Breastfeeding - How to deal with negative reactions in public

[kermie219]

My daughter HATED having a blanket over her when feeding and would always pull it away wearing an vest under all my tops helped so I was flashing eveyone constantly. After a few months it gts much much easier and you won't even think about it anymore xx

 

[MamaBearX4]

For some, not covering up is not down to the mom. Some babies just don't like to be covered up. I like to cover up but there were a few times when my baby girl grabbed the cover and exposed me. Then there were times she got cuddly and just held onto the cover and as her hand fell, so did the blanky.

I have found the best cover up for feeding discreetly is a cotbed size cellular blanket. You can't see through it but baby can see out a bit and get fresh air while still being covered. I actually wrap it behind me with one corner tucked in to my bra strap on the opposite side of the boob I'm using, then drape around front on baby. Baby can't pull that off but she never tried. I plan on using the same again. I tried one of the actual cover ups but they don't really work for me.

 

[Starry Night]

I agree with those who say we, as the nursing mothers should at least try to be discreet and cover up. Some people are offended by seeing private parts no matter the reason and we should consider their feelings too. I've had many friends BF right in front of me and I saw no bit of boob --either because they used a blanket or used a nursing top. If the woman is being discreet I don't see why anyone should be upset with BF in public.

Personally, I'll probably try to make quick outings between feeds but if I am in public I will try to find a quiet corner and keep as covered as baby will let me.

 

[babybambi2011]

id say "i wouldnt ask you to move if you were eating.... so feck off im feeding my baby!!" they dont like it, they can leave

 

[BattyNora]

I hate that one of my consideration of how I would feed my baby was other people's reactions. I want to BF and I intend to BF, but have been considering expressing as well for when out and about.

I'm embarressed that is how I feel...I'm hoping once babs arrives I'll know what I am happy doing in myself and not worry about others!

 

[Mother of 4]

I cover up if I'm out in public and I've never received any negative comments. I'm personally uncomfortable so I'll either feed my baby comfortably in the car or in a breastfeeding room at a store or find a discreet place to do it while covered. I will pump if I know I'll be gone too long also

 

[milf2be]

I have this problem where I try to be as considerate of others as possible so I'll either be fully covering up while breastfeeding or feeding breast milk from a bottle while in public. I don't see why someone would bother saying something negative about me doing any of those things but if they did, I'd probably just laugh at them.

I'm certainly not going to just whip out a tit & start feeding like I've seen women do. If you do that, I feel like you're being very inconsiderate of others & the negative reactions should be expected. I don't think it's too much to ask for a breastfeeding mother to consider how other people feel while she's in public places. Lack of consideration for others is a social problem.

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

 

[Lawhra]

I have this problem where I try to be as considerate of others as possible so I'll either be fully covering up while breastfeeding or feeding breast milk from a bottle while in public. I don't see why someone would bother saying something negative about me doing any of those things but if they did, I'd probably just laugh at them.

I'm certainly not going to just whip out a tit & start feeding like I've seen women do. If you do that, I feel like you're being very inconsiderate of others & the negative reactions should be expected. I don't think it's too much to ask for a breastfeeding mother to consider how other people feel while she's in public places. Lack of consideration for others is a social problem.

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

It's not the breastfeeding she is saying should be hidden, but just not brazenly showing your entire breast for everyone to see. There are discreet ways of feeding in open public without 'flashing'.
You wouldn't walk around with your breasts out for any other reason so feeding should not suddenly make it ok.

 

[LittleSpy]

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

I know someone will twist this comparison p), but urinating is perfectly natural & healthy thing (not saying it's the best comparison to breastfeeding ) but I'd personally prefer not to see a man doing it by a tree in a public park. He's not really hurting anything by doing so, but I still prefer not to see it. Yes, I can leave, but why should it be on me to leave when I see something I don't like? There's a simple solution to public urination -- public restrooms. I do my part to make others feel more at ease & try my best to do my business in those instead of in the grass.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous for anyone to assert that covering up & having consideration for others is simply too inconvenient & troublesome.

