what do you think when you see someone using a bfing cover?

[reastie]

Like one of those bebe au lait style ones. Put a thread on here recently saying I was a bit about bfing in public, and, following on from some advice here I've got a bebe au lait cover thingy which arrived yesterday. Thing is, I almost feel like I'm making a deal about flashing the fact I'm bfing while using it - a bit like 'look at me, i'm bfing, yes, bfing, trying to disguise it but everyone can see it, i'm bfing'. Tried it at home and DH says since the material is jazzy (I like the pattern though ) it sort of attracts attention to what I'm doing. I feel a bit about what people think when they see people using one as I feel a bit like I might get more odd looks by using one than not using one, but don't want to feed without one and flash myself publically (lots of my tops open at the top and I'm a mahossive 38I so alot of flesh on show).

I would think "omg I can't believe those things are called hooter hiders"

And like others have said, I would then wonder to myself just how our society got to the point where people take offence at seeing a baby breastfeeding. I would probably smile at you and then get paranoid that you thought I was staring

I've been bf non stop for 5.5yrs now and very much favour the vest method.

And actually, I don't think I have ever seen anybody using one tbh

Oh bugger, Tiktok! You caught me!!

Yes I have a very co-operative Muslim friend who also happens to be a contortionist

I know mawbroon - I only found out the hooter hider thing yesterday when you tubing how to use it

big to tiktok and kara for the muslim comment

Thanks for all this - I think alot of you feel like me in that it brings attention to what you're doing and feel a bit sad that I feel the need to do so. I do the vest top and lift up top thingy but thing is I am a dress girl and miss wearing dresses. I also have put on over 3 stone a little excess baby weight and so none of my usual clothes fit and I find an empire style dress suits me alot better than trousers and tops so feel more confident in an all in one ensemble but can't see how this would work with bfing (hence the cover as the 2 dresses I own mean everyone gets a big old eye full ). I feel so fed up with my limited wardrobe of wearing either my mat clothes, a pair of jeggings, 2 'normal' tops that fit me or my 2 dresses - that's all I own that fit me :(

never seen one in action, but like others, I'd never noticed anyone bfing till I started doing it myself.
I have mahoosive boobs too and I know how difficult it can be sometimes, but, well, I guess I've just stopped caring!

I'm another one who would think - great, you are bfing. But also a bit sad that you feel the need to cover up. And pissed off that manufacturers are making money for nothing!

It makes me so cross when people on here have a go at bfing covers - do you or do you not want people to breastfeed in whatever way they feel comfortable doing it? I never ever felt comfortable breastfeeding in public, I had a (very muted) mauve breastfeeding cover, which enabled me to get out and about so much more with DD2 (wish I'd had it for DD1). I don't feel society pressurised me into covering up, I just don't feel comfortable flashing my nipples (DD2 in particular loved popping on and off without warning?) in public, in whatever context. I guess I feel that my breasts are private and that's the way I'd like to keep it. And those of you who think that is prudish/an example of being cowed by public intolerance to BF are, I would say, a bit out of touch with how a lot of women feel. I would've been gutted if I'd known when I was BF that lots of sniffy mumsnetters were sneering at me using a cover - thank God I didn't read this (or other similar threads) at the time, otherwise I would have felt a lot more isolated.

I don't know what they are, but I remember being at an airport some years ago and watching a young Indian woman casually pull her dupatta across as she fed her baby and thinking how discreet and simple it was.

A scarf of thin material is easy and not hot/dark. Doesn't have to be some mad expensive bebe au wotsit nonsense.

please tell me this is a joke

And so bloody what that people are making money out of it. That's just called entrepreneurship isn't it? I'm delighted that someone came up with the idea - wish them every success

I can't get over it...

A giant weird aprony thing.

Yeah, that'll get you noticed all right.

OK, admittedly, having seen Hullygully's link - I don't really get the 'hot spots' style 'hooter hiders' but the one I had was plain, dark, had a useful wire so that I could see DD latching on, kept her out of the sun - 10/10. And actually i would think very few people noticed it. I tried the two tops arrangement but DD kept pulling off and I found it really embarrassing in front of, for example, FIL.

Out of interest, do people object to companies making money out of those breastfeeding vests etc?

