Breastfeeding in public your thoughts?

[Yazza123]

So I strictly breastfeed which has its pros and cons. One con is definitely when I am out with my 3 month old who insist that she will only have the boob it is hard to locate a breastfeeding friendly room nearby so what do you do when you are out and there is no feeding rooms nearby? I know there are discreet covers you can use in public places but is there anybody who openly breastfeeds in public? Surely it’s 2018 breastfeeding should not be an issue to do in public but nearby cafes and shops should have rooms for bf mums.

I BF openly and although I have a cover, I quite often don't use it.

Breastfeeding should be done in public more.

Once baby is discreetly latched there's no need for covering up as you can't see anything anyway.

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Of course! Babies have a right to eat in public the same as everyone else. They have human rights.

Where I live it’s illegal to stop a baby feeding as long as it’s somewhere where children are normally alllowed.

I feed freely out and about. Since bfing myself, I’ve noticed more women doing it - I presume I’d just never know the telltale signs before.

If there’s a bf room or area available I will use it - tends to be quieter, with more space and have more comfortable seating. Not because I’m hiding.

^^Sorry, should say, in case it looks like spam - it is a great poem by Hollie Mcnish about breastfeeding in public

It most definitely is heart warming to hear these stories and experiences I’m all about embracing and most definitely am not ashamed to feed my child in public but being a new mum I must say this thread has boosted my self confidence to try without a cover :)

And for the cafe situation it would be nice to have an area to bf but I guess most just believe there’s nothing to hide at the end of the day you’re just feeding your child and not harming anybody.

Great stories ladies best of luck to all of you :)

This thread reminded me that I saw a woman shopping in Sainsbury’s recently with a toddler in the trolley and breastfeeding her baby whilst she was picking food off the shelves. I was mightily impressed with her multitasking skills and could imagine she was the kinda woman who had a killer put-down to any ignorant twat raising an eyebrow at her!

I fed both mine in public.

Both now fully functioning adults.

I wasn't overly concerned about 'flashing' someone but I wasn't blatant either - just needed to get the job done!

Only ever had one complaint from an older man stating "breasts are sexual and should be only seen in private" I replied with "so are lips but you can't stop flapping yours in public"

You should be able to BF anywhere you need. People who don’t like it can fuck off.

I had a sling and it was so discreet that I was discovered in church and by my boss (I was visiting not working). In my sling I fed anywhere and everywhere.

I sought out a quiet space because mine were both ridiculously easily distracted (both turned out to be autistic) but you can feed s baby wherever you can eat a sandwich.

I breastfed twins for 18 months.

Feeding two babies can be time consuming. In the early days I could be feeding for well over an hour.

I fed in shops, restaurants, cafes, parks, museums, art galleries and people’s houses. I even fed in church.

The vast majority of people don’t even notice what you are doing.

Not once in 18 months did I have any negative comments. I did have several old ladies say “well done” and lots of smiles from other people with kids.

I went with the vest top down, tshirt up approach. You don’t feel exposed because your tummy is covered and no one can see anything else because of the baby.

I think people worry far more about this than necessary. Most of my friends breastfed and none of them
had any problems or negative problems.

It’s perfectly acceptable to breastfeed in public, and in fact, should be done, to normalise it. I did, was never questioned about it, and I don’t think anyone really noticed. I wore baggyish tops which I could lift discreetly without revealing too much boob and of course had the baby snuggled across my bare midriff.
I really dislike the idea that anyone would feel that they needed some kind of scarf to cover up as it shouldn’t be necessary. But I suppose if it encourages a reluctant breastfeeder to continue, then fair play.

I breastfed DS2 anywhere and everywhere he needed feeding, mostly one top up and one down. I do have very small boobs and a 'fuck off' face though

I plan to do the same with DC3 if they ever decide to put in an appearance completely fed up at 8 days overdue

An enclosed room could be tempting though so the 3yo can't run off if I'm out with just them and baby. If I'm out with DP and kids then I could hide so the 3yo can't climb on me, so I am starting to see some appeal!

God most places struggle to provide functional proper disabled facilities. We are a long way off breastfeeding rooms. Considering we have some of the worlds lowest rates of breastfeeding, it wouldn't make financial sense for most businesses.

Iv found most large shopping centres do have a feeding area, Mothercare often does and Ikea.. oh and occasionally you will get a chair in a toilet beside the changing table/nappy bin, I just hope to god that's not their solution.

