i've had three other kids and nursed them anywhere i pleased....now, 12 years since the last was a baby, i now feel slightly uncomfortable nursing my new baby in public.

i often imagine people are staring or looking critically at me. and while i really don't care deep down and won't stop living my life and going places with baby, it makes me feel a little self conscience.

how do others handle nursing baby in public?

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I've gotten nasty looks while BFing in public, even though no one could see any skin. I try to just ignore it. I know I'm doing what I think is best for my baby, and if they don't like it they can get up and move somewhere that they can't see me.

I get the nasty looks too. I feel that now that its more out there and people are aware that people ate BFing in public, it makes it even harder for some reason. (even tho MORE people are doing it)

Anyways, I always have to feed DD at my sons school while I am waiting to pick him up and i just try to turn a chair away from the door or sit more in a corner and turn towards a wall or something. I have actually had people ask me to do it in the bathroom or go to my car. Uhhhh. NO!

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Co-Host of Born in June 2007

Randi - that is awful!

I nurse where I nurse! No one has ever asked me to move - I wouldn't if they did....unless it was to offer me a comfy couch or something I was unaware of. There are FAR more offensive things to me than BF in public.

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***Sara***
<><

wow randi..that's terrible.

i've never had anyone ask me to move...i'm always on guard for it to happen though, i think that's what i get a little stressed about.

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I just nurse whenever and wherever. DD#1 cured me of any modesty issues because she couldn't stand to be covered up at all starting at about 4mos old. Sometimes I'm just waiting for somebody to say something so I can tell them to f**k off, LOL! I guess I'm a bit belligerent at times

I have gotten pretty good at whipping it out discreetly, as long as my toddler doesn't start yelling "I want booby NOW mommy!"

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same here kara...i think it's the anticipation of someone making a comment or telling me to leave where i am and wondering if i'll react as i've planned.

also, my last toddler yelled "i want boobie" in close quarters on an airplane..so enbarrassing!!!

i still nurse her everywhere....that'll never stop..dispite the looks.

thanks

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ROFL. Sorry Lori, that's hilarious

Randi, I'm po'ed for you. What do these people think boobs are for, anyway? Noooo, not just for the late-night porn channel, thank you very much. >.< Anyone ever asks you to move to the bathroom again, ask them how they'd like eating in there. It's gross to even think about it (although I considered it early this morning when I didn't wanna put Danny down and had to race like a piss horse >.>)

If a bottle-fed baby can be fed in public, how can they say that a breastfed baby and momma can't share the same right?

Glare right back at them. Pricks.

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i had my guard up too when we used to nip. i got some looks, and i looked right back.

i did embarrass a few people though. one older man who wanted to see the baby moved the tail of the sling, and got an eyeful ROFL

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i do a lot of lurking here, less posting, but this one i thought i could add something to...

for me, NIP was a slow process...dd and i had some pretty serious troubles with nursing a the beginning. that was the hardest part. once we overcame those issues, we slowly worked at getting out ( i had a c-sec, so i needed to be home for the first few weeks anyway )

i started with just going to friends and family's houses to nip...once i got comfy doing that, i moved out of the house ...the car in the mall parking lot, the nursing room in the mall ...the bench in the mall...then anywhere! it really took baby steps for me, and it could have been just us getting more comfortable
nursing at all...

it also helped me when i stopped trying to cover myself up too much. it seemed to bring more attention to us and it made me feel like i had something to hide you know? and i didn't want to feel like that.
the best combo of wear that i came up with ( and believe me it took a while to figure out which would work the best for us...every kid is different too) was a nursing tank under a front opening shirt or jacket. the tank would cover up my baby belly ( which i was most uncomfortable showing funny enough)
and shirt over top would cover up anything that the babe didn't. i tried quite a few of them on before i bought them, but the BRAVADO DESIGNS tanks worked the best for me. the website is Bravado! Designs if you want to check em out.

anyway, just thought i'd chime in. give yourself some credit and know that you are doing your best for your child. way to go for getting out there at all
fricnfrac

I am just now getting comfy feeding in public. 11 years ago I was the GM at a borders books (opened the store) and having babies was WAY out of my thoughts. (I no longer work for them) Someone asked us to put a bench in the ladies room for bfing after we opened the store. I did. The other day I took my girls into the store to visit some of the people that are still there that I know. And as I was talking to one of my friends I realized that my babies were coming up on their time to feed. I said to Paula, I think I need to feed them, and she said We no longer have the bench in the bathroom...I looked at her in horror. I said I could not even IMAGINE fding them in there especially after having to clean up the nasty-ness that happens in public bathrooms and I went into the children's section sat my tush on a bench and had my first public feeding. The store was virtually empty so it was a nice baby step for me. But, I was very proud that I did it, and I plan to continue to take more and more steps till I am completely ok with whipping it out in public whenever and wherever my girls are hungry...what was I thinking with that bench!

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994

lol, I'm with you Kara. I'm just waiting for someone to tell me that I can't feed my baby in public! I've got a whole speech planned out, lol. but so far I've gotten nothing but praise. my MIL totally shocked me last time we were at her house. As I was feeding Annabelle, she told me how much she admired me for bf'ing...that she wanted to bf her kids but was too scared to do it anywherebut her own home so she ended up ff'ing. so if I'm ever feeling modest about bf'ing in public, I just try to remember that seeing me do it might encourage another mom to give bf'ing a try.

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Patty - I have nothing to say except YOU GO GIRL!!!! I am in awe of any mommy BF'ing twins. I can only imagine the logistics of doing it in public! Your girls are just gorgeous

Lydia - I once had a little old man, with a stogie hanging out of my mouth, come up to me when I was nursing a 6-day old Vivian, and tell me "it oughtta be a law" to breastfeed your children. He must've been 80yrs old, but he was totally encouraging me. It was pretty cute! That's just about the only thing anybody has ever said to me in person, although some stuck-up Texas b*tch came up to my sister when she went outside for a smoke break to complain about my doing that "in front of her children" at a restaurant in Houston. I couldn't believe she didn't have the guts to come and say it to me - I was totally ready for that kind of a confrontation, LOL!

Awe, Thanks! But I should say I only feed one at a time. They have both learned (amazingly) to wait their turn, and as long as they can see me when they are hungry they dont fuss. I tandem feed at first, but then when they got efficient at nursing I switched to one at a time and never looked back I love the one on one time and just looking into their eyes while they are snuggled up to me. They really only take ~10min each to eat, I also have a REALLY fast letdown and FAST A$$ flow! Poor babies...half the time someone chokes, but they will eventually get better at handling the flow.

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994

You know this already, but I like playing captain Obvious: Your girls are beeeeeeeeeeautiful. So smiley and happy and huuuuuge eyes

It's awesome that you've got everything down, it musta been a helluva challenge when they was fresh outta the oven. <3

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Awe, thanks! Its nice to hear from others...cause we know we are a little bias here!

Yep it wasn't easy, and now we are having a hard time getting them to take bottles even though they ate from both bottles and boobs from almost the beginning. We had like a month that they had ONLY the boob cause noone was home with me during the day, and now we can't get them to take a bottle

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994

I just did it. Never thought twice about. Never used a blanket because my nurslings didn't like their heads covered. I was asked to leave a Borders at storytime because I was nursing... I didn't, i caused a scene.
My babies never took a bottle either. They wanted the real thing.

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I cant believe they would ask you to leave during story time at a Borders...that just pi$$es me off! If other kids are aloud to have bottles or cheerios during story time you should be able to give yours "their" lunch! Glad you caused a sene!

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994