Breast Feeding in public

[sugarcube84]

i bf in public and never had a bad word, i did however have lots of people come and talk to me , coo over the baby and even stoke his head without realising or realising too late that i was feeding, they were always a lot more embarassed about it than i was but i hope that my reaction had changed their attitudes slightly and they look a breastfeeding in a different light i.e. it can be discrete and natural and easy to do in public.

Plus 2 layers helps vest top up, bra down and shirt unbuttoned. Vest up stops your boob being on display, shirt open stops the belly being exposed.Sorted!

 

[AP]

its natural to us, even though we havent done it in public. I intend to tbh this time, if anyone had judgement i guess i have a big enough gob to give something in return

as for other guys, it used to bother me at first in NICU/SCBU. But as time drew on i refused privacy screens and expressed,not giving a monkeys DH thinks its perfectly fine and it doesnt bother him, in fact he thinks its great to see mums not being ashamed. I suppose his attitude to this makes me more confident myself

 

[5ara]

I think feeding in public (with a cover) is great, and I won't have a problem doing it myself.
BTW, there are also laws in most U.S. states that say you can BF anywhere you want, at least I know there's a law in Tennessee. So if anyone has a problem with it, too bad.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

My friend has this nifty thing that is like a hoop attached to a piece of fabric. The hoop slips over her head and she can see down to what she's doing when she's bf'ing. She was bf'ing while we were at lunch and I didn't see a thing, not like I would have bothered anyways. If the baby is hungry, the baby is hungry.

I don't think I'll mind bf'ing in public. Like some of the other ladies said, in the UK, they can't prevent you from doing it. If someone has issues with it, I'll tell them where to stick it

 

[MissMandieMitz]

To be perfectly honest, I haven't ever seen a woman breastfeeding in public! But then again, I don't pay much attention to people and it's not something I really "look" for.

I'll be doing it in public as I won't be using bottles with LO. I don't really think people are going to be paying much attention to what I'm doing with my baby anyways.

 

[AP]

^ thats true, i barely ever noticed anyone bfing in public but once i had LO i did notice more. weird....

 

[DanniBear]

Muslim squares come in handy when you breastfeed in public! I can remember with my last child I did it on a picnic bench in the sealife centre .

 

[Widget]

I plan on BFing in public... of course, I will do it discretely since I am such a prude but I do envy the women who are brave enough to just whip out their breasts and feed their children. I don't think I could ever get that comfortable so I plan on just draping a light sheet over my shoulder and breast.

However at first, I'm going to find it intimidating to even BF in front of anybody but my husband... I just loathe this image our society has of our breasts that makes me feel intimidated to even let a lactation consultant see my breasts. Right now, I'm even scared that nurses will try to poke and prod them!

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Widget, going to college in California removed all my inhibitions. I don't go around flashing people, but I definately feel comfortable in my own skin. It's unfortunate that some societies have placed that stigma on nudity.

 

[Widget]

https://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/breastfeeding-mom-harassed-cafe-10642210

This video is great... they have actors breastfeeding in a cafe and record people's reaction when the manager (also an actor) tells her to stop.

 

[Itsychik]

I don't think I'll feel comfortable bf'ing in public. In fact, I don't want ANYONE to see my bf'ing (especially at first) except for DH and the doctors/mw. I don't feel comfortable when I see other women doing it in public (there's nothing wrong with it, I just don't feel comfortable seeing it) and my current plan is to find somewhere private (i.e. a bathroom if necessary) and do it there if needed...

That being said, who knows how I'll feel about it once I'm used to it and have been doing it for a few months. But at the moment, I'm not planning on doing it in public if at all avoidable.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

https://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/breastfeeding-mom-harassed-cafe-10642210

This video is great... they have actors breastfeeding in a cafe and record people's reaction when the manager (also an actor) tells her to stop.

This is great. It's amazing though how the age of the mother makes a difference. And how sweet was that grandma??? And how awesome was that woman yelling at the manager??? It makes me feel good that there are people out there that would defend a breastfeeding mother!

I have to say though I would react the same way to seeing a mother drink a beer and breastfeed at the same time.

 

[nullaby]

I will be bfing in public this time (hopefully) I will practice how to do it at home so I'm not flashing everyone my big boobies. With my daughter she had a horrible latch and all the lactation consultants seen the boob, nurses etc so I'm not that shy, its just a boob! I think the only place I would feel I would need to cover up would be a reasturant, but we'll see if that changes

Ive seen alot of mothers BF their child at the play park, at our mall etc so it makes me confident that no one will say anything. Mind you if they do they will get an ear full!!! Hubby is very supportive of BFing, not sure about not covering up..tough luck!

