One question which comes to the fore every so often is whether or not a mother should breastfeed her infant child during the celebration of Holy Mass. I suppose there are many and varied opinions on the subject as this is not an issue that has been addressed by the Church.
Breastfeeding mothers should be made to feel welcome at Mass. Breastfed babies need their mothers, not only for nutrition, but also because of the strong emotional bond the baby has for his/her mother.
However, how does the mother breastfeed with several hundred people present at Sunday Mass? The key to breastfeeding in the presence of people outside your immediate family is to be discreet. This means the mother nurses without any part of her breasts showing. Nor is skin showing that is usually covered by clothing. A mother can practice modest nursing at home and thus feel more confident doing it elsewhere. With proper clothing, a nursing baby gives the appearance of a sleeping baby. A mother can wear a top that lifts up from the waist and the baby’s body will cover the exposed area of her skin above the waist. Another option is to purchase clothing tops, which have hidden nursing openings so a mother can discretely breastfeed her baby anytime, anywhere. Some mothers learn to nurse their baby in a wrap or baby carrier and no one is aware that the baby is nursing. Others use shawls or blankets for privacy. Nursing can be so inconspicuous that no one knows what the mother is doing.
Location in church is another consideration. The breastfeeding mother might have her husband on one side of her and her other children on the other side. On the other hand, she can sit at the end of a pew near the wall of the church with her husband sitting closer to the aisle. In that way, the breastfeeding mother is not sitting next to a complete stranger.
Many mothers feel shy at first about nursing at Mass, but with experience the breastfeeding mother gains confidence and finds, she can nurse without anyone noticing. Nursing mothers have received communion and gone to confession without the priest realizing that the mother was nursing while doing so.
A nursing mother should never feel that she has to go to another room or the restroom to nurse her baby. Legally, a mother has the right to nurse her baby in a public place, and churches are public places. Charity trumps legalities, however, and breastfeeding at Church should be done modestly, not audaciously, simply out of consideration for others present for worship.
Getting up and taking a crying, hungry baby out the nave of the church can be far more distracting than discreetly nursing her child.
Mothers Breastfeeding During Mass
One question which comes to the fore every so often is whether or not a mother should breastfeed her infant child during the celebration of Holy Mass. I suppose there are many and varied opinions on the subject as this is not an issue that has been addressed by the Church.
Breastfeeding mothers should be made to feel welcome at Mass. Breastfed babies need their mothers, not only for nutrition, but also because of the strong emotional bond the baby has for his/her mother.
However, how does the mother breastfeed with several hundred people present at Sunday Mass? The key to breastfeeding in the presence of people outside your immediate family is to be discreet. This means the mother nurses without any part of her breasts showing. Nor is skin showing that is usually covered by clothing. A mother can practice modest nursing at home and thus feel more confident doing it elsewhere. With proper clothing, a nursing baby gives the appearance of a sleeping baby. A mother can wear a top that lifts up from the waist and the baby’s body will cover the exposed area of her skin above the waist. Another option is to purchase clothing tops, which have hidden nursing openings so a mother can discretely breastfeed her baby anytime, anywhere. Some mothers learn to nurse their baby in a wrap or baby carrier and no one is aware that the baby is nursing. Others use shawls or blankets for privacy. Nursing can be so inconspicuous that no one knows what the mother is doing.
Location in church is another consideration. The breastfeeding mother might have her husband on one side of her and her other children on the other side. On the other hand, she can sit at the end of a pew near the wall of the church with her husband sitting closer to the aisle. In that way, the breastfeeding mother is not sitting next to a complete stranger.
Many mothers feel shy at first about nursing at Mass, but with experience the breastfeeding mother gains confidence and finds, she can nurse without anyone noticing. Nursing mothers have received communion and gone to confession without the priest realizing that the mother was nursing while doing so.
A nursing mother should never feel that she has to go to another room or the restroom to nurse her baby. Legally, a mother has the right to nurse her baby in a public place, and churches are public places. Charity trumps legalities, however, and breastfeeding at Church should be done modestly, not audaciously, simply out of consideration for others present for worship.
Getting up and taking a crying, hungry baby out the nave of the church can be far more distracting than discreetly nursing her child.
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