Anyone ever SAID anything to you about breastfeeding in public?

[gail734]

I don't go out of my way to do this, but yesterday at lunchtime I BFd DD (9 mo) in TGI Fridays. The alternative was going to be some fussy crying. I promise you couldn't see a thing. The two mummies with me looked a bit surprised. The waiter looked horrified. Nobody said anything, though. A friend told me that another woman called her "disgusting" when she realised that she was feeding a new baby in a sling, while walking around a supermarket!

Tbf spo that's because you cant eat/drink anything in a swimming pool. She could gave just sat at the side of the pool?

BTW DS is now 18 and dd nearly 15 and I hope times have changed. I turned round to a lady in church, with a fractious baby, a few weeks ago and smiled and just said "well feed her - God won't mind". But then middle aged bags can get away with that. . She relaxed straight away and fed the baby and there was peace for all.

5 she was sat on the steps at the edge...just looked like she was cuddling him I thought..

Good for you, married Abuela would have been as proud of you as she was of me! It was her I was out with the day somebody commented. My grandmother was great with the stream of invective and it did surprise people, particularly as she spoke so very well.

Well that's odd then but if she was still technically in the pool is shallow bit with steps leading down into pool then they are just enforcing the standard no good/drink.

But yes if she wasn't in the water that was crap. I used to get out and feed my ds2 sat on the benches at the side of our local pool and nobody said anything.

I have fed in church and at my grandmas funeral and no one said anything. Mil would have been horrified tho and she also thought anything past 6mths was too long...ds2 fed till nearly four years old!

the only rather odd (not exactly negative) comment I got was from MIL's DH, who said it was much easier in his day, they just gave mums a pill and then they bottle fed. I'm guessing he wasn't aware that MIL bf'd all four of her children . . . we all ignored him and I think he got the message.

No negative comments at all in England but in France....
I had a curtain pulled around me to hide me whilst breast feeding in a restaurant.
I was made fun if by a group of teenagers when feeding on a park bench
And I was spat at- yes spat at- by a woman when feeding on a cafe patio.
I was very discrete feeding both my children and always used a cover blanket but in France I think bottle feeding must be the thing.
I only fed my first child publicly in France- when I had my second I always went back to the car when in France to avoid other negative experiences.

Re swimming:
A few weeks ago I was feeding at the swimming pool, on the benches at the side. An attendant approached me and I braced myself for a negative. But she merely told me that babies who have recently fed are more likely to vomit when they get back in the water, and could I make sure the baby is properly winded and has a few minutes for the milk to settle before we got back in.

Fair enough.

I got asked if my "tits didnt work" for not breast feeding!

Ah well maybe they were right then...but no useful advice like that..clearly heard the attendant say it was because some people might be offended..

i'm surprised about france and surprised they seem much more uptight about it than the UK.

Never had any comments while feeding in public, but when DS was about 8 weeks I was carrying him in a shop and an older lady stopped to coo and admire him (he is beautiful). She asked me if I fed him myself. I said yes and she gave me this knowing look and said "ah yes I can tell" with a big smile.

I always wondered what she meant by that.

The only negative I've had was my BIL's refusal to be in the same room while I fed.

Fucking idiot.

Other than that, I've fed so far a total of 4 years and will feed absolutely anywhere - cafes, supermarkets, parks, cinemas, museums, buses - I can honestly say I've never had a negative comment.

Oldwoman, I had a totally different experience in France, was BFing DD1 aged 9 months in a resto and the owner came over and we had a rather stilted chat (with my faded A-level French) about how his daughter had bfed 4 children. It took me a while to understand his term for bf (allaiter, which I took to mean milking as in cows until he made a boob-squeezing gesture!).

Other comments I had were entirely positive - people bringing me cups of water while sitting on very expensive sofas in JL, a church verger who told me about their changing facilities when I'd popped into a random church on the way home when DD suddenly woke up hungry, a lady who came up to me in a park and said "that's the loveliest thing I've seen all day". Even a lady who invited me to sit down and feed if I needed to while viewing her house! I don't remember any negative comments at any stage, my dad would avoid looking directly but that may just have been because he'd never seen my adult boobs until then.

One old lady who came over and said hoow lovely to see a BF baby
One old lady who came over to say "My husband is most upset to see THAT going on".
I told her to tell him to stop bloody looking then!

I breastfed DD 'in public' until she was about two, at which point she was only being BF at bedtime so no longer out and about. I always used a shawl or blanket and covered up, and actually I never much liked doing it around other people (just my personal choice and no comment on any one else's, I preferred to go off and find a quiet spot to be alone with her when I could feasibly do so). But I never had a nasty comment or even a dirty look my way.

1991 five hr into a 11 hr journey train journey, I was sat by the window, in a near empty carriage with my DP next to me discreetly feeding pfb two months old, under a big T-shirt, cardigan and big scarf,

This chap walked past on his way to the loo had a looked at me , as he came back a few minutes later, he glanced me as passed, he then came back again, about five minutes later he appeared with the guard, I had just finished feeding DS,

The guard then told me that if I wanted to feed the baby I must go into the loo, the chap stood behind him making wasp chewing lemon sucking cat's bum faces,

I handed DS to his father and went bat shit crazy, I suspect they are still in therapy,

after trapping them in the carriage, I gave them sandwiches and refused to let them go anywhere until they went into the loos and ate them, I explained why their attitude intimidated women out of breast feeding, and all the consequences that had for babies ,mother's health, and society I explained why they were perverted nasty little shits,who clearly didn't know what breast were for, I wouldn't let either of them leave until they explained to me the error of their way, it took a long time, I was so cross that the nasty bastards thought they could bully a young mum, I don't often lose my temper but when I do, I explode.

It involved the transport police (Birmingham NS) I made the guard call them, who made the error of taking both the twonks details in front of me,

I put in a complaint to the rail company, and made them agree to retrain staff, I tracked down the original git, to his company(bank) and informed them of their attitude,

I had a lot of free train travel, free family pass, three apology letters, and the change in policy,

but in nearly ten years of breast feeding it was the only time anyone ever said anything, I suspect word got around.

I did chuck a couple of twonks off a bus in London a few years ago, when they started on a mum feeding a tiny baby in a sling.

Only the very ignorant would intimidate a mum feeding a baby, never tolerate ignorance.

Fifty months (holy shit). No remarks I remember.

Staring teenagers, yes, but no remarks.

I've had negative comments from HCPs and others about "still" bf and their bullshit reasons for my giving up, starting before 7mo , just no comments during the act itself. Which is handy, because I can't reach to stab them in the face with a biro when a toddler is latched on

Once when ds was about 5 months old someone commented positively on the fact that I was managing to feed him whilst walking about the park and looking after dd.

Once a male friend commented positively on my multitasking as I was feeding ds whilst standing up on one leg whilst unbuckling my shoes!

Can't remember any negative comments and fed dd til 6 months and ds is still feeding at 3.4

I never had any negative comments, the waitress in Starbucks brought me a glass of water with my decaff without me asking, she said, " I always wanted a glass of water when I was feeding." and lots of older men saying how lovely it was to see a baby being fed. Most of the time people didn't notice- and I once BF sat in the window at Betty's in York and they brought me water too!.
I was sort of disappointed too- I love a good row

Wow quoteunquote, but remind me never to get on your bad side. You is well 'ard!

Only ever had positive comments, and they were all from elderly ladies (some of them with their husbands).

Most of the time the younger folk didn't even know I was doing it. I got on the bus feeding DS3 in a sling, sat next to a woman who said, 'oh, I thought you were feeding him....you are!'

She was amazed

No. I 'only' managed 5 months of it between both dc's though.