 

[bellablue]

I have no problem with breast feeding in public, my son was a nightmare though rubbish latch and was just on and off the boob constantly! I did practice discretion though with Muslim squares ect which I think is polite especially if your in a restaurant. I have witnessed (after bf ing myself) a lady with ababy whilst eating out sat with a boob blatently out and I mean out!! She'd not clipped her bra up after putting the baby back into the pram and was hanging out for all to see . I felt quite embarassed for her as it's not like she was turned away from anyone. Personally i thought that was rude, natuaral or not as the baby was 3 monthsish so she'd be a pro by then!! You should be descrete i believe, it's not that hard as i did it with a nightmare baby,it's polite and having awReness for other peoples Feelings!! I'm a pro bfeeder but I'd rather not have Someones boobs on show while eating my pasta!!!

lol pasta and a side dish of boobs lol!

i am the same i dont mind it and will bf in public but i will be descrete and not be showing my boobs

 

[scuffer]

I will be BF in public and if anyones got a problem with it they are going to get a gob full!

Obviously i will be as discreet as i need to and im not just going to wap it out but i do have very big boobs so covering up completely is going to be hard, I will probably have a muslin handy but i know some babies dont tolerate that so cant guarantee it will work.

Because ive got River i dont really think i have a choice not to as warmer weather we are out and about alot so wouldn't be fair to River to drag her to a changing room everytime baby needs feeding so if we are at the park then the baby will be fed.

I cant wait to be able to sit in park watching my little girl run around playing and have my littlest girly nursing

I have large breasts too so sometimes it is more difficult to not show more than I would like! I tried breastfeeding tops last time round but found they were worse as it got my whole boob out so wearing a t shirt and lifting it up worked better for me. I love the image of you watching your little girl play while you feed, it's how it should be.

I plan on BFing in public... of course, I will do it discretely since I am such a prude but I do envy the women who are brave enough to just whip out their breasts and feed their children. I don't think I could ever get that comfortable so I plan on just draping a light sheet over my shoulder and breast.

However at first, I'm going to find it intimidating to even BF in front of anybody but my husband... I just loathe this image our society has of our breasts that makes me feel intimidated to even let a lactation consultant see my breasts. Right now, I'm even scared that nurses will try to poke and prod them!

I was never brave enough to just whip out a boob and feed, I was always very careful not to show anything. My friend does just get a whole boob out and isn't vaguely bothered, it doesn't bother me that she does it but I couldn't. It takes a while to get the hang of feeding but once you've got it you'll manage to do it without people even knowing what you're doing and will hopefully feel comfortable.

https://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/breastfeeding-mom-harassed-cafe-10642210

This video is great... they have actors breastfeeding in a cafe and record people's reaction when the manager (also an actor) tells her to stop.

Thank you for sharing that, it was brilliant, it was good to hear it being discussed and people standing up for her!

I don't think I'll feel comfortable bf'ing in public. In fact, I don't want ANYONE to see my bf'ing (especially at first) except for DH and the doctors/mw. I don't feel comfortable when I see other women doing it in public (there's nothing wrong with it, I just don't feel comfortable seeing it) and my current plan is to find somewhere private (i.e. a bathroom if necessary) and do it there if needed...

That being said, who knows how I'll feel about it once I'm used to it and have been doing it for a few months. But at the moment, I'm not planning on doing it in public if at all avoidable.

You have to do what feels right for you, if you feel uncomfortable the baby probably won't feed as well anyway. It definitely gets easier when you've been feeding a while.

I can't wait to feed this baby, it was such a special bonding time and I loved that it was something I could do just for my kids, even though at times it was hard, I'm glad I stuck with it.

 

[XJessicaX]

This is my first baby and I fully intend on breast feeding whenever my baby demands it. So will most likely spend the majority of time breast feeding in public! I am not a shy and retiring person.

I also find it depends where you live when it comes to how comfortable you are breast feeding in public. I live in Cambridge UK which is generally a middle class area and usually with that comes a hell of a lot of breast feeding feminist mothers lol!

 

[Lilly12]

I bought some cute nursing tops, so you barely even see a boob or anything when baby latches on.
I also have a ring sling with a tail that'll cover anything showing up.

I think you just have to be strong and not care about what others think..?
Who cares if people think it's weird or offense if you are breastfeeding in public, that says a lot more about them than about you!

I might not BF in public or anything the first week cause I'll be still trying to get the hang of it, but after that why not.

 

[scuffer]

I think you just have to be strong and not care about what others think..?
Who cares if people think it's weird or offense if you are breastfeeding in public, that says a lot more about them than about you!

That's a really good point actually and the best way to think about it x

 

[PeanutBean]

God am I the only one who has never found a way to bf discreetly? It was all hands on deck with me! Maybe it'll be different this time but I doubt it! Theoretically I cam feed within my moby wrap but I think I'd need to carefully plan my clothes to do so.

Lol at the feminist middle class mums, where I live they're mostly feeding newborns coke out of bottles.

 

[aliss]

Try telling a hungry baby that they can't eat. Now THAT will cause a spectacle!

I was in a nursing room recently and this poor woman had spent ages trying to find it, her 4 month old was screeching/red faced and hysterical as it was so hungry. In Quebec society, women are afraid to BF in public. So because she was ashamed of how people would view her (this was an airport), her baby was screaming hysterically because it took her a good 10-20 minutes to find a nursing room.

To me, my heart breaks at that. It was sad to see she was so ashamed she felt she could not nurse her hungry baby.