Newlook do a great nursing top its £12.99 comes in a range of colours, short And long sleeved and I can honestly say it's the most discreet feeding I have done and I have double GS at the mo . It's not that unfashionable either.

I've never had negative comments for bf. When my friends with bf babies come over my dh gets them a pint of water. It's thirsty work.

I want a bloody baby now.

I've breastfed both of my daughters in public. Never had a negative comment. People rarely notice.

The parent room in Stratford John Lewis is amazing. Big nappy changing area, little toddler-size toilets next to normal toilets inside big family cubicles (so you can take the pram in with you). And a genuinely nice breastfeeding room (quiet, good lighting, soft chairs, magazines, etc). There’s a similar-looking bottlefeeding room too, so dads have somewhere quiet to feed children without embarrassing BFing mums. More parenting areas like that would be amazing.

But yes, you can feed anywhere. I have fed mine in the pub on more than one occasion. And on multiple park benches, car parks, tube stations... god I sound like a hobo

I understand feeling self conscious about it - but I fed baby any and everywhere. I soon got over my self consciousness. Baby is hungry and mum needs to get out of the house.

Practicing in front of a mirror is a great tip!

I loved bf mine and remember my first public one very vividly. We'd both taken a good few weeks to get the hang of BF and used to involve me literally 1/2 naked, a pump to pull out my nipples and lots of failed attempts for every latch! The idea of ever being able to leave the house seemed very far fetched at that point.

But I went out 1 day with the only purpose of a practice public feed. So no other time pressures.

I was well prepared, made sure I wasn't in a rush and had an easy access top on. I picked a small but not cramped cafe, ordered my food and coffee and positioned the pram as an extra screen and then felt so proud.

It was the start of a long and varied public breastfeeding career.

My favourite story was on the way to the Olympic Park I asked the Station Manager which was the slowest train to London. He laughed and said he'd never been asked that before so I said 'I need to feed the baby on the way' and he replied 'well love, if you take the 9.37 he can have a three course meal on that one'

You can breastfeed a where!

I breastfed on the bus, tube, trains, cafes, restaurants, parks, allotments, Starbucks, at flower shows, on the beach and at the Olympics!

Often sitting right next to strangers, nobody ever once had a problem and most just smiled!

Breastfeeding rooms make me very uncomfortable. I worry that's it's a short step from "here's a private space you might want to use" to "here is your place we insist you hide away in" and current rights are restricted.

In 14 months if feeding one child and now 3 months into second I have received fewer than ten comments ever, all of which were positive or helpful such as the waitress who came over to apologise because their policy is to bring water over to anyone breastfeeding and they hadn't noticed me early enough.

I agree with multiple PPs about covers drawing more attention. I was at Gatwick last summer and there was a woman feeding with a cover. Two other women were clearly watching and discussing her and not looking pleased. The woman and her husband were looking daggers back st them assuming it was the feeding itself that was was drawing negative attention but I was nearer the other women and what they were saying was how much if a palaver the cover seemed and the couldn't understand why she didn't just get on with it.

It is absolutely fine to breastfeed in public. Why should you feel you need to go to a separate room? If other people have an issue, let them go and sit in a side room. You should be free to feed your baby however you choose, where ever you choose. If you feel more comfortable covered up, that's fine. If you'd rather not, that's also fine.
I chose not to even attempt breastfeed or expressing breast milk, and I don't regret my decision. However it upsets me that women are still sometimes made to feel as though they are doing something wrong or inappropriate.

I’m not hiding away (), I’m using a facility provided. I mostly feed wherever, I don’t care and no one has ever said anything - but I have used breastfeeding rooms where provided from time to time because they are more comfortable, having considered potential needs of breastfeeding mums.

Rainy day at the zoo. Used the breastfeeding room, which was warm, had chairs with footstools, side tables, water, magazines. Should I have sat in the rain on a bench instead?

Busy Saturday in IKEA. Used the breastfeeding corner, which was away from the mania of the cafe on a Saturday lunchtime, had chairs and footstools, side table for my water and space for me to park my pram within reach and not have to clutch my purse to me. Should I have sat and been bumped into from all sides by the ongoing turnover of canteen guests instead?

If it’s more comfortable, I’ll use it.

Meh. The only place useless for breastfeeding are the tables at Wagamama. A long, backless bench just isn’t comfortable.