Third-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information student Dayna Yin, 23, started a class project encouraging people to talk about boobs.

More specifically, she created a social campaign, Bare It For Baby, to promote and raise awareness for public breastfeeding.

Inspired by her elder sister, Dawn, who is breastfeeding her second child, Dayna wants her sister and other Singaporean mothers alike to be able to feel confident and comfortable with nursing in public.

Providing breastfeeding information for mothers

Initially, Dayna faced some criticism from naysayers who felt being unable to publicly breastfeed was a ‘First World problem’, unworthy of being a social cause.

Undeterred, Dayna began documenting the breastfeeding journeys of mothers. Through sharing personal stories and brightly-coloured photos of mothers nursing in various public spaces, the campaign gradually gained momentum.

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When speaking with #momswhobare, Dayna realised nursing babies is not something “mothers just get”.

She shares the opinion of Kelly, 36, a nurse who noticed a knowledge gap between mothers and breastfeeding. Even among healthcare professionals, information isn’t readily available.

Through stories, Bare It For Baby seeks not only to create a supportive community, but also a platform which provides information on breastfeeding.

But having breastfeeding mothers on board wasn’t enough to realise this goal—Dayna needed to rope in the support of the public.

Desexualising the breast and getting non-mothers involved

Public breastfeeding in Singapore still carries a stigma. Mothers who nurse in public run the risk of getting ‘Stomp’-ed, and are often on the receiving end of stares and dirty looks for being ‘obscene’.

However, to the breastfeeding mother, the breast is not perceived as a sexual object but a means of nourishment for their baby.

“It’s a constant battle between people feeling like they can take pictures of you like you’re doing something wrong versus a mother who wants to feed their kid,” Dayna explains.

“You can’t choose when your kid needs to eat. When the kid needs to eat, he needs to eat!”

One way to reduce the stigma of public breastfeeding is to stop thinking of breasts as sex objects. But, Dayna does realise a short eight-week campaign is not going to change people’s minds.

Hence, she aims to encourage talk around breasts and the notion mothers should be able to feed their babies whenever.

To kickstart this conversation, Dayna made short, fun videos about food which look like boobs, titled ‘Breast Meal Ever’.

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“If you wanna raise awareness, you have to include non-mothers. Through discussing with mothers what boobs mean to them, this is how they can still be part of the conversation,” she shares.

The Future Of Bare It For Baby

Dayna’s plan seems to be working as the response to the Bare It For Baby campaign has been overwhelmingly positive.

Besides having classmates and breastfeeding mums commend her on the campaign’s efforts, her work has garnered attention from publications including Shin Min Daily News.

Encouraged by the feedback, Dayna has decided to continue with the project after the school term wraps up.

“I’d definitely encourage more mothers to come forward with their stories. I do believe mothers should be able to have the choice to breastfeed anywhere.”

Looking at her sister, she adds, “After all, mothers shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed about feeding their child.”

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If you’re a breastfeeding mum and want to be featured in the Bare It For Baby campaign, you can get in touch with Dayna through the campaign’s Facebook page or Instagram page.

Alternatively, you can share your public breastfeeding pictures under the tag #momswhobare

The post This 23-Year-Old Girl Documents Public Breastfeeding In Singapore To Support Her Social Campaign appeared first on ZULA.sg.

While times are changing, public breastfeeding in Singapore remains a contentious topic.

Some Singaporeans are quick to whip out their phones and ‘Stomp’ nursing mothers, labelling the act as ‘indecent’. However, others feel we should be more accepting toward the natural process of motherhood. After all, a woman’s breasts aren’t simply ‘sexual objects’.

Leading by example, these 9 Singaporean mums who support the Bare It For Baby movement, have come forward to proudly share their public breastfeeding stories.

1. Sharmane, 25

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Mother of 2, has a personal blog chronicling her motherhood journey

As a mum, I prioritise my child’s feeding needs over being judged. Rather than constantly rushing to a nursing room when I’m out with my child, I choose to publicly breastfeed for convenience.

Every mother goes through different breastfeeding journeys, and I’m lucky I’ve never been in a situation where I was made to feel embarrassed.

My child is fine with being fed in a carrier, but some kids don’t like feeling restricted so their mums have to be more exposed.

I hope the public will be more tolerant of public breastfeeding. It shouldn’t be this difficult for something so innate and natural!

2. Rubell, 33

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Mother of 2, Stay-home mum who was formerly a nurse 

A mother must be brave and courageous enough to breastfeed publicly as it’s not accepted by all Singaporeans.