I have a problem with people feeling as though they're entitled to certain things. I don't understand when it became so incredibly inconvenient for people to be mindful of others. That's how our species has gotten by for so long -- helping each other. While I recognize it's impossible to please everyone, I'm not a fan of someone doing something potentially offensive without thinking of anyone around them when there's such a *simple* solution to the issue. While the act of breastfeeding is certainly not offensive to me and I wouldn't think much of it (other than to think, wow, how rude of her to not at least try to cover up), it could legitimately be offensive to someone for many reasons and not simply because society is weird about boobs.

I guess the point I'm trying to make haha is that I feel like many women seem to be fighting for the principle of breastfeeding in public being their entitled RIGHT instead of acknowledging a nearly effortless solution that could keep everyone relatively happy.

 

[discoclare]

I used to BF my daughter almost daily in public (as I am someone who goes out every single day irrespective of weather to keep myself sane and get baby some fresh air and a change of scenery). I stopped BF when she was 7.5 months. I never once had any negative comments. I only once had someone stare and it was a young boy who kept looking because he was waiting to come over. I thought he was staring at a baby being BF (not that he could see anything) but when I finished he came running over wanting to see the baby, ask if it was a boy or girl and her name and excitedly telling me all about his new baby nephew (he said he had been waiting for me to finish feeding so he could come and look at the baby). I usually used a BF top (or vest top under a T shirt: one up one down) so you couldn't see much anyway. I never used a cover: I personally think they attract far more attention to yourself. My friend would only BF with a cover as she was embarrassed but her daughter HATED being under the cover and used to scream and scream making my friend very stressed. In the end she would only come out in between feeds and then have to race home to feed her daughter and eventually she gave up BFing because of this and switched to FF so she could leave the house and not be embarrassed. Not all babies will tolerate a cover, some do and some don't. IME the majority of people simply don't even notice that you are BFing, before I was pregnant I can count on one hand the number of times I ever saw someone Nurse In Public. Now I see people N.I.P every week, because I BF and I recognise what I am seeing (which is generally nothing) before I was just oblivious as it tends to be discrete.

 

[Lawhra]

I used to BF my daughter almost daily in public (as I am someone who goes out every single day irrespective of weather to keep myself sane and get baby some fresh air and a change of scenery). I stopped BF when she was 7.5 months. I never once had any negative comments. I only once had someone stare and it was a young boy who kept looking because he was waiting to come over. I thought he was staring at a baby being BF (not that he could see anything) but when I finished he came running over wanting to see the baby, ask if it was a boy or girl and her name and excitedly telling me all about his new baby nephew (he said he had been waiting for me to finish feeding so he could come and look at the baby). I usually used a BF top (or vest top under a T shirt: one up one down) so you couldn't see much anyway. I never used a cover: I personally think they attract far more attention to yourself. My friend would only BF with a cover as she was embarrassed but her daughter HATED being under the cover and used to scream and scream making my friend very stressed. In the end she would only come out in between feeds and then have to race home to feed her daughter and eventually she gave up BFing because of this and switched to FF so she could leave the house and not be embarrassed. Not all babies will tolerate a cover, some do and some don't. IME the majority of people simply don't even notice that you are BFing, before I was pregnant I can count on one hand the number of times I ever saw someone Nurse In Public. Now I see people N.I.P every week, because I BF and I recognise what I am seeing (which is generally nothing) before I was just oblivious as it tends to be discrete.

That is wonderful that you BF in public so often, discreetly and without negative comments. And lovely story about the boy too Shame for your friend but sadly not everyone is comfortable or confident enough.
It always amazes me, the skill of ladies like you who feed so discreetly and I aspire to it.

 

[LaLaBelle]

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

I know someone will twist this comparison p), but urinating is perfectly natural & healthy thing (not saying it's the best comparison to breastfeeding ) but I'd personally prefer not to see a man doing it by a tree in a public park. He's not really hurting anything by doing so, but I still prefer not to see it. Yes, I can leave, but why should it be on me to leave when I see something I don't like? There's a simple solution to public urination -- public restrooms. I do my part to make others feel more at ease & try my best to do my business in those instead of in the grass.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous for anyone to assert that covering up & having consideration for others is simply too inconvenient & troublesome.

