I’m completely with Mother in Israel on this one. Although I try to avoid nursing in public, as it often makes people uncomfortable, and I believe it is spoken about in Chazal as being inappropriate (although not assur). I have absolutely no problem nursing on a plane (especially a long flight such as from E”Y). I am a very experienced nursing mother, and I still would have trouble nursing my baby in the tiny airplane bathrooms, in addition to all the previous points mentioned regarding smell, germs, and occupying the bathroom for an extended period of time. Additionally, most babies need to nurse during take off and landing, a time when you are not even allowed to be in the bathroom! (Unless you would prefer my baby screaming and thrashing rather then nursing quietly and privately in my lap!)
popa_bar_abba — I don’t understand your post at all. How are you comparing issues involving exposing oneself (such as the slit, bare calf issue), to nursing? Obviously we are talking about being completely covered. You only know I am nursing because you can deduce it, not because you see anything inappropriate. And I am sitting in my own seat — not parading in public! Personally I can nurse completely covered without even a blanket/ nursing cover up, but I use one anyone just to be absolutely sure I am not in any way exposed. I really do not understand the lack of tznius in this issue, as long as one goes about it in a tzniusdik way! (I do try to ask for a window seat so I am at most making one person uncomfortable!)
Sac — Many babies do not take bottles for various reasons. Additionally, a mother who is nursing exclusively or mainly cannot simply skip a few feeding without physical consequences — and I assume you would be just as uncomfortable with a woman expressing milk as with her nursing!
bpt — I’m surprised you find this unexpected, as to the best of my knowledge all the frum women I know who nurse do so on planes, and I travel in pretty “yeshivish/ chareidi” circles. I would have a problem with any picture of myself being randomly taken and posted on the internet, but I would not be any more upset because I had a blanket over my body (in a picture you may not even be able to tell I’m nursing, as you didn’t see me holding the baby before!) Many people on planes sit with blankets up to their chin!