Once, when I was breastfeeding, I noticed a man who repeatedly walked past me. He was trying to have a peep at me! As I was feeding my child, I couldn’t do much except stare at him defiantly and hope he’d go away.

But breastfeeding is an act of love toward my baby and has nothing to do with it being an outrage of modesty. I’m not exposing myself, I’m just feeding my baby.

3. Dawn, 30

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Mother of 1

Breastfeeding has been a wonderful experience for a first-time mother like me. Besides being able to feed my hungry baby, it has helped create a special bond between us.

Though I’ve gotten a few stares when I’m breastfeeding in public, I’ve not encountered any incidents which made me uncomfortable.

I hope more mothers will be willing to nurse in public, no matter the obstacles.

4. Fion, 30

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Mother of 3, Babywear Consultant

Though I’m comfortable breastfeeding in public, the stares some people give me can be quite daunting. They look at me as though I’m doing something shameful.

I know I’m putting myself up for judgement when I publicly breastfeed but like all mothers, I’m only doing what’s best for my child—if my child is hungry, I will feed her.

Breastfeeding is a part of motherhood which creates a special bond between mother and child. As it only lasts a few years, we should celebrate and treasure every breastfeeding opportunity

I hope the public can support breastfeeding mothers by not staring, and respecting our decision to publicly breastfeed. Hopefully, my daughter will not face such judgement when it’s her turn to become a mother.

5. Felicia, 29

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Mother of 2, Relationship Executive

I often get stares for breastfeeding my children in public, but I’m not bothered because there’s no shame in what I’m doing. All mothers have one thing in common—wanting to fill our baby’s tummy.

The strong bond a mother shares with her child when breastfeeding is unlike any other, and mothers should be proud of that.

I hope more mothers will step up, be courageous and feed their babies in public. The public should not judge a nursing mother but respect her.

6. Lisa, 30

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Mother of 1, Teacher

Last May, my family and I were holidaying in Japan with my then six-month-old baby. While we were on a train, she started crying from hunger. I was hesitant to nurse her as there were a few elderly Japanese ladies sitting in front of me.

One of them asked if my baby was hungry and I nodded my head. She then patted my shoulder to let me know it was alright to breastfeed, and I was just doing my job as a mother.

I was extremely touched and wondered how nice would it be if one day, Singaporean mothers would not have to worry about being judged for public breastfeeding.

I try to be discreet when nursing in public as I know not everyone is comfortable with it. But in the future, I hope more people will be accepting of it.

7. Stacey, 30

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Mother of 2, Stay-home mum

When we’re hungry, we’ll find food to eat. When my children are hungry, it’s only natural I feed them. But breastfeeding wasn’t always easy for me.

My first-born struggled to latch and pumping milk was extremely stressful. However, I told myself, “No matter what, I have to be strong and determined.”

This October marks the first year of my breastfeeding journey. To all mothers out there, don’t give up!

8. Kelly, 36

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Mother of 3, Nurse

When I started my breastfeeding journey in 2011, there wasn’t much support or information on breastfeeding. Nursing rooms were hard to find, and those that were available were in a horrendous condition. It was hard for my baby to feed beside a bin full of smelly soiled diapers!

Using nursing tops and covers were difficult as my baby didn’t like how hot and stuffy it was when she was covered. But without the cover, I felt like I was starring in an R21 movie.

Thankfully, more information is now available as more people have raised awareness on breastfeeding. I’m now more at ease and comfortable with breastfeeding publicly. At the end of the day, a healthy baby is the most important.

9. Crystal, 26

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Mother of 2, Educator

One time when I was at a hawker centre, my baby started crying inconsolably out of hunger. But when I decided to breastfeed him right there and then, a passerby criticised me.

I remember how ashamed I felt due to my inability to feel confident about both my baby and my body. I felt so embarrassed I had to ask my husband to shield both of us.

However, through sharing my story, I want mothers to know that there is a supportive breastfeeding community. With more awareness and support, I hope public breastfeeding will eventually be seen as a normal process of raising a child.

Being Supportive Of Breastfeeding

While we respect that public breastfeeding is not for everyone, we shouldn’t shame mothers who choose to put their babies’ needs before themselves.

Raising a child is tough enough, so to all breastfeeding mums out there, kudos to you!

The post 9 Singaporean Mums Who Publicly Breastfeed And Are Proud Of It appeared first on ZULA.sg.