I used one and tbh for me it was the best thing I bought. I had real difficulty establishing bfing early on and could only ever do it in the rugby ball position with DD on a pillow. I therefore carried around with me a thrupenny (sp?) cushion and my bf cover. Without the cover I basically had everything on show and couldn't be subtle about it - I tried positioning a muslin or pashmina over my should instead, but just couldn't get it to stay in position. Obviously in an ideal world I wouldn't have needed it, but for me it without it I either wouldn't have left the house or more like ended up ff.

I didn't use it if at home or at a friends's house for example, but in public I did. I actually got a lot of lovely comments from people whilst using it - lots of them saying what a good idea, they wished they had known about that as it would have helped them bf longer or out in public.

If you don't need one, then you don't have to use one, but if it helps you get out and about and bf for longer and in public then go for it!

hullygully Thats the one I've got . Can I just let it be known for the record that I got mine cheap from ebay though - no manufacturers making money from me and I fully intend to sell it on after use if I can too . You've all made me a bit about going out and using it now though

I dont like them personally. It draws attention to it much more, and they are quite unsightly.

However if the mum is really nervous, so it's either that or stop BFing or avoid going out, then they are of course great.

poirot I also have tried a muslin (maybe I should try a muslim though ) and pashmina and can't get it to stay in place right. Also tried a cardi covered over but it just falls back everytime DD relatches on. Thought that was just me

reastie, I'm so sorry, I had never heard of them or seen them before and they did come as a bit of a shock. Of course the main point is for you to feel comfortable. Sod the rest of it.

I think it's fine for people to invent them and make money, no diff to anything else.

But I would say a scarf is a hell of alot easier, cheaper and more discreet..

reastie please don't be nervous about using it if you like it and it makes you feel more comfortable. I would practise using it at home once before you use it out and about.

Personally I felt like I was rubbish at bfing because I could only do it with a pillow in the rugby ball position and needed to use both hands a lot of the time.

Other benefits for me was that DD was less distracted as she became older and that I dropped less crumbs on her when eating whilst feeding her!

so hully, I know this sounds ridiculous, but in what fashion do you drape the pashmina over you so it stays in place, covers your flesh and lets you see what you're doing to get LO latched on? . I've tried it different ways but can't manage it.

Sorry didn't finish that middle bit - because I felt I was a bit rubbish, this sort of allowed me to do it my way without feeling that other people that could just pop them on with no hands and then do a million other things at the same time weren't judging me.

I am overweight anyway so I wonder if the muslin/scarf thing didn't work as I needed something bigger?

OMG I've just seen Hullygully's link.

As I said earlier I''ve not seen a b'fing cover before but I had imagined them to be quite discreet, along the lines of a pashmina or something. The one in the link is not what I was imagining at all.

But if they work for you (and baby) I guess thats all that matters.

I wouldn't think that the mum was trying to draw attention to herself bfing, but I think those covers do make it a bit obvious. Like others I think it's sad that women feel they have to hide what they're doing.

TBH when I feed you can't actually see anything, although DD is getting to the 'nosy' stage, where she keeps getting distracted and having a look round mid feed thus exposing me a bit. (I just pull my top down over boob until she starts to look for it again)

Thing about scarves is that the baby can kick them off v easily (as I discovered in my experimentation period) whereas those things you can hook over your neck and they stay in place. And, once again, they can be v discreet - if you're not keen on the technicolour spots etc there are plenty of plain fabrics available etc I think mine was about £18 - money v well spent.

Reastie, I use the same one (different fabric to the link posted) if using a cover. DD prefers it to just having a cover over her head as it doesn't touch her face at all and I like being able to see her as she's occasionally a fusspot, whether covered or not.

A friend of mine uses hers everywhere other than her own home and it doesn't seem to cause undue attention.

I think anything that encourages bfing is great, and some people are more modest than others.

reastie, the woman I saw had a very long scarf/dupatta that was about two foot wide. She draped it loosely across the baby and then over her shoulder. They are worn so that the two ends hang over the back, so she had the baby in the middle iyswim!

She could then look down and see th ebaby.

Hmm, seem to have accidentally slipped in an unnecessary etc there?