Did you have any negative comments from breastfeeding in public?

[Soontobemummy2019]

Just wondering if anyone had experienced any negative comments or attitudes from BF in public and if so, how did you deal with it?

Nope! Not even the tyre fitters in the garage :)

No. And I bf everywhere: park, supermarket, cafe, airplane , etc

No negative comments, a few older ladies smiling and saying well done which was nice.

I was very self conscious in public at first though when I didn’t really know what I was doing. It got easier as I got used to getting set up with minimal faff, I found working out how to hold baby, get boob available and baby latched on by myself quite tricky! Once I’d cracked it it was easy though. I didn’t use a cover but would usually try to find a seat facing a corner where possible, more for my own comfort than anyone else’s.

I was pleasantly surprised by how supportive family, friends and strangers were.

Never, and I’ve breastfed my now two year old anywhere and everywhere. I had a few supportive comments and even applause from an older lady once.

No negatives so far. Especially when LO was a newborn I got a few fond looks, and a lady once approached me in a cafe to tell me well done. I'm in my second year now, so I wonder if attitudes will change.

Yes, I was in a Costa feeding my then 5 month old little boy, a woman at a table opposite me was giving me the stink eye and huffing. I ignored her and carried on feeding.

She came up to me as she was leaving a told me I should be doing that in public etc and that i should have sat in the ladies toilet.

I told her to fuck off and leave me be.

It's the only time I've had a negative reaction.

Only had one old guy tut at me in the doctors.

Otherwise I found people to be helpful- once I was knackered and took kids to a cafe, waitress offered to cut up ds1’s food for me while I fed the baby, had a few other positive experiences too.

Never, not even when they were toddlers, and I'm still spoiling for that fight. I'm told I have a fairly good resting bitch face, though, and I made a point of being really confident about it (once I'd got over the first few hideous weeks!) - no faffing with covers, no furtive looks, just a neutral "I have every right to be here" posture. It's social engineering - most people will go along with confident body language unless they're arseholes.

So sorry to those of you who've taken abuse for either method. People are just awful.

Never a problem. Even 25 years ago.

Not once

Not while I was actually feeding from strangers but several friends/ family members gave me comments about how they might sleep through better with a bottle, how could I be sure how much milk they were getting, maybe I wasn't producing enough milk and that's why they weren't sleeping through, didn't I think at six months I should stop etc.

Strangers were far better in fact! Several older women took the time to tell me how lovely it was to see someone breastfeeding, which was definitely appreciated.

No, none at all. Bf two children in public (at separate times). I tried to be discrete but never used an apron / muslin.

The only negative that happened to me was when I was feeding in a cubicle of a completely empty changing room at a large Tesco. An employee knocked on the door and told me to go to the baby changing room and when I refused as I was comfortable where I was she got all huffy with me

I got table service at a McDonald's (brought me the bill and card machine and everything!) When I fed in there a stupid o clock in the morning!

Lots of knowing smiles. The occasional comment about it being nice to see a baby being BFed. Mostly, people assumed they were napping in my arms.

DM, always seemed to mysteriously disappear while I was feeding though...

I had one person in a cafe realise I was bfing, when I was being very discrete, and say “Christ’s, that’s a bit medieval isn’t it”
But mostly people were nice and looked elsewhere.

Yes. Needing to feed DD we were in public at a restaurant but outside eating area - FIL - in horror - you're not going to start doing that here are you?

Erm, no not if it disturbs you but we will go to the car to feed in peace and the drive home.

Had loads of positive comments from lovely strangers offering help or a smile. Family were lovely apart from my Nan it just isn't proper!?
I kid you not a older tutted at me for feeding in a park under a tree really quiet next to a woman sunbathing topless!!! I mean good for her she looked bloody fab why tut at me for feeding 😎

Older lady sorry

No negative comments ever. The worst I ever had was an ogling bloke, whose wife spotted him and stopped it. I had lots of positive comments, mainly from older women and once, from another mum who was feeling shy of feeding in public until she realised that nothing was on show - like me, she'd never watched another mum feeding before she had her first.
Costa staff were amazing. I used to walk up town, stop for a coffee then walk back a few times a week for exercise and fresh air for DS. If DS settled in for a long feed, staff would offer to bring me a fresh coffee and take payment at the table. That was really kind of them and I'be always thought well of Costa since TBH (and DS is now 10!).

Very little from strangers, both my own DM and MIL suggested my DS would settle better if he had enough to eat, it made me feel terrible that they thought I'd let him go hungry. He isn't hungry, he's just a Velcro baby who loves to be held.

Oh, and my DF makes me a little uncomfortable by sitting really close when I'm feeding. I think he's trying to show how ok he is with it in a weird misguided way. Oh, and he kissed DS's forehead goodbye once when I was feeding, I hated that!

No, just young male slightly embarrassed staff in cafes rather compulsively offering me water every five minutes, and as some of the cafes I went back to a lot, they got used to it!
I did get friends and family asking if I didn't get nasty comments, not that they had a problem, you understand, it was all those other people they were concerned about! More often I got MIL and other women amazed that I held my babies upright on my thigh from about 4mo to feed,and saying things like "if I'd known you could do it like that, I'd have kept going for longer!"

Given I'd never seen anyone bf before I was pregnant, that's all pretty good really.

Never. And I fed, without a cover for 4 years in total.

No x 4DC with a combined 30 months of breastfeeding