I had a baby and a 4yr old at the time and a right arm that could not take any weight. My babies were big ones - 9lb + at birth .

I was Anglican at the time and my husband was working on Sundays - so took kiddies and convertible pram/push chair to church with me in the back of our car [ it just fitted if baby went in the car seat and got folded down on it's chassis ].

Parked car , got pram out , popped baby in it grabbed elder daughter's hand and went into Church . Parked myself at the back and had the 4yr old in the pew and the pram in the aisle beside me NOT blocking the very wide aisle.

After Sung Eucharist [ and I extracted baby from pram as I went down to Communion with other kiddy beside me ( both had behaved wonderfully well) ] I was greeted , as I went out with the information that prams weren't allowed in Church I would have to hold the child and I should not take them down as I went to Communion !

I asked if I was meant to leave them unattended - and just got a 'look' for the answer. I explained I was disabled , within the meaning of the Act [ I was registered disabled ] and could not carry her for more than about 20 mins. This had no effect - I was not welcome till the children were old enough to be left in the Creche , which in their terms was 5 !

That was the end of taking the children to Church .

Sometimes not taking them is easier than taking them!!!

I am always very impressed with women with babies...It is no easy feat!!

Because in the States the Greek churches have adapted the Protestant concepts of decorum, quiet, pews, etc...., the women with babies generally sit/stand in the last aisle/pew and if the baby starts acting up they promptly get up (or if their hubbies are there, they might be the ones) and take them outside of the church. It tends to work for our jurisdiction...no one complains.

Alice

What has always annoyed me is people who give disapproving looks to women breast feeding their infants in church--usually old ladies who never used those glands for their intended purpose in any case. Yet, it was quite good enough for the Virgin Mary, whose image is staring down at them from all corners of the temple.

No one has ever breastfed in the sanctuary of any of the churches I have ever gone to...there are rooms within the church where that can be discreetly done. There are some things which should be done a bit more privately I think, but that just may be me...

As for the comments about the old ladies, I think it is totally innapropriate and rude.

Alice

"No one has ever breastfed in the sanctuary of any of the churches I have ever gone to...there are rooms within the church where that can be discreetly done. There are some things which should be done a bit more privately I think, but that just may be me..."

Probably. By the way, I'm sure you've never seen women in the sanctuary under any circumstances; surely you mean the nave?

In my parishes (both of them), women modestly cover themselves, and do what God put them on earth to do. In Europe, in Orthodox churches from France to Romania, I have seen women breast feeding in a totally unselfconscious manner.

"As for the comments about the old ladies, I think it is totally innapropriate and rude."

Not all old ladies--just the really sanctimonious "Church Lady' type who seem to think God is so busy he needs them to make sure people behave appropriately in His house. These are the people who think children are a distraction from their own personal time with God, instead of fully enlightened members of the Ekklesia who have every right to be there. They are the people who leave church on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee thinking, "Thank goodness God didn't make me like that Pharisee".

I don't even notice the dirty looks for breastfeeding in church. I have developed nerves of steel for nursing in public. You can't see anything, so please don't be offended by the very idea that I'm feeding my baby in the manner in which God intended.

A friend of mine shared this link with me once.

Elizabeth

Consider this icon, the Theotokos Galaktotrophusa, from 15th century Greece:

Stuart,

I meant 'sanctuary' as in: 'a sacred or holy place' vs. the church hall or the vestibule/narthex...sorry, my mistake--yes, in Orthodox churches, the sanctuary is specifically the altar.

You don't need to be so quick to correct otheres to embarrass them!!

I still maintain that your comment about the old ladies (or to be more specific the particular language you used) was inappropriate, Please be more careful in the future.

As for breastfeeding in public, I am not judging. To each their own...Greek Orthdox in Greece and in the U.S. just don't do it in church, so I have never really thought about it because I have never seen it. Enough said on this, as it is going off topic.

God bless all mothers.

Alice

Alice, it is entirely possible that women have indeed breastfed in churches where you've been present, but they have managed to do so discretely and unobtrusively. I have breastfed many, many times when people are completely unaware that I am doing so. I do it without covering up my entire shoulder and the baby's head with a blanket. (That tends to upset the baby and brings attention to what is being done.) Really, it isn't a big deal. I carry my babies in a sling, so they are covered. I wear clothing that makes it easy to nurse in and the babies covers up anything that the sling doesn't cover. Most people assume the baby is sleeping.


A Greek friend of mine says that men in her church eagerly jump up to take the babies out as an excuse to leave the liturgy. Of course, she usually only attends on Palm Sunday and Easter, so the men so eager to leave are probably not regulars, either.

Elizabeth

I've now come to understand one of my secretary's comments years ago about grandchildren being wonderful--you could play with them, but their parents took them home at night

These days, space permitting, I come down from the Sanctuary during the homily. My wife snatches our granson about as soon as he enters, but I usually get him for the homily

and for the undetected rodent, the title comes from my use in a slightly different context--the baby escaping from his area, often crawling towards the sanctuary.

hawk

All the GOA churches I have ever visited have had well furnished fish tanks (aka. "cry rooms"). I have noted in Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox parishes that the addition of a cry room creates an environment where the mindset is that any noise should have happened in the there.

As for breast-feeding... at least in Texas it is no more taboo than tying your shoelaces. My parish is full of women wearing babies in slings and discretely feeding their children. I don't think I've ever seen a woman leave the nave to feed her infant.

I apologize if I have offended anyone. As I said, "God bless all mothers"!!! NOT an easy job at all!!

Alice

I watch the young moms of today at church and wonder how in the world we of the '60s generation ever managed. Young moms are truly amazing. God bless you all!

My wife can discreetly breast feed and does it without a blanket. I am of the opinion that the blanket draws the attention to the person doing the action and there are other ways to do it where you do not draw attention to the act of breast feeding.

The real cure for the issue is found in John Paul II's Theology of the Body... Frankly the Breasts were designed for one function i.e. feeding, it is our disordered culture that has made them a sexual object.

As for other more appropriate places to breast feed, some how our society has come up with the idea that the bathroom is an ideal place for this. Personally, I don't sit in there and eat a hamburger, please don't expect my child to eat their meal in there.

Alice, please don't worry about me. While I admit that this is an issue I'm passionate about, I'm not easily offended and certainly wasn't by your opinion or statements.

Thank you for your suggestions, and most of all for your support.

Elizabeth