breastfeeding

Assalamualaikum, readers. i just got back from conducting a survey in a village in Kelantan. i went there for 4 days, spent almost 10 hours every day in the village. while i was conducting survey, i had lots of fun chasing ducks, watched the geese and waved Hello to the cows. oh, i even pat a sheep on his head. i was a Kampung Girl. haha..
back to the story-on the 3rd day of the survey, my team and i entered two houses whereby the mother breastfed her baby in front of us. there was no covering whatsoever, and i felt very much uncomfortable. i don't know why, but i did. as much as i tried being very professional and asking the mother questions, some parts of me felt uncomfortable of the mother breastfeeding in front of us, strangers. we may be students, but we're still no family members of hers, and she was okay with it. 
found out that the guy in my team also felt uncomfortable, but he was totally okay with it, because breastfeeding is good for the baby. for that reason, he told me to be professional and not think too much. somewhat i felt embarrassed-a guy can totally understand, why can't i? is there something wrong with me?
i thought deep on this matter, wondering why in the word can't i accept the fact that a mother can breastfeed in her house, in front of people.
and i found the answer.
all this while, i've been implementing the idea that breastfeeding is an intimate session between a mother and her child. this is when the mother would look into her child eyes and communicate with him/her. it's the very most important and crucial time of growth in kids. so, i guess, i can't accept the fact that an intimate session between two turns into something public and not sacred anymore. 
also, i'm totally okay with the idea of a mother breastfeeding in the public, but the least the mother could do is to cover up her baby with a piece of cloth or blanket. that is the least she could do. if she could do more, she would just carry the baby into a room and breastfeed her there. 
that was all i thought until i spoke to my sister on the phone.
she told me i should change the way i see things about breastfeeding. nowadays, the health department are promoting breastfeeding in public. they are encouraging mothers to breastfeed in public, without exposing too much of anything. there are a lot of maternity dresses that are breastfeeding-friendly. just a slit of pouch or pocket at the breast area and the baby is ready for his meal. 
conclusion is, i need to change the way i see things, ema must not be too conservative anymore. *funny thing is, i can be so confident in presenting myself, but i just can't stand up for a mother who breastfeed in public*