Breastfeeding in public, your experiences?

[boogiewoogie]

I'm doing a bit of research for a debate I'm taking part in on bf in public. Arguing for bf in public to be allowed of course.

Personally, I've never had any problems with anyone objecting me breastfeeding my baby in a restuarant/ cafe/ bench etc so I've never been made to feel embarrased. If someone told me to feed in private such as the toilet, I would have got quite defensive and just stay put!

Where have you fed your baby and did anyone experience any objections? What did you do about it?

Thank you

laundry - i am sure the exposed boob kept the male crew very amused

Kathy - you know it is mad, but i wouldn't ever bf in church. why is that? i can't explain why, it would feel wrong, but can't justify or understand why i think that.

Many thanks,

some really excellent responses.

I've breastfed in a church during a normal service, I'd sit at the back and do it though rather than leave the room.

I did once had to bf ds during a wedding. Now, I was wearing a tight fitting Chinese dress which required me to undo quite a few buttons down to my waist so I did go to another room for that.

boogie - are you able to tell us what the programme is so we can watch/listen in ? or is it a private discussion somewhere ?

Yellowrose, now I feel even more guilty for leaving her boob out but what if she had woken up with a strange woman tugging her top down??? At least the lights were low!

Funny about churches - I actually went into a church to feed at a local festival as it was cool and quiet but I was a bit worried about the old dears buzzing around discovering me!

I'm afraid it's not a programme of any sort. I attend Sign Language classes and yesterday we had to vote for a topic that we wanted to do a debate on in British Sign Language and breastfeeding in public was the most popular choice.

Looking forward to doing it!

Also never had any problems personally, BF everywhere: cafe's, pubs, plains, fun runs (while waiting for my dh to arrive), city centres, ferries, beaches, Brighton Pier,...
I am part of a peer support group and we did have a woman come in who was asked to leave by staff at a McDonalds that she had to leave the restaurant. Needless to say we got the HV and MW to write an angry letter. I think our local CMW had to be restraint from running in and attacking the manager!
Also had an au pair who expressed her disgust at women BF'ing in public, where upon she of course got a serious bollocking from me. She chose the wrong family if that were her opinions!

That is really sad Belgianmamma, glad that you stuck up for the bfers to your au pair!

I was so scared at first, and came on here for support... now i've fed (nearly) everywhere! The worst i've had is being asked if I would like more privacy in the breastfeeding room (glorified toilet really) and I politely said I was fine. I wish I wasn't so scared now - I missed out on alot in the early days timing everything, dashing around shops, trying to find very private places to breastfeed... The one place I couldn't feed would be a Church for some reason, but anywhere else I have and will feed in future You do become amazed at the lack of facilites though, I went shopping in the next town - Windsor alot because Daniels had a breastfeeding room. Obviously now i'd just feed on any old bench!

Liking the breast feeding top Twickers Mum...Do you know if it is the same one that was in the Sunday Times Style section - one of my NCT friends was raving about it but no one knew wear to find it! What is it made from - is it good quality or is it one of those, accaptable for maternity wear but wouldn't normally be seen dead in it kind of things?

BF both mine everywhere until about 14mths and never had a negative comment tho quite a few positive ones, mainly from little old ladies. Best one with DS was about 3 mths ago. I was sitting in the local indoor shopping centre when an elderly Asian lady walked past, she did a bit of a double-take then gave me a massive smile and a thumbs up. Really made my day

I was a bit defensive at first but have gradually got less and less embarassed. I have now fed everywhere from a pub to a church (although it was a Friend's Meeting House rather than C of E. I did ask permission first Quootie, and the man practically begged me to go ahead!). However I live in a very middle-class bit of North London, I can imagine you might get different reactions in different places.

Oddly enough the only time I was embarassed was one time when a woman came up to me and started bellowing "I am sooooo pleased to see a woman who isn't embarrassed to get her breasts out in public, I think it's MARRRRRRVELLOUS that you are so open about feeding your child. DOOOOO keep up the good work!". Made me far more selfconscious than any amount of dirty looks!

also can add that i have bf everywhere i normally go as dd still was a frequent feeder till she was well over 1. church, work, her nursery, cars, trains, planes, restaurants loads of people's homes even some i hardly knew. In a strawberry field in Northumberland, the Louvre, chic restaurant with its celeb chef having a meeting at the next table.

i have expressed in an executive box at Newcastle United stadium - only me in there.

At a new yrs party, dd, 20 months crawled up my lap out of jealousy as i was holding a tiny baby and hoiked up my top all the way the the shock of all and sundry. I think everyone was relieved when i just glibly said, 'oh, good thing i am wearing a vest, then.' Other than that, i am friends with a middle aged couple where the husband has not been comfortable with bf but he is now more at ease with it as he has seen how unobtrusive it is. He came over to pat dd once and didn't even know she was feeding, not sleeping! I think that was the turning point for him.

daisydog, yes the wrap is the same one as in the sunday times. it is great - gorgeous soft cotton, washes really well, i love it. I still wear it now even though not bf anymore.

Twickersmum, re breastfeeding in church - in 'Larkrise to Candleford', which is a book a reminiscences about a Victorian village, there is a reference to someone bf in church, which really surprised me when I first read it as we always think of the Victorians as being prudish, but clearly they were less embarrassed than us about certain things!
In my case my not wanting to do it was because I don't go to church so it felt like it was someone else's space, not mine. I feel differently about public spaces like cafes or trains or the outdoors.

it is weird though, because it feels somewhat disrespectful, like eating in church, which is mad really isn't it? i wouldn't think twice about giving dd a bottle though.

Yes, I agree - and it's specially strange when you think how much emphasis the Christian church puts on motherhood (the Virgin Mary and all that).

can virgin mums lactate or does that require divine intervetion too

intervention !

She probably got help through the Bethlehem LLL.

I imagine she would have had very few problems bf, what with Jesus being the perfect baby.

I expect her health visitor was an absolute angel

laundry - i bet there is still a Bethlehem LLL 2007 years later

have never fed in a "feeding" room as they are inevitably toilets, or a baby changing place which is essentially the same thing and stink of poo. we had to go to our local hospital with her once and the "feeding room" in the paeds opd was basically a storage cupboard which also smelt of poo - such a shame - so we went back out to the waiting room. i don't really think we need feeding rooms do we - unless they have luxurious sofas with music, drinks etc