A reader commented a few weeks back regarding a post on breastfeeding in public:
You don’t have to answer this or write a post on it if you don’t feel comfortable but just wondering… how do you feel about breastfeeding in public. I stopped breastfeeding when my baby was about 1 month old. We had many obstacles and the reason was not related to breastfeeding in public but I’m someone who didn’t even feel comfortable breastfeeding in front of my mom, never mind other strangers.
How do you feel about it? How do you make it work for you?
I hope if I have another child that breastfeeding will go better for me but do worry about how I’ll ever be able to leave the house and socialize with others when I just don’t feel comfortable with breastfeeding in front of others.
The other day in our play group we got to talking about nursing in public. For some women it was no big deal, others tried to avoid it if possible and then others commented that their spouses were the uncomfortable ones.
I was forced to jump into breast feeding in public five days postpartum when we decided to head out to the farmers market. I attempted to get in a good feed before we left but with a five day old, feedings tend to be more frequent and so instead of doing any real shopping I sat on a bench and nursed while directing Neil to which stands to purchase the produce we needed. It was a bit awkward and of course I didn’t wear a breast feeding friendly top. I tried covering myself with Edie’s muslin blanket but it kept blowing up but I managed. Tip: tie the ends together and slip over head- makes a perfect cover and means one less thing to buy/carry around. It was quite the challenge but I had to do what I needed to do for Edie regardless of how comfortable I was.
Over the course of the last 15 weeks I have had numerous public nursing sessions and to be honest my favorite place to nurse had become a park bench, especially during the farmers market. It is peaceful spot and Edie always seems to nurse really well, bonus I get to people watch while I nurse and get to enjoy the fresh air. I have come to really love nursing outside and will take that over nursing in the car any day.
Before giving birth I was relatively modest but child birth changed that all for me. Don’t get me wrong I’m still pretty modest but I am more relaxed about things. I know that breast feeding is the best thing I can give my baby and I unfortunately have a difficult time letting down to the pump (that’s a whole other post) so pumping a bottle to give E while we are out is not an option. That being said I had two options breastfeeding in public or staying at home until E stops nursing so frequently and/or eats solids. Since the second option would drive me crazy I had to figure out a way to make it work. As I said above I just jumped into it and it was awkward and slightly uncomfortable but now it’s second nature to me.
To help make the situation more comfortable I have nursed in the privacy of the car, covered with a muslin cover or breastfeeding cover, or found a relatively private public spot. For those who are feeling uncomfortable breastfeeding in public I encourage you to get a breastfeeding cover it makes things much more private. When you go to friends houses ask to use a private room to nurse in (not the bathroom because really would YOU want to eat in a bathroom? I didn’t think so.)
My biggest tip is to get out and do it! The more you do it the more comfortable you will be so start out small with maybe even just going in your backyard or on your porch to start and then head out to the market and then over time make your excursions longer and you will find that breastfeeding in public will get easier.
What others have to say:
How do you feel about breastfeeding in public? Do you have any tips or a story to share?
If you have a question for us please email us info@naturallyfamily.com we’d love to hear from you!
These nursing camis where the best purchases that I made for both nursing and pregnancy. They are nice and long and covered my pregnant belly and still cover my postpartum tummy. They are super comfortable and I wear them all the time, so much so that I really need to buy myself a few more. I would recommend having at least four nursing camis. They are great for wearing under t-shirts for nursing so that when you lift your shirt to nurse in public your stomach is still covered (if that matters to you). 
