Breastfeeding on the Go?

Earlier tonight, I came across this photo of a woman breastfeeding her child while riding sidesaddle on what appears to be a scooter or possibly a motorcycle. My first thought (because I speak sarcasm so fluently that even my unfiltered thoughts to myself are sarcastic) was, “I know breastfeeding protects children from so many things, but traffic accidents are not one of them.”

With a bit of Googling, I discovered that worldwide, breastfeeding on the go like this seems to be somewhat of an accepted practice. Here are some more photos of moms nursing their babies on a motorcycle, a moped, a motorbike taxi, and on a sofa in the back of a pick-up truck?!?

While I applaud them for breastfeeding (Nursing does protect both and mom and babe from so many things. See below.), in my five-point-harness, rear-facing world, moms and with no helmets nursing children also without helmets while hanging onto the back of moving vehicles seems very dangerous ... kind of like when my grandfather let me ride standing next to him in the front seat of his pick-up truck or when my brother and I rode in the back of my dad’s pick-up truck . . .different times, different worlds.

Image Source: Breastfeeding on a moving bike by Wayne Method

Image Source: Man on the Lam

Image Source: Busy Mother breastfeeding child in a motorcycle taxi full of groceries in Manila Philippines by SnapChris.com

Image Source: http://blog.bummis.com/2012/09/breastfeeding-stories-by-guest-blogger.html

No matter where I first find an image, I usually try to use Google Image Search to find the original source and the full story. As it turns out this image is not as crazy as it first seemed.  It looks like that truck is driving, tailgate down, with mama in the back nursing on a matching couch.  I was totally wondering if that sofa was mounted to the truck bed somehow or if they might go flying off the back of the truck at any moment.  As it turns out, that's crunchy and committed, breastfeeding mama, Mariah and baby Achilles, grandson to the owner of Bummi's Cloth Diapers, taking a nursing break on moving day. Go, Mama, Go! You rock! 

And now more about the protection and benefits that breastfeeding really does afford to babies:

...and the protection and benefits that breastfeeding really does afford to toddlers:

... and the protection and benefits that breastfeeding affords to babies, mothers, and our planet: