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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Nice things people have said about bfing!

27 replies

pesme · 13/07/2004 15:24

I have had loads of great responses to bfing. In desperation I bfed sitting on the pavement once and an older woman walked past and said 'Good for you'. Health Visitor smiling at me & several other mothers at baby clinic and said 'What a lovely row of bfed babies'. I have loads more, love the other thread but thought a bit of balance would be good.

OP posts:

motherinferior · 13/07/2004 15:28

Friend's very nice older BIL - in his 50s, I'd guess - walked in on me about to b/f wailing baby and was really nice in his 'go ahead, please don't mind me' approach.

MIL always deeply supportive too.

poppyseed · 13/07/2004 16:22

What a lovely idea for a thread. DH was the only really outwardly supportive person. He recently said that he was really proud of me for feeding our two and for hanging in there in the early days with it all. Neither of them have ever had a bottle, as I am lucky enough not to work and never had the reason to give them one. Pleased that I have given them the best nutritional start going...(sorry for that self-appreciation bit!!)
I wonder how many of us go up to other mums feeding to say nice things to them?? I smile but never say anything as don't want to come over all mumsie and patronising to them...

expatkat · 13/07/2004 16:36

American pediatrician on hearing I was exclusively breastfeeding ds--in 1999, no less, before the 6-months exclusive recommendation: "I LOVE to hear that a mom is breastfeeding! I suggest you keep breastfeeding until he's 6 months and don't introduce solids until as close to that mark as you can. It's what my sicillian ancestors and relatives do, and I'm convinced they have the right idea!"

3 health visitors: "Still breatfeeding? Well done!!!"

Dutch teacher: "Yes, of course you're welcome to take your newborn to class and breastfeed her here!"

Blu · 13/07/2004 16:40

I was on my own feeding DS in the foyer at the Royal Festival Hall and a woman came over and asked if she could bring me a drink, in a very natural friendly way, which i thought was great.

And when DS was in hospital 4 times at 10 months - 12 months, the nurse always shrieked and made a big fuss - 'a breastfeeding mother - look everyone, oooh, lovely, a nursing Mum. Now, we always feed nursing mothers, what would you like, here you are, several platefuls of disgusting hospital food all the worse for being from the 'childrens menu', come on eat up, nursing mothers mus eat, let me heap on a few more dollops of gunk....'.

muddaofsuburbia · 13/07/2004 16:44

MIL was my biggest fan whilst b/f. With the best of intentions, while I was feeding ds, she would point out to anyone who would listen - "Look - she's b/f - you can't tell can you - I mean you can't see anything can you ?!?"

I think she was just stunned and relieved that you could b/f without breasts needing to be seen. As soon as that "obstacle" was cleared in her mind, she wouldn't shut up about the wonders of b/f

Most of the time she was trying to persuade my SIL that b/f was more convenient and cheaper than bottle feeding - SIL is notoriously lazy. MIL knew fine well that if SIL bottlefed then she (MIL) would be the one to do all the sterilising and making up the feeds etc. I was always held up as the shining example of a b/f mother, which was flattering but embarrassing sometimes

Similar to Pesme, I've found older/elderly women the most vocal supporters; usually not to my face, but "happy baby comments" stage whispered to their friends - awwww.

Original poster

pesme · 13/07/2004 23:21

Forgot add dp was v. supportive. Thanks poppyseed for reminder. He looks at us appreciatively and calls dd his little mammal, which I suppose makes me his big mammal!

OP posts:

suedonim · 13/07/2004 23:33

People saying "That's so good for your baby." and older ladies say how nice it is to see a mum bfing. Oh, and discussing bfing and bras with my MP!!! I've heard negative remarks about bfing in general but I've never had one made directly to me, thank goodness.

Millie1 · 14/07/2004 00:47

Let's see ... when DS1 was about 3 weeks old and my Mum was giving me a hard time about b/feeding (she was the anti-brigade at that time!), we were out in a hotel for lunch and a man walking by, stopped and said 'Oh look, you're breastfeeding - good for you ... keep it up' and then called his wife over - she turned out to be a B/F Counsellor.

Emm ... this time, our rector called and I was in the middle of feeding so asked if he'd mind if I continued - not in the least, his daughter-in-law fed all of hers.

HV asked what age he was when I stopped and was amazed I was still going - he was only 12w then (shows how many people around here b/feed for any length of time); and another HV couldn't believe that I didn't plan on introducing solids til 26w.