I have a problem with people feeling as though they're entitled to certain things. I don't understand when it became so incredibly inconvenient for people to be mindful of others. That's how our species has gotten by for so long -- helping each other. While I recognize it's impossible to please everyone, I'm not a fan of someone doing something potentially offensive without thinking of anyone around them when there's such a *simple* solution to the issue. While the act of breastfeeding is certainly not offensive to me and I wouldn't think much of it (other than to think, wow, how rude of her to not at least try to cover up), it could legitimately be offensive to someone for many reasons and not simply because society is weird about boobs.

I guess the point I'm trying to make haha is that I feel like many women seem to be fighting for the principle of breastfeeding in public being their entitled RIGHT instead of acknowledging a nearly effortless solution that could keep everyone relatively happy.

When you assert that women should cover up and be discreet and not let anyone know what's going on, you're arguing that what they're doing is abnormal or dirty or unusual, and does not belong in public.

I for one am EXTREMELY grateful for the women before me who have fought for the RIGHT to feed our babies the natural and normal way.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous for anyone to assert that covering up & having consideration for others is simply too inconvenient & troublesome.

Well, my sister-in-law's baby REFUSED to breastfeed under a blanket. Her head had to be clear. She would scream as loud as she could the moment someone covered her head. So I do not think it is "absolutely ridiculous" to assert that covering up is too inconvenient and troublesome, since you seem to be implying that my sister-in-law should not have breastfeed if she couldn't cover up.

 

[special_kala]

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

I know someone will twist this comparison p), but urinating is perfectly natural & healthy thing (not saying it's the best comparison to breastfeeding ) but I'd personally prefer not to see a man doing it by a tree in a public park. He's not really hurting anything by doing so, but I still prefer not to see it. Yes, I can leave, but why should it be on me to leave when I see something I don't like? There's a simple solution to public urination -- public restrooms. I do my part to make others feel more at ease & try my best to do my business in those instead of in the grass.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous for anyone to assert that covering up & having consideration for others is simply too inconvenient & troublesome.

I have a problem with people feeling as though they're entitled to certain things. I don't understand when it became so incredibly inconvenient for people to be mindful of others. That's how our species has gotten by for so long -- helping each other. While I recognize it's impossible to please everyone, I'm not a fan of someone doing something potentially offensive without thinking of anyone around them when there's such a *simple* solution to the issue. While the act of breastfeeding is certainly not offensive to me and I wouldn't think much of it (other than to think, wow, how rude of her to not at least try to cover up), it could legitimately be offensive to someone for many reasons and not simply because society is weird about boobs.

I guess the point I'm trying to make haha is that I feel like many women seem to be fighting for the principle of breastfeeding in public being their entitled RIGHT instead of acknowledging a nearly effortless solution that could keep everyone relatively happy.

Sorry there is no comparison there. Going to the toilet and feeding a baby are completly different things Eating is natural but you wouldnt consider covering up to do that so why is feeding a baby diffrernt just because breasts are involved.

I wont be covering up whilst I BF but that certainly doesnt mean im just going to wap my tit out and wave it around.

Im not going to consider other peoples feelings when I BF because i dont need to. I will show as much flesh as i need to so that my baby can have milk.

What is covering up? A blanket on the babies head? a muslin? doing it under a top? I will wear clothes that make BF easy and convenient for me so probably a vest underneath another top so one can go up and one can go down....is that sufficiently covering up?

 

[MoonMelody]

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

I know someone will twist this comparison p), but urinating is perfectly natural & healthy thing (not saying it's the best comparison to breastfeeding ) but I'd personally prefer not to see a man doing it by a tree in a public park. He's not really hurting anything by doing so, but I still prefer not to see it. Yes, I can leave, but why should it be on me to leave when I see something I don't like? There's a simple solution to public urination -- public restrooms. I do my part to make others feel more at ease & try my best to do my business in those instead of in the grass.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous for anyone to assert that covering up & having consideration for others is simply too inconvenient & troublesome.

I have a problem with people feeling as though they're entitled to certain things. I don't understand when it became so incredibly inconvenient for people to be mindful of others. That's how our species has gotten by for so long -- helping each other. While I recognize it's impossible to please everyone, I'm not a fan of someone doing something potentially offensive without thinking of anyone around them when there's such a *simple* solution to the issue. While the act of breastfeeding is certainly not offensive to me and I wouldn't think much of it (other than to think, wow, how rude of her to not at least try to cover up), it could legitimately be offensive to someone for many reasons and not simply because society is weird about boobs.

