Breastfeeding in Public

 

Breastfeeding in Public – You Are Not Alone!

If you are a breastfeeding mama it is inevitable… at some point you will probably breastfeed in public.  As a new mom breastfeeding in public might make you a little uncomfortable, but you should let yourself become comfortable with the idea.  And here is why… you should not be afraid to nurse in public!  Mothers everywhere have a right to get out of the house and still be able to feed their babies.  I firmly believe there has never been so much support for this.

Forums and blogs all over the internet confirm that mothers are celebrating motherhood. And many mommy’s stand united in their shared experiences, supporting each other.

Before having a child I had no clue what this experience was like. The thought of whipping my boob out in public made me cringe.  But after a little practice it quickly became something that I don’t really even think about too much.

I’ve nursed my baby at the park, in restaurants, at the mall, at parties, weddings, in my car, etc.  I’m sure many experienced nursing mamas can relate.

You Got This Mama!

I started out by wearing a nursing cover.  I even practiced at home in front of my husband before we went out anywhere with the baby.  He is a great support and has written his own post about the partner’s role when breastfeeding in public. What I found as a new mama, is that the breastfeeding journey can be rocky to begin with, and the cover made it difficult to see the baby and see what I was doing.  So it wasn’t too long before I ditched the cover in favor of clothing that I could easily nurse in.  Here is my favorite nursing dress (affiliate link).  I love how effortless this is to wear.  The fabric is super comfortable and when baby is nursing it simply looks like you are holding them.  Plus you have maximum visibility.

Below is the selfie I snapped during my first triumphant attempt at nursing in public.  I remember feeling so proud in this moment.  We got out of the house and we did it!  Fresh air and fresh milk.

Here is why you shouldn’t let others discourage you from feeding your baby wherever and whenever:

It’s natural. It’s healthy. Period. Baby’s gotta eat.

It’s Not Always Easy, But It Is Worth It!

Now, as a breastfeeding mama you will have some great breastfeeding moments, and some not so great ones.  Nothing is sweeter than baby falling asleep while feeding.  They are so relaxed and peaceful in that moment, I always try to freeze time in my brain.  But like anything, breastfeeding out in the open is something that gets better with practice.  Just for your entertainment I’ve included my story of one of our first times nursing in public.  It wasn’t one of the pretty moments.

As a brand new mom I took my baby boy with me to get his birth certificate. He was only weeks old at the time. My mother was with me and I was so grateful. I believe that we had done an errand or two, and this was the last one before we were going to head home.

MILK = FOOD -> FOOD COURT?

Baby boy had been sleeping up until this time. He was fussing and it was clear that he was hungry. He was a “let me drink milk every 2 hours on the dot” kind of baby. So, quickly I tried to problem solve where I could sit down and feed this baby.  We were at a local shopping center the first thing I thought of was the food court.  I don’t know… maybe there was a better place, but I knew there would be chairs there.  And… milk = food, right?  So the food court seemed appropriate.

It was the middle of the day on a weekday so it wasn’t very busy at the mall.  I was confident, this was my second time breastfeeding in public and I was ready to exercise my right to feed my baby.  So we make our way upstairs.  My travel white noise machine was on full blast in an effort to help soothe my baby boy.  Which sounded like we were trying to land a small airplane, but I didn’t care.  When we get up there, there was literally no discreet place to sit whatsoever.  My mom sat across from me to block me off from strangers.  Oh, but that did not deter several men from wandering up to us…

Struggling with Breastfeeding in Public

Now my baby boy loved to have his hands up by his face.  Which meant as a new breastfeeding mom I had a lot to juggle.  The positions. The latch.  Not to mention I was also in terrible pain and I had to fight those little hands, so there was a lot going on.

So when baby was understandably upset he not only cried, he banshee screamed to the high heavens.  The screams echoed off the windowed ceilings high above us.  I was mortified.

I’m sure people could hear us well beyond the food court.  My mom sympathetically tried to help me.  And it was really only her help that I wanted.  A gentleman wandered over and peeked down at us.  I didn’t look at him.  He said nothing.  I remember that my mom glared at him and he moved on.  We both thought that it was a creepy and uncalled for thing to do.

Next, a thin man with glasses approached us.  With good intentions he asked about the white noise machine and if that was supposed to soothe the baby… You Think?!?  My son was still screaming his head off at this point, so I could barely hear the man anyway.  Then he proceeded to ask if he was having trouble latching on.  Again, I think this was a little obvious.  But I’m sure that he just wanted to help.  Perhaps the sound of my son’s cries were just so distressing to him that he thought he could do something.  I wish he would have just left it alone, because there really wasn’t anything he could do.  I’m trembling at this point and trying so hard to calm my little love.  I ignore him and I think he finally figured out that this just wasn’t the time or the place, and we were not interested in talking to him.

I left there knowing that the first times would be the hardest.  And it was.  It got better from there.  Much better.

Solutions to Breastfeeding in Public

Now I have an eagle eye for finding areas that I can feel comfortable and discreet while breastfeeding in public.  When I go out I choose nursing friendly clothes.  I also choose to focus on my son, and not look up at other people.  Who cares what they think anyway.

I hope my experience made you laugh.  Leave a comment below sharing your funny nursing-in-public story.  Much love to all you parents out there, remember each time it gets a little bit easier.