Breastfeeding in France in public

[TickledOnion]

Does anyone know if breastfeeding in public in France is any different from here (UK)? We are going on holiday to the Loire for a week and I was considering switching to FF (for a number of reasons) but can't be bothered to carry all the bottles and sterliser with me, so I'm going to wait till we get back.

Showtunesgirl - some of the comments repeated in that article are horrible and I am sure not peculiar to France.

A long time ago a Kenyan colleague of mine expressed her distaste for breastfeeding when referring to her sister bf her dd saying, 'I don't want her to turn out gay'. I was not a parent at the time but attitudes like that are so ridiculous that words would fail me even now. If that is what someone genuinely believes then I am pretty sure nothing I say will convince them otherwise.

Glad you started this thread, I'm off to France for two weeks on Saturday with my nearly 9 month old, glad to hear it will be ok! Though DS2 is so nosy, he takes a few sucks then has a peer around, so it's next to impossible to keep completely covered

I BF DS in France during two holidays last year and had no odd looks. Plus if you are flying, it's sooo much easier to just pop them on than faff around with bottles.

That article is really annoying. It might be the author's experience but not mine at all!

I went back to work when DS was 6 months (which a lot of people did consider to be "late") but whenever I mention that I'm still BF him morning and evening I get a very positive reaction...mainly from my male colleagues! A couple have even said how great they find it and how their wife BF their baby for 4 months ages and they're convinced that's why the baby wasn't as ill as their friends' etc. etc.

On a medical side, I was very supported whilst in hospital, no pressure to give a bottle, even when DS lost 10% of his weight. The hospital wouldn't let us leave until he'd started to put weight back on, but even then they didn't suggest bottle feeding, just to BF him regularly.

The only medical person who has suggested that I stop BF is my neurologist because he is frustrated that he can't prescribe me meds to stop my migraines whilst I'm still BF! But he has always stressed that it's totally my choice.

Oh and my French in-laws think BF is fantastic and I was spoilt rotten whenever we visited him and I BF - I didn't have to lift a finger!