I ended up mostly bottle feeding at church (pumped milk whenever I was able) because I felt too uncomfortable to breastfeed in class or in the foyer, but the Mother's Lounge was uncomfortable, busy, and really stinky (the only changing table/diaper pail in the building was in the same small room with the 2 rocking chairs).
-North America
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I've nursed in many Mothers Rooms as well as Sacrament meetings, Sunday Schools and Relief Society meetings without issue. More than one mom has thanked me for nursing during church because it gave them the courage to do so as well. Makes any discomfort worth it for me.
-North America With my 3rd child I became pretty open with my breastfeeding and it was empowering. I wasn’t that brave with my 1st child and got more so with my 2nd. I had women come up to me having never had the thought that they could breastfeed in sacrament mtg or even relief society. I mostly got positive feedback.
-North America I breastfed 3 babies, and my experiences were increasingly positive as I became more confident in the rightness of breastfeeding, and the unrighteous cultural traditions of the Latter Day Saints regarding breastfeeding. I am now able to see how wrong and harmful their attitudes are, and ignore them. But until recently, breastfeeding my children at church has been an extremely negative experience. I felt harassed, unwelcome, and uncomfortable due to comments the ward members made, as well as occasionally church leaders. It was clear they would rather I not come.
-North America I bottle-fed in sacrament meeting, and would get disapproving looks from near-by congregants when I shook up a bottle to prepare it.
-North America I think I received more pressure to cover, hide, or not breastfeed at church from women than men (because patriarchy). The only reason that these things did not shorten breastfeeding is because I’m stubborn, but they did cause me to teach my toddlers not to ask for it at church. To convey to them that it was not ok to go there because of my uncomfortableness. And also because who wants to gaze into their sweet babies eyes while smelling someone’s poop!!?!
-North America Mother’s room was often crowded and very stinky when mother’s would come change diapers in that very small space, even though they could have used the separate bathroom. Felt very isolated and lonely and did not feel like nursing in any meeting would have been accepted. Nursing toddlers was also quite taboo at the time. I was an outcast.
-North America When I went home to visit, there was no place to breastfeed comfortably in the small chapel, other than on the toilet. There were no chairs or couches in the hall to sit on, and I had to sit on a hard metal chair in the hall, outside the bishop's office, in front of the only coatroom because there was no other place to sit that didn't block the hall. But I kept having to get out of the way and interrupt my feeding when people wanted me to get out of the way.
-North America The primary president set a rule that we could not nurse during primary. With many new moms in the ward, several were teaching in primary and we all had to try and nurse during sacrament, with a one chair mother's lounge
-North America I had twins and it was unmanageable at church. I was shamed for feeding uncovered in the mother’s room. The leaders, if they knew about it, did not mention it to me.
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The stories shared here are from Latter-day Saints women around the world who have fed their babies at church. Archives
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