Flack from MIL for being a breastfeeding mum

[millysimmons]

My MIL really objects to me BF my 5 month old DS. From birth she has given me a lot of grief about it, yesterday she really went to town & was saying I was selfish as she was not able to give him a bottle & yet she had been able to FF her niece at the weekend but not her gs!!! I told her we had made a decision to BF, it was our choice, DH fully supports me & really believes it is the best thing for DS. Things went from bad to worse as she decided that DH was disgusted in her cause he was FF. I explained that wasnt right but there are a lot of health benefits etc for the child. She rounded it off by saying I was saying her children wherent fit & healthy & I was only BF as it was fashionable.
Been upset about this all night so wanted any ideas of how to try & resolve the issue. It's going to rear its hear again as I am pregnant am hoping to tandem feed.
Any advice gladly recieved & sorry to moan

I try not to care but dont like bad feeling, especially as DH is away about 70% of the time & they live a lot close than my mum. Just added unneeded stress when nursing & preggers.
Hey ho such is life!!

Milly

My MIL - an ex-nurse/midwife (!) - was very uncomfortable about my BFing DS.

She hadn't BFed my DH or his bro - as other people have said, in her day Mums were encouraged to FF - but her attitude towards it is skewed by the fact that she is a TOTAL prude and is uncomfortable/offended by the physical sight of breasts being on show.

Ridiculous, I know.

And I only found this out after - very openly - feeding infront of her and then trying to express. She was obviously sitting there hating every minute of it (the expressing more than the feeding, granted) but didn't want to appear prudish. OTOH, it can't have been that bad or she'd have got off her arse, made excuses and gone to another room

One afternoon when we went to visit, she had arranged to take DS to show him off to her friend. I was feeding him before she went; being a big, hungry baby, it was taking a while. This friend actually turned up wondering where MIL was...MIL was mortiified a) cos I was sat there feeding (in 'public' - the horror!) and b) cos she wanted to do the doting grandma routine without DH and I in the way.

As much as it was really annoying and I was so angry with her - as well as the fact that I'll have this all over again whem my bump arrives in June - I couldn't agree more with what Twiglett said about building bridges. She's taking this personally, as I'm sure my MIL did, and probably thinks you're being really inflexible and precious about it, as my MIL did (I'm not for a moment suggesting you are though....I'm with you!)

Yes, due sep, 2 under 1!! Must fly as going on holiday & trying to pack!!