I guess the point I'm trying to make haha is that I feel like many women seem to be fighting for the principle of breastfeeding in public being their entitled RIGHT instead of acknowledging a nearly effortless solution that could keep everyone relatively happy.

Sorry there is no comparison there. Going to the toilet and feeding a baby are completly different things Eating is natural but you wouldnt consider covering up to do that so why is feeding a baby diffrernt just because breasts are involved.

I wont be covering up whilst I BF but that certainly doesnt mean im just going to wap my tit out and wave it around.

Im not going to consider other peoples feelings when I BF because i dont need to. I will show as much flesh as i need to so that my baby can have milk.

What is covering up? A blanket on the babies head? a muslin? doing it under a top? I will wear clothes that make BF easy and convenient for me so probably a vest underneath another top so one can go up and one can go down....is that sufficiently covering up?

Agreed. Urinating or having a bowel movement are two things that need to be done privately, if anything, for the sake of sanitation. Breastfeeding, on the other hand, does not put anyone else at risk of becoming ill.

 

[milf2be]

i still think my point stands, breastfeeding should be promoted not hidden away, however the mother chooses to do it.

as a few people have said, some babies dont like covers, some mothers might be very much against using them, some might find it difficult to latch on etc and feel they need to expose more of their boob to do it properly?

some women might just be proud of doing it and like i said i dont think theres anything wrong in making it obvious to promote it if nothing else, i think its something there should be more of to help other mums feel more comfortable and get the public used to seeing it again. it we had had this conversation 50 years ago they would have thought we were nuts :S

 

[Rachyroux]

I personally will be covering up but i'm very self concious as I was a 38GG before I fell pregnant just after I turned 19, and now i'm way bigger than that. I'm overweight but not dramatically and they draw unwanted negative attention at the best of times and I get upset by it. So for me it's just personal preferance to cover them. HOWEVER. If they were smaller I would probably BF in public, and only cover if I felt necessary. I don't think it's unnatural and I don't think women should feel they have to cover up, have you seen some of the slutty music videos these days?, even adverts are very sexual, but as bf mothers we're expected to hide them?? I agree, if women can walk around wearing next to nothing to flaunt their boobies I don't see the problem with feeding your baby. People don't have to look. I will just be covering because of the size of mine. I don't want anyone looking at mine ever in general so I don't want to draw attention to them. This is another thread that is different for every person, and could start getting personal. It is up to you what you do. I don't think anyone should expect to have shit comments thrown at them. Instances with women who smoke right in their babies faces DESERVE shit comments, women who feed their baby in public do not.

 

[milf2be]

The thing is we are really bad at breastfeeding in england- when i say that i mean the actual rates of breastfeeding compared to other european countries and peoples acceptance of it.

you're entitled to your opinion, but i think you're totally wrong about it being inconsiderate - its completely natural and its something we should be promoting not hiding away! maybe if more of us see breastfeeding in public, especially from a young age, we would be more accepting and be more confident to do it when its time to do it ourselves.

i would never expect a negative reaction from breastfeeding and tell anyone else they should expect one, whether they do it discreetly or not. if you or they have a problem with it then that's their problem not mine, please explain to me why breastfeeding should make anyone 'feel bad'?

TBH i will breastfeed in public, though im kind of one of these people who try to get changed quickly and discreetly in changing rooms to tie myself in a knot with my clothes and have my t shirt the wrong way round i can only imagine me trying to discreetly breastfeed in public is going to end up with both my breasts hanging out and a screaming baby to draw attention to it

oo and just to let you all know, mothercare have a special breastfeeding room for mums and so do debenhams. just search for places to breastfeed in birmingham for example in google and you should find where the breastfeeding friendly places are not that there should be any unfriendly places now its against the law in england to ask people to leave or cover up

I know someone will twist this comparison p), but urinating is perfectly natural & healthy thing (not saying it's the best comparison to breastfeeding ) but I'd personally prefer not to see a man doing it by a tree in a public park. He's not really hurting anything by doing so, but I still prefer not to see it. Yes, I can leave, but why should it be on me to leave when I see something I don't like? There's a simple solution to public urination -- public restrooms. I do my part to make others feel more at ease & try my best to do my business in those instead of in the grass.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous for anyone to assert that covering up & having consideration for others is simply too inconvenient & troublesome.

