BF in public

[Kbee]

hi girls,

it has taken a while and lots of perseverence but billy is now exclusively bf. However i have only fed him in public once at a hospital appt, we were surrounded by others ff and i felt really self conscious.
i manage going out times or feed him in the car......i hate feeling self conscious and shy i even go upstairs in my own house if people are around
any positive stories about feeding in public??????

 

[becstar]

Start small... we went to a pub garden the first time and I did it behind a muslin cloth tied at the corners to each bra strap. You couldn't see anything. Ilana won't tolerate that now!

Next I did it at the hospital in A+E waiting room, and just faced away from people and got on with it.

Then I did it in the cafe at the pool - again, faced away and noone even noticed. That boosted my confidence and then I felt able to do it wherever.

I wear a bump band and top over it, so I pull up the top and am still covered. The top covers the top of my boob so all you would see is nipple, which is covered by baby's head anyway. The part where you get baby latched on, I always just assume noone is looking and they never are - but you can do it behind a cardigan or facing the wall or whatever.

Little steps! You'll be fine.

 

[Cyclista]

I did it in rather a nice bar today! Felt quite liberated.

I've started wearing a loose v neck or round neck top over a vest top. I then pull the vest down and the top up so my tummy's covered by the vest and my boob is covered by the v neck top (if that makes sense) and once the Dude was latched on, there was nothing for anyone to see. I also faced away from the majority of people.

I was slightly self conscious but it felt fine after a few minutes and I was pretty chuffed.

 

[becstar]

I fed her in a busy Costa Coffee the other day while husband went to get the coffee - when he came back he was surprised she'd been fed as he hadn't noticed!

 

[Kitten]

Yeah I wear a vest under all my clothes so I have freedom in what I can wear. I first did it on a plane, then at a playgroup, then trains, then cafes, and last week Pizza Express. I used to hide upstairs but after a while you really do stop caring. He's at the age where everything is a distraction though now so I wait til he's really hungry or sleepy so he doesn't mess about!

 

[florabean1981]

I am the same as you Kbee- I really dislike feeding in public & I feel so self-conscious... and I too go into another room to feed my LO in my own house when we have company, or I will defrost some ebm to feed him instead.
I have no issues feeding in front of my mum, dad, sister etc, and I go to a brestfeeding cafe/clinic every weds where we all BF, so it doesn't feel so weird, and I've done it in front of a couple of my friends from uni coz they've seen me flash enough times in pubs back in the day, lol, but just cant bring myself to do it elsewhere, so I tend to go feed him in the car, or go to Boots or Mothercare in town coz they have feeding rooms.
It's silly really coz it's the most natural thing in the world, but until my LO tolerates being covered up a bit, i just dont feel comfortable doing it yet... but i will do, I am determined, lol.
Like the others have said, wearing a vest top under everything helps be a bit more discreet & if your LO will tolerate being covered up a bit with a blanket or muslin, or maybe even a big coat or something, then it will probably help.
Good luck!

 

[lfernie]

I agree with the wearing two tops thing, pull one up and one down and no one eve seems to notice, I fed lo in a bar yday and no one even blinked an eyelid. I think if you try not to think about it too much it's easier as when I was first feeding in front of people I was trying to be discreet (with muslins etc) but I ended up feeling more awkward cos I was making a fuss but now I just do the two tops things or wear a scarf that quite good aswell and try to do it without thinking and I'm less self concious but it's definately something that takes a bit of getting used to. X

 

[trumpetbum]

I invested in a sling, a proper ring sling like a huggababy and found that I could feed on the go sitting, standing or walking around without anyone seeing. It was honestly a godsend. Just pulled it up, popped babe on the boob and carried on.

 

[Kaites]

I keep a sarong in the baby's change bag and drape her with it- it's quite lightweight so she doesn't mind being covered too much. I might switch it for a pashmina since it might just look like I'm getting creative with a scarf. I also try to pick a table where I can face a wall when at restaurants- not good for people watching, but allows me to be discreet It gets easier- my first public feeding was in a fast food restaurant (facing the wall) and my most "daring" to date has been while seated on a bench in the mall (not too daring really, but it definitely made the old man sharing the bench with me uncomfortable, lol!)