Breastfeesing older baby in public

[gluttom]

Dd is 5 months and quite a large baby (75th centile) but she is not weaned yet so still feeding every 2hrs. I'm starting to feel a little odd feeding her in public mainly as she is so fidgety but I have to get out as I have a 4 and 2 year old. They were on formula by 5 mths but wanting to feed dd as long as possible but I need to stop this uncomfortable feeling creeping up. I think it is because I haven't given her food yet and am getting grief from dm and mil and maybe when I feed her AGAIN they think if only she would give her some food!!!

Hi gluttom, just a quickie, but you are doing an amazing job and please don't feel embarrassed about feeding in public. I'm pretty sure you're probably more aware of it than most people around you. Also, at 5 months most babies go through a bit of a feeding frenzy (I know my DD did) and then it all calms down again so this period may only last a very very short space of time. Once you get through this you could probably be feeding less and in places where you feel more comfortable.

I don't know if any of that helps, but do ignore others comments (especially from well meaning, but ill informed mothers! )

Well I feed DD who is 8 1/2 months in public without giving it a second thought. She can be a bit fidgety and suddenly come off to look around, so no doubt anyone staring might get a flash of my nipple, but I haven't noticed anyone staring or even looking yet.

Just smile and ignore your DM/MIL. Or give them a lecture on why you are waiting, a very long one. That will probably stop them saying anything again.

I feed ds2 who is 15 minim public when necessary. You're doing an amazing job, well done you.

Don't let other people's issues influence what you do with your DD. It sounds to me like you're doing great and the main thing is you do what's right for you.

DD was a small baby, small appetite, liked breastfeeding little and often and I started weaning her at 6 months despite MIL criticising me because she was so skinny so she must need food.

DS is the opposite - huge baby, huge appetite, liked breastfeeding lots and often! MIL criticised me again for not weaning him earlier as he was such a big boy he obviously needed food, not milk!
I didn't point out the irony of her conflicting ideas, instead I just got on with what I felt was right. Both are happy and eat well now.
As for the wriggling - no idea how to stop that! Both of them liked to look around leaving me exposed!

I was regularly feeding my ds in public at that age - he is huge too! I worried too, but so many people have no idea really what you are doing if you are discreet, and most people have no idea how old a baby is from looking at them.

When you said older baby I thought you meant much older than 5 months. It is harder when they stop to have a look round! Keep going, as they are weened they do feed less and you can keep them going more easily. She may seem big to you but a 5 month old baby is still very small.

If I saw you breast feeding her in public I would give you a big smile. Anyone who doesn't can sod off!

5 months is only teeny. I thought you were going to say a 5 year old!!
I have just stopped feeding my 14 month old in public. We're down to one night time feed so it's easier for me I suppose, I can hand over a box of raisins when I need to buy time.
Don't let other people turn you off what is right for you. Baby wants feeding, feed it.

Lol I was having a nosey here wondering if I qualified as feeding an older baby with DD who is 14m! Stick at it, it'll get wayyyy easier soon, and feeds will be much less frequent.
You're doing a great job, keep up the good work xx

Blimey, I remember feeding my 2yo on the bus! You really don't need to worry, if people are weird about it, that's their problem, not yours! You're doing the best for your baby - keep up the good work! xx

Oh yes Lottiedonnegan - I would be smiling wistfully too! I remember bf in public and you'd always get a couple of older ladies looking at you with a teary glint in their eye. Lovely.

What others have said. Also I've started my 6 month old DD on solids now and she still feeds every 2 hours despite getting some 'real food' 2-3 times a day.

I would still nurse DD2 in public if she needed it and she is a 110cm 4.3y! I wouldn't bat an eyelid about feeding such a small baby as a 5m - really nothing to worry about at all.

Great job in making it to five months on just breast milk although there are very good reasons as to y people start earlier ( mine were 4 and 5 months ) if your baby is happy on just milk then great and sod what anyone else thinks about how much dc should be eating! And as for bf in public well baby's gotta eat think it would raise more eye brows u leaving a starving baby to cry than it would by feeding. The answer is simple- don't like it? Then don't look! I for one am not bothered by seeing people bf their babies in public and those who complain need to get a life :)

I remember my MIL staring hard when I was bf'ing ds around 8 months.

I mentally geared up for an annoying comment but what she actually came out with was "If I'd known it was possible to feed like that I'd have carried on for longer than I did!"

I was feeding ds with him sitting upright on my thigh, rather than holding him. She'd stopped feeding the three of her children who took to bf at around 3 to 6 months when they got heavy (and it was #3 who refused to bf at all).

Never got any looks or comments from anyone else except small children. My mum went from thinking maybe I should add formula back when I was struggling in the early days, to seeing thriving ds by 3 months, and started telling all and sundry that actually exclusive bf to at least 6 months and bf after that is what everyone should do [sorry everyone who encountered her...]

Well done. Presumably you'll be weaning her at ~6m? SO you only have to put up with the criticism about weaning? Then you can get on with just feeding her. She is tiny and anyone who judges and thinks you shouldn't be feeding her/feeding her in public has the problem, not you.

BTW as far as strnagers go I have never had anything but supportive and approving comments (usually in the supermarket), and this is in an area with dire breastfeeding rates,

5 months isn't an older baby.

It is in terms of acquaintances IME. When the baby's born they all ask if you're bf and when you say yes the next question is when do you plan to stop. From about 3 months that becomes the first question. IME

With DD1 I felt very uncomfortable with BF "in public" and limited my trips out to where I knew there were "safe" places to feed. Not ideal I know and not up there in the terms of normalising it but it worked for me!

With DD2 I didn't give a monkeys and she didn't start taking food til after 7 months (she wasn't ready, couldn't sit unaided etc) and I fed all over the place and never got any negative comments or looks.

My mum was always asking when I was going to start giving solids, isn't it time to stop BF now as soon as they turned 6 months. She was a doctor for chrissakes! These ideas are ingrained you just have to feel confident in what you are doing and not get into conversations where you feel defensive. Shut those conversations down and change the subject - that worked for me!

I naturally stopped feeding first in public when she did and it morphed into feeding for sleep and in my bed in the morning. Must gave been around 2 years.

I have a second baby, a 6 month reverse cycling daytime fidgeter and I feed her walking about in a sling. Sitting down properly is a disaster and she bites, won't latch etc.

Crumbs, I happily feed 11mo dd in public. I don't give it a second thought. In my head no one can see me if I don't want them to

In my experience dd didn't really digest anything until she was nearly 8mo (I could tell by her nappies) and it was only then that she began to drop feeds.