Hanging the Hooter Hider Out to Dry: The Cover Up of Public Breastfeeding

Hanging the Hooter Hider Out to Dry: The Cover Up of Public Breastfeeding By Dr. Meghan Lewis Fabrics of fanciful flowers, pink plaid, or purple polka dot are delicately draped over the shoulders of hundreds of nursing parents. Worn as a cloak of concealment, the Hooter Hider, a triangular breastfeeding blanket becomes an “accessory” to societal setbacks. Sadly, even in the height of the Locavore, or Farm-to-Table movement (i.e. consuming local, naturally produced food), sales of the Hooter Hider continue to soar. No doubt, Giving-breast-to-baby offers the best, most nourishing noshings. So why then has feeding a nurseling in public become such a taboo that so many are made to eat under a kind of tot tarp? After all, who wants to dine in a tent while eating out? It’s simple: People feed their babies from their bodies. So what does hiding it imply? When we gather with friends and family to share in a meal we also co-create and celebrate togetherness. Chestfeeding, in truth, is the initiation of these food sharing rituals. It’s a practice to be revered not reviled. When babies feast, they source their nutrition from their parents, simultaneously laying the neurological pathways for a lifetime of interconnection. In discerning the broader purpose of the Hooter Hider, I see that it perhaps points toward a societal shadow. It may serve to shield our psyches from a kind of primal longing; a naturally deep desire for familial tenderness and symbiotic awe. Perhaps the Hooter Hider keeps under wraps a need that’s hardwired into our brains for a felt, body-based connection– one that gives a kind of assurance of personal survival. Perhaps this phenomenon was developed similarly to the way we don’t often see the farms from which are food comes. There’s nothing innately inappropriate or offensive about natural nursing or, for that matter, tilling the soil. Originally, it was do or die. Bra burning of the 1960’s represented the freedom to be natural, to no longer uphold stereotypes surrounding the breast. I am not suggesting to actually go about torching these titty tablecloths. (I am, however, thinking that they could be turned into something of practical use; perhaps made into menstrual pads, diaper wipes, or burp cloths). Just as we have the right to choose how and where to birth our babies, we have the right to choose how and where and with what we feed them. Supportive spaces that openly embrace baby feeding include public libraries, (because they’re smart there), Farmer’s Markets (because they know that naturally harvested and raw food is good for you), and, of course, the zoo (because non-human mammals have mammaries too). Additionally, Flashmob-Nurse-Ins and the annual Boobie-Palooza Festivals are jubilantly welcoming of natural nursing. I wonder what would happen if nursing parents- those willing and able- shook loose their trendy yet staid suckling sheets. Let’s really consider the benefits of beholding, not blanketing baby’s innate and blissful bond with the breast. One does not have to be a lactivist to view that breastfeeding is not only interpersonally precious and ideally nutritious for baby in the long-run, but it is a boost to public health as well. To this end, when considering natural nursing in public the question is simply this: Is it really too intolerable to bare? (First published in the East Bay Express’ Kid You Not column) Settle into yourself with the supportive and empowering guidance of perinatal therapist, Dr. Meghan Lewis. Utilizing hypnotherapy, art therapy, and embodied mindfulness practices to support your best self during your preconception, prenatal and postpartum periods. New clients receive 20% off their first session when mentioning Boobie-Palooza. Offices located in Oakland and San Francisco. For more information please visit www.meghanlewisphd.com

Dr. Meghan Lewis is the founder of Integrative Perinatal Psychotherapy with offices in Oakland and San Francisco specializing, for over 18 years, in preconception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early parenting. She holds a PhD from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and a BA from the University of Michigan. A queer solo parent by choice, Meghan is the founding member of the LGBTQ Perinatal Wellness Associates of the Bay Area, a group of LGBTQ-identified professionals dedicated to the health of the queer community’s growing families. Helping to inspire a grassroots movement merging reproductive justice and environmental activism she enjoys participating on the steering committee of the 2015 BirthKeeper Summit.Meghan also served on the Board of BirthWays and is currently on the Advisory Board of Then Comes Baby. She enjoys drawing from her experiences as an apprentice midwife in her monthly contributions to the East Bay Express’ column, Kid You Not. www.meghanlewisphd.com