Too posh to breastfeed?

Is breastfeeding in public still taboo? We investigate to find out whether the Brits are as old-fashioned as ever, or if the tide has turned...

• We hit the streets
• Our survey results
• National Breastfeeding Week

Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. So it seems incredible to think that until recent years, women were routinely turfed out of cafes and shops for daring to nurture their child. But are eyebrows still being raised at mums who dare to feed their babies in public? We find out.

We hit the streets

As part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (12-18 May), babyworld recruited mum Tracey Steele and her three-month-old daughter, Molly, to visit a variety of stores and restaurants to see exactly how staff and other customers responded to her breastfeeding. Our survey of McDonald's, Harvey Nichols, Starbucks coffee house and the exclusive Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham produced various results - but the resounding conclusion was a massive thumbs up for public breastfeeding. Gone are the days when new mums are made to feel unwelcome when trying to breastfeed in their favourite restaurant.

babyworld is happy to report that breastfeeding is now an acceptable part of modern day life. And so it should be. In fact, people were far more concerned with going about their daily business than worrying about Tracey breastfeeding Molly in public.

Tracey, a 36-year-old teacher from Birmingham, has never felt the need to ask shops or restaurants for permission to breastfeed - something that some mothers feel they still have to do - and so felt confident about taking up our challenge.

Birmingham has made sure that the city is breastfeeding-friendly with the Birmingham Annual Breastfeeding Awards. Each year, public places are nominated as locations that provide a welcoming atmosphere for breastfeeding mothers and their children. A spokeswoman for BABA claims that Birmingham, and the rest of the country, is making massive strides towards total acceptance of breastfeeding.

"The annual awards scheme was developed to acknowledge and commend the public places that provide a welcoming atmosphere for breastfeeding mothers and their children," says the BABA spokeswoman. "We include hospitals, health centres, leisure centres, public buildings, shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels. Our findings are produced in a leaflet which is given out to breastfeeding mums so they know where they can breastfeed."

Our survey results

Tracey and Molly visited a mixture of high class and high street establishments in Birmingham. Here are her findings:

McDonald's

It was 9.40am on a weekday morning when I ordered a mineral water and sat down with baby Molly for the first feed of the day. I noticed one interesting point straightaway: why doesn't McDonald's have decaffeinated coffee on the menu? Breastfeeding mothers obviously can't take in too much caffeine, alcohol, or any other substance that may transfer to breast milk.

However, in terms of 'audience reaction' there was no problem. We sat in a prominent part of the restaurant, surrounded by male diners who didn't bat an eyelid. Had some of the male members of my family been here, they'd have been out the door! The staff, it seemed, were far to busy to even notice I was breastfeeding.

Score:

4/5

Harvey Nichols

Frequented by ladies who are certainly too posh to push when it comes to childbirth, this one was bound to be interesting. We mooched around Miu Miu and Prada for a while, before plonking ourselves down in the exclusive footwear department. Whilst I tried on a couple of pairs of crippling (in terms of both pain threshold and bank balance) designer heels, I discreetly started to feed Molly.

The store was awash with the well-to-do. The staff was immaculate but, as it turned out, extremely friendly. Our assistant didn't bat an eyelid as Molly tucked in to her elevenses. In fact we were asked if we needed anything else, long after the shoe trying-on session had ended and we were simply sitting there waiting for Molly to finish.

Score:

5/5

Starbucks

After a brief walk through to the central shopping area, we decided to stop off for a coffee. Luckily this time decaf was on the menu, although I had to change Molly's nappy in a disabled toilet because there were no baby changing facilities as such. Molly wasn't hugely hungry at this point, but a quick snack didn't produce any reaction from staff or customers. A pleasant pit-stop was had by all.

Score:

4/5

Hotel du Vin

Arriving without a reservation I booked a table for two, mentioning that we had a three-month-old baby in tow. "Is that okay?" the receptionist enquired of the restaurant manager, and it was deemed fine. Why shouldn't it be? I thought.

When we were taken through to the bistro, we were shown to the far corner of an L-shaped dining area, well away from other customers. This is something that parents always notice, and it's happened to most of us. The question is, was it for our benefit so that I could attend to Molly's needs discreetly or for theirs?

Hotel Du Vin is largely populated at lunchtime by businessmen, who may not take kindly to a breastfeeding mother - which is why we chose it. babyworld wanted to see whether breastfeeding within the inner sanctum of the business world would cause any ripples. In my opinion it did - albeit very subtley. The staff was still charming and polite, but I couldn't help but feel slightly sidelined.

Score:

3/5

National Breastfeeding Week

There are many issues that National Breastfeeding Awareness Week aims to tackle. Campaigners are seeking to promote breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition for babies. The message is "Mother's milk is the perfect takeaway!" This year's campaign is aimed at young mothers and mums-to-be.

The key points being driven home are:

• Breastfeeding is convenient - you can do it any time, any place, any where.
• Breastfeeding is normal, natural and it's your right - it's fine to breastfeed in front of other people.
• Breastfeeding is the healthiest option for mother and baby.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health also supports the encouragement of breastfeeding: "There are proven health benefits for both mother and child. Babies have a lower risk of gastro-enteritis, eczema, childhood diabetes, and respiratory, urinary tract and ear infections. Longer term a breastfed baby is likely to be more intelligent, and have less incidence of anything from allergies to cot death."

Breastfeeding mums have never had it so good. So get out there and do what comes naturally. And if eyebrows are raised, raise your eyebrows back. This is the 21st century after all!

Where to next?

• Discuss breastfeeding with other mums on our Feeding discussion board
• Find out more about how to breastfeed
• Having trouble breastfeeding? Use our problem solver
• Find great bargains online from shop@babyworld
• Enter one of our great competitions now!