I believe people that gock and ridicule breast feeding mothers to be uninformed and maybe lack of continued exposer. I remember when I was about 16 years old I saw a mom breast feeding her baby while walking down the mall. It did not gross me out, but I did not know what she was doing. I remember her thinking it was odd how she was holding her baby. I grew up in a family when formula was the way to do it. In fact I was basically forced to breastfeed my baby after I gave birth to him because I was about to bleed to death and I just happened to be giving birth in the middle of a tornado (Well, thats another story.) I was not planning on nursing and had to. My bleeding stopped within minutes of nursing. Shortly after both me and baby was in good health. However my son would never take the bottle. I am thankful now for this. But I was somewhat embarrassed that I could not get my own baby to eat. Thank goodness for the baby nurses at the hospital that took me under their wing. I was the first one in my family to breastfeed and it was not excepted. Even when I did it in a private area. I remember my mom trying to stuff a bottle in my sons face thinking something was wrong with him. In reality something was wrong with her(she is now okay with this). I was very shy then about it and stayed home allot. Cutting your self off from your surrounding can have a dangerous effect on a new mother and I would not recommend this. Now that I just had my third child, I can be more confident about breast feeding. I chose breastfeeding my child and would not have it any other way. I will breast feed anywhere my baby wants to eat. If they stare so be it, they are the one wrong not the mother nursing. It took time but my family finally realized that breast feeding is natural and not something you have to hide in a closet about. Please keep in mind that my family is very loving, they just thought something was wrong with my child and I was doing a disservice to him. My Grandma even at one time stuffed money in my purse thinking I was breast feeding my infant because I could not afford to pay for formula. I still have the insert for the news paper my Grandma wrote about my first son, A portion of it stated "He is of healthy weight, but is having trouble eating right, he is now four weeks old." A portion of the insert she wrote for my son third son stated, "My wonderful great grandson is of healthy weight and is a strong nurser." Why she had to mention it at all is beyond my knowing, but it does show that a little persistence and education can go along ways. http://www.ehow.com/members/amylaine.html