I know there were more nice responses but can't think of any now - can't think of any negative ones either!

libb · 14/07/2004 00:59

Today the most "camp as a tent" shop assistant I have ever met said without a care very very loudly in front of everyone "oh, that will be his cue for mammy's boobies!" Wonder if he was breastfed too?

Still a lovely thing to be loud and proud about I think - I particularly thought this as we didn't make to the next child friendly shop today and ended up doing an impromptu feed under a tree during a nasty thunderstorm. It is official, I have no dignity . . . .

suedonim · 14/07/2004 01:09

Actually, I telling porkies, there - a HV once told me my milk wasn't good enough.

Clayhead · 14/07/2004 01:14

My brother, who had never come across bf in his life before used to go out of his way to find me comfy chair to bf in when we were out and about, he would even recce places beforehand to see if there were chairs with arms when I had just had dd and was still struggling and that touched me hugely.

My dad told me he was proud.

Metrobaby · 14/07/2004 01:48

When I used to bf dd I have to admit that I felt very self conscious about bfing However since coming onto to mumsnet and reading various people's comments and words of encouragement about bf now this time around I feel confident and proud to be bf'ing my ds, and also lucky too as there are mumns out there who would love to but can't. So thank you fellow mumsnetters

handlemecarefully · 14/07/2004 01:49

Oh this is lovely encouraging....

However I am still waiting for appreciative comments in my case....

californiagirl · 14/07/2004 06:42

A waitress in a restaurant brought our food and offered to give both plates to DH so he could cut up my meat as I had only one free hand. Sounds odd put that way, but she was clearly thrilled and trying to look after me.

californiagirl · 14/07/2004 06:48

Russian friend asked me if DD (4 months) was on solids yet. I started in wearily on the waiting until 6 months these days thing. She pointed out gently that in Russia she was told to wait until the later of 6 months or cold weather, not to wean in summer. Her daughter just got married, making her the same age as all of DHs family and their pleas for mashed bananas.

PicadillyCircus · 14/07/2004 11:48

HV at DS's 8 month check yesterday was SO excited to hear that I was still bf! She also said I could keep going as long as I wanted, really.

PicadillyCircus · 14/07/2004 11:51

HV at DS's 8 month check yesterday was SO excited to hear that I was still bf! She also said I could keep going as long as I wanted, really.

PicadillyCircus · 14/07/2004 11:52

And she was obviously so excited that she said it twice!

aelita · 14/07/2004 12:42

Have only recently started to BF DS when out and about (at about 5 months, why did it take me so long??) On my first go, DH and I were in a pub in Highbury (I'll namecheck it as the Snooty Fox because we liked it so much) and I fed DS on a very comfy sofa. The barmaid came over to say how nice it was to see someone breastfeeding and how good for him it would be. Definitely the right thing to say to a still-selfconscious mum!

frogs · 14/07/2004 13:11

Congratulations, aelita, you did it!! Is the Snooty Fox going to be your new local?

As you can see, I still have time for messing about on the computer while up to my (metaphorical) eyebrows in cake mix...

ThingOne · 14/07/2004 13:30

I've had many positive comments but some of those from older women have been the most welcome. I live in Bath, where Bf is very common and can be done anywhere. It's so nice to hear from the older women how glad they are we can feed anywhere as they couldn't when they had babies.
HV is always making positive comments.

aelita · 14/07/2004 23:06

I did, Frogs! And yes, it will be my new local. Not sure how confident I'd be if it was full - there was only one other customer in there. Actually, I lie. I did feed in a full gastro-pub last weekend. And in a cafe today. It seems anywhere with a sofa is a magnet for me now...
I hope that cake is all made and professionally iced a la Martha Stewart,

mrsflowerpot · 14/07/2004 23:11

DH's grandmother, renowned in the family for having nothing nice to say to anyone, was lovely to me when I was bf'ing ds. Really supportive, insisted I never left the room to do it, told me all the time what a good thing it was. Better than MIL, who was a bit 'are you still doing that, you'll never keep it up'. I put it down to the generation gap - GMIL had bf all 4 of hers, MIL was basically told no, you won't be doing that in the 1970s.

frogs · 14/07/2004 23:16

I'm jealous of you all! I have a bfeeding career (for want of a better word) covering three children and dating back to 1995 (not continuously, obviously!!) and I don't recall an unequivocally supportive comment in all of that time.

motherinferior · 14/07/2004 23:20

I only wish MIL's supportive comment just after I'd had dd1 that 'it gives you the most fabulous figure in three months because it just hoovers the fat out of you' had been true for me

(have to say knowing about the b/feedking habits of DP and his brothers is slightly bizarre, though)

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