I have a problem with people feeling as though they're entitled to certain things. I don't understand when it became so incredibly inconvenient for people to be mindful of others. That's how our species has gotten by for so long -- helping each other. While I recognize it's impossible to please everyone, I'm not a fan of someone doing something potentially offensive without thinking of anyone around them when there's such a *simple* solution to the issue. While the act of breastfeeding is certainly not offensive to me and I wouldn't think much of it (other than to think, wow, how rude of her to not at least try to cover up), it could legitimately be offensive to someone for many reasons and not simply because society is weird about boobs.

I guess the point I'm trying to make haha is that I feel like many women seem to be fighting for the principle of breastfeeding in public being their entitled RIGHT instead of acknowledging a nearly effortless solution that could keep everyone relatively happy.

Sorry there is no comparison there. Going to the toilet and feeding a baby are completly different things Eating is natural but you wouldnt consider covering up to do that so why is feeding a baby diffrernt just because breasts are involved.

I wont be covering up whilst I BF but that certainly doesnt mean im just going to wap my tit out and wave it around.

Im not going to consider other peoples feelings when I BF because i dont need to. I will show as much flesh as i need to so that my baby can have milk.

What is covering up? A blanket on the babies head? a muslin? doing it under a top? I will wear clothes that make BF easy and convenient for me so probably a vest underneath another top so one can go up and one can go down....is that sufficiently covering up?

exactly, if the only way i can breastfeed is to get the whole boob out then so be it

 

[mafiamom]

i do not think covering up is necessary to be discreet. i nursed my baby EVERYWHERE in public and didnt flash one bit of boob and i never covered. baby hates it, i hate it, and having a blanket (or a nursing cover - my word those things are HUGE) covering you up is the same as yelling from the tree tops - "look at me, i am nursing right now!".

i live in the US where nursing is even less tolerated, but i DO think that you can be totally discreet without covering yourself up with a tent

i do not condone pulling out your entire boob in public. this does NOT help the cause, it hurts it.

 

[midori1999]

I don't understand how any breastfeeding Mum's whole breast can be on show during breastfeeding, as surely the whole point is that there's a baby attached to it?! Therefore, covering up part of the breast.

I would prefer to be discreet, but it's easy enough to accidentally give someone an eyeful whilst latching baby on etc, especially for new Mum's. Breastfeeding is perfectly natural, normal, healthy and best for baby. There are also laws in this country to protect breastfeeding mothers and that say we can breastfeed in public, the same does not apply to urination. Plus, it's unhygenic to urinate in a cafe or restaurant, it's not unhygenic to breastfeed a baby there.

If people are offended by it, they can simply look away, the same as they can if a woman is topless on a beach or if a burn victim goes out in public. Or should they all stay in so as not to offend others who find them repulsive and prefer not to look at them too?

 

[rosedew]

What is this about breastfeeding being repulsive? Everyone wants to see boobs, they hang them half out everywhere to attract the guys and whatnot. So when they are used for what they are actually intended for, someone is going to think that is gross? How is a boob gross in any way? Or are people offended because hanging your boob out makes the guys around "uncomfortable"?
I personally still count my breasts as my personal body parts that I save for my husband to feel like he gets a treat cuz he's the only one to see them. I am not in the habit of displaying them half out of my shirts on a regular basis for everyone to enjoy. So even when i'm BF, I try to find a quiet spot and try to cover up best I can.
But if someone were to come along and baby were to grab the blanket at that moment, that someone who got an eyeful sure as shoot better not ask me to go somewhere germ-filled to feed my baby. How self righteous of them anyways, as if they act like they don't want to see a boob!! And how many bathrooms have extra chairs out for people to sit on? Not many. Are we going to sit on a toilet to feed our baby!!!? Holy Moly I cannot believe these people!