a naked woman doing an upside down yoga pose with a toddler rushing in for a snack.

I understand that it’s supposed to celebrate breastfeeding, but it’s almost getting to the point where it’s turning something private and wonderful into a sideshow.

It reminds me of photo of model Nicole Trunfio breastfeeding her gorgeous son on the cover of Elle magazine.

I found it a bit uncomfortable because it seemed to be trying too hard to make a point.

I am much more a fan of the more intimate and candid shots of breastfeeding released by model Miranda Kerr a few years ago. There’s also the lovely photo of Angelina Jolie breastfeeding her twins in 2008 that made it to the cover of W.

There does need to be greater acceptance of breastfeeding in public to encourage more women to breastfeed for longer.

Australia has some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the developed world. Just 14 per cent of us breastfeed to one year, and only 25 per cent breastfeed exclusively to six months, which is what is recommended. I’d love to see more women give it a go.

But, ladies, keep it discreet and you’re more likely to win others over and have a more pleasant experience yourself.