To take breastfed baby to the ivy ?

[dontfollowmeimlosttoo]

Hi ,

My baby is 5 weeks old , breastfeeding has been tough for us from the beginning ! Poor latch , cracked nipples etc anyway found out he had posterior tongue tie , division done last week . Latch still hit and miss feeds can be hard ( he slips off ). Anyway we will keep going been assured it's gets better ..

What I find funny is family member fully aware of this and know my struggles at feeding in public ( constantly re latching whole boob out ) so am only really going to groups or places with parent room to feed private.

Anyway she asked me if I would like to go to the ivy for breakfast it seems abit random as baby will only be 7 weeks . Would you guys go and hope for a private room ?

[acciocat]

I had no issues with bf in public places but I don’t think I’d have wanted the stress of wondering if the baby was going to cry and be unsettled. Nothing worse than having to abandon a tasty meal because you need to take a crying baby out

[Vulpine]

Onthenaughtystep - I could understand if you didn't want to be around babies in a restaurant at dinner service, but for breakfas - like the baby - you'd just have to suck it up.

[SinkGirl]

Going to Le Gavroche next month and now quite scared... haven’t been anywhere really fancy in ages.

Anyway, I don’t know much about The Ivy in Birmingham - from the comments here it’s neither fancy or expensive so that’s not an issue. The only issue is whether you’ll be able to relax or not.

[onthenaughtystepagain]

With their prices I would request a room.

At their prices I wouldn't want to be at the next table to a grizzling baby who is struggling to feed! It's hardly a Wetherspoons, it's a very adult environment.

[KaliforniaDreamz]

spanishwife it still made me laugh.

[Vulpine]

I'd breast feed practically anywhere so yes would go 100%

[levanti]

I wouldn't go anywhere that sells foie gras. It's barbaric.

[MarieIVanArkleStinks]

Yes I would, but possibly not at 5 weeks old if I was struggling to establish BF. Without an easy latch it will make you more conspicuous and might amount to something of a stressful experience.

I never liked the thought of scarves or covers and would have felt very anxious having DC under one of those things and perhaps restricting his ability to breathe. I managed to be discreet using nursing tops with slits in them (Seraphine are great for these) and never had a cross word or look in the 18 months I was BF.

If you're worried you might be challenged, remember you're within your legal rights and stand your ground politely but firmly!

Good luck and enjoy your breakfast :)

[spanishwife]

MamaLovesMango unfortunately when things arrive in Birmingham the specialness of a place goes down a few pegs.

[WorraLiberty]

I don't think the breast feeding is the issue. A crying baby who can't latch in a busy restaurant is an issue

Actually, yes that's a very good point.

[ChaosMoon]

I don't think it's weird that she asked and it's not necessarily about not empathising either. It's about giving you the choice to say yes or no, without making an assumption on your behalf. I actually think that's quite nice.

Just work out what you feel comfortable with. You WNBU to say yes or no. She WBU only of she didn't happily accept your preference.

[WeepingWillowWeepingWino]

user but in this instance it's more that the baby is fussing and struggling to latch, and having had a similar baby, sorting that out is not something I fancied doing with an audience. Once she was bigger and bfing was established I bfed here, there and everywhere.

[MamaLovesMango]

It’s really kntereatkbg to hear how people don’t rate the Ivy anymore too! The Market Grill in Covent Garden was great. It felt luxurious, with solid silver tablewear, the food was much better than average (which IME Bill’s is!) and you were literally waited on hand and foot. I’ve not been to one of the new braseries though and perhaps they’re different.

[user1480880826]

I would encourage you to go everywhere and feed everywhere. Breastfeeding needs to be normalised and you shouldn’t feel ashamed for getting your boobs out to feed your baby.

If you feel embarrassed then phone ahead and ask if there’s a room you can use. But you really shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed.

[MamaLovesMango]

If it’s in Birmingham it’ll be an Ivy Brassrie or whatever they’re calling them and I’d say pretty baby friendly, especially for breakfast. So yes, I’d do it but I’d also do it in the original Ivy if I wanted to.

Great suggestions to phone ahead and ask if there’s a private area or a booth you can book. Some of the Ivy places have private rooms which will probably be empty at breakfast time. It’s a lovely offer from your friend. I hope having a lovely breakfast in a little bit of posh makes you feel good. I had brunch at the Ivy Market Grill recently and it was wonderful

[stucknoue]

I'd go. It gets so much easier by then. It's amazing how quickly too. Just think carefully about clothing and take a modesty scarf if it's worrying you

[ZippyBungleandGeorge]

I had very similar issues, tongue tie, blisters, nipple infection, DS used to take over an hour to feed then went to feed again less than an hour later. Good news is by the time we got to eight/nine weeks it was just suddenly fine and easy, and I now breast feed anywhere, I wouldn't have back then, I was exhausted and sore, he was very unsettled and I would've been feeding/winding/settling for the whole meal. Can't you postpone?

[spanishwife]

KaliforniaDreamz

Not digression, the title of the post says '..to the ivy' as if that was the sticking point.

[KaliforniaDreamz]

LOL at all the digression into the Ivy being crap now
(true - tho i do like the chelsea one for drinks)

[Dieu]

I wouldn't have seen the big deal in going at all You gotta eat, and baby will presumably be either sleeping or feeding.
Enjoy!

[strawbmilk]

First time I breastfed in public was in the ivy at 2 weeks. I ran out of expressed milk and just used a scarf to cover up. No one batted an eye.

[Brummiegirl15]

It’s a Bills with better wallpaper

Yep, that’s exactly what it is. The Ivy is nice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s no Michelin star restaurant. It’s chilled and relaxed and very family friendly. Especially on weekends

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

I didn't take DD to restaurants until we'd cracked BFing. It meant I could latch her quickly when she was grizzling for a feed and she then had a good feed and quickly went back to sleep. It was much more pleasant.

I also had a feeding shawl in the early weeks as I did go places. I didn't want to cover her constantly but because she would latch on/off and was pretty small, I did flash on occasion. Once we got better and she got bigger, you couldn't see anything and I stopped using the shawl.

[Steamedbadger]

If you're happy to feed in public then you'll be fine. Take a scarf or small blanket. The Ivy is just like any other nice cafe. But if you're not happy then I'm sure your relative will understand and you can arrange it for later.

[neveradullmoment99]

I have no idea what the ivy is like as I have never heard of it.