Completely OT...

[Trekhawk]

The baby pic is cute when will people stop being horrified by what is a natural part of life.

[Lise]

I'm just a complete and total sucker for babies of all species. Every time I help a human baby into the world, I fall in love again for that little bit of time. I wish everybody could have that moment of awe and joy. When the baby looks up at mom for the first time, and puts his hand on her breast, safe, and home. I got to be part of that at 3 AM today. I'll never see it as anything but a miracle. A common, every day, around the world miracle. Let's celebrate that, and get on with bringing the peace these babies all deserve.

[Lenusik]

The picture in the baby magazine is wonderful. I loved it.
But please, do not jump on poor Britney. She has no other way to promote herself. She is an aweful singer, her music is stupid, she is not all that bright, and her husband is disgusting. Posing naked while pregnant was her only choice. Poor thing (just kidding)

[pooks]

I think both pics are beautiful.

(And I'm not a Britney fan.)

ETA: I don't find Britney's pic at all offensive. She's got a girl-next-door smile on her face. It's not a sexual picture. And I think pregnancy is just as beautiful and natural as breast feeding. We all know both pics have been airbrushed and photoshopped to perfection, but that's okay. I think they're both beautiful pics.

[mary9761]

In general, I've seen some beautiful photos done similarly of pregnant mothers. I just don't see Britney having done it necessarily in celebration of motherhood alone.

[chickwhorips]

I just don't see Britney having done it necessarily in celebration of motherhood alone.

yup.

[FreshNewbie]

"But that's the point. No one has to love babies. You can feel free to hate babies.
BUT the picture is still just a baby breastfeeding for god sakes"

-- Ok I am far from liking Britney, but I can also say that you dont have to like Britney and you are free to hate her, but the picture is still pretty very natural because she is pregnant and pregnancy is beautiful.
Whether she did it for any other reasons than just celebrating her pregnancy we don't know....

[Bikingmomof3]

I do not see anything wrong with the baby pic at all, it is perfectly natural and it is on a magazine for new parents. I used to pick that up everytime I went to the pediatrician. I do not care for the Brit photo, it has been done before. Was not crazy about it the first time around. I believe pregnancy is beautiful and should be celebrated, but on the cover of a fashion magazine?

[cosc]

I liked the nursing baby pic. It brought back memories of the special bond between babies and Moms. I was blessed to have breastfeed 4 of my children and our adopted child. I think a pregnant women is beautiful too, but should keep the naked shots for her own personal picture album.

[margo49]

. It brought back memories of the special bond between babies and Moms. ...... I think a pregnant women is beautiful too, but should keep the naked shots for her own personal picture album.

I agree.
That said I think breastfeeding is a function.
Not a spectator sport and like most "special bonds" it does not necessarily translate to the public sphere. In-your-face, breast-apo tactics are not acceptable.Same goes for the nekkid photgraphs.I remember being *soooo* beautiful when I was pregnant - if I had actual photo's to look at *now* I might not "see it". Some things don't come out in the photograph. Yeah,yeah she is pretty... but *I* was beautiful.
Btw, that "special bond" is created by feeding your baby attentively and lovingly. How you feed them and what you feed them is secondary. Better a bottle-fed baby than a dead one .

[littlegrasshopp]

Both pictures are beautiful. I am not a britney fan but I have no issues with the picture itself. I hope that she WAS celebrating and not posing to just get attention or promote her career. That would sadden the picture a bit. Nothing wrong or immorral about either picture though.

[Brina]

This has been hashed out on the parenting board I frequent. There are people saying, "I wouldn't want my son to see that picture". I showed it to my two 6-year-old boys and their comment was, "cute baby". I asked what the baby was doing and they said, "drinking milk". Then they went on to talk about the river otter we saw at the Seattle Aquarium that was nursing her baby and cleaning its toes (talk about a seriously cute moment). No trauma, no scarring, no big deal.

[Lise]

This has been hashed out on the parenting board I frequent. There are people saying, "I wouldn't want my son to see that picture". I showed it to my two 6-year-old boys and their comment was, "cute baby". I asked what the baby was doing and they said, "drinking milk". Then they went on to talk about the river otter we saw at the Seattle Aquarium that was nursing her baby and cleaning its toes (talk about a seriously cute moment). No trauma, no scarring, no big deal.

Awwww! Otter! Nursing baby otter! Cleaning toes! A trifecta of cuteness!

When kids see breastfeeding as "mommy taking care of baby", they understand that it is normal and good. My little nephew would "nurse" his stuffed animals sometimes. He just knew it was a way to take care of something you love.

[Bikingmomof3]

This has been hashed out on the parenting board I frequent. There are people saying, "I wouldn't want my son to see that picture". I showed it to my two 6-year-old boys and their comment was, "cute baby". I asked what the baby was doing and they said, "drinking milk". Then they went on to talk about the river otter we saw at the Seattle Aquarium that was nursing her baby and cleaning its toes (talk about a seriously cute moment). No trauma, no scarring, no big deal.

I did my own unscientific experiment with my family. My oldest teen said and I quote: "eeewwww". SIGH-I do not know what I thought I would get from a teen boy. He did not like the Brit photo any better.

Next my twins. Also teens-neither noticed the baby was bestfeeding. They just said "so, it is a baby, ick". I asked them what was "ick" about the picture. Their response-"the baby. We do not like babies"

Finally DH. First picture-"what is the big deal? It is a baby". Second picture, "that was done before by Demi".

None of them were scarred and have all gone on to finish their morning.

Sidenote-not certain if it matters, they were bottle fed. Long story short (and it is a long story), I could not breastfeed due to meds passing into the breast milk-the meds caused apnea, anmong other horrific things- so all were bottle fed. However, they saw my best friend breastfeed for several years. When the twins first saw this (they were 2 or 3) they actually climbed on her lap to see what the baby was doing. I was horrified by their actions. My friend who had breastfed her two older children was not phased at all. After that first day, they never noticed her feeding the baby.

[MomOnBike]

Hm, a baby nursing on a cover of a parenting magazine. Why is it that I'm supposed to be shocked?

I'm less thrilled with the Spears photo, but, really, it's no more revealing than some Cosmo covers I've seen in checkout lines. Big woop. Oh yeah, she's (blush) "with child." Um, so?

I just wish we'd all grow up about skin and sexuality and natural functions. Sometime I feel that this country (USA) has the mental attitude of a junior-high boy. In a locker room. It's not attractive. Grow up, I say.

(Perspective: I'm the eldest of 5 children, Mother breast fed us all. I breast fed my two. I've taken art classes with nude models. My psyche is intact.)