Breastfeeding in public with fussy baby

[Nat09876]

I have an 8 week old (my second baby) ..I did breastfeed my first however because of lockdowns I didn’t actually have to feed her in public much as there wasn’t anywhere to go except on walks etc! And then by the time things opened up, feeding was easier as her neck was stronger / mouth bigger.

So I feel like a newbie now to feeding in public with a floppy newborn…I don’t know why but I feel really anxious about it if I go out and know that I may need to feed and just don’t feel confident doing it discreetly. I have quite big boobs and my baby tends to fuss and pop on and off a lot..she also gets agitated if I put a cover over here so im limited really to the pull up pull down top approach as covers end up being a faff and because she’s on and off so much I need to see what im doing….

Any tips for the fussy baby? I see other mums just pop baby on and there they stay for 15 mins until they swap sides. I feel it’s a bit more of an ordeal but I also wonder if baby is picking up on my stress

I have lots of the zip side tops from Seraphine instead of pull up and down. My baby likes to de latch whilst milk sprays around then go back on after having had a nose about! So I always face a corner or use the pram to cover the side she's on. Personally I'm discreet for myself as I'm very private although there's nothing to be ashamed about.

My baby was the same! She used to come off, sometimes crying from fast let down, milk spraying everywhere. I was already anxious about public feeding and it used to make me so stressed. Oh, how I envied my friends who would just stick the baby on under a top and the baby would just stay there 😂
I generally faced away to latch her on or faed her facing a corner or shielded by someone.
I'd feed in the car or at home before going to a cafe or anything.
I realised my baby wouldn't starve if not fed for an hour whereas at home it was every few minutes it seemed! As long as she was fed before and after she was fine and I didn't have to feed in public as much as I thought.
At home with visitors I'd just go upstairs to feed. Noone ever made me feel uncomfortable or asked me to leave but I just felt happier with it and it meant the feed was more calm and successful anyway.
She's 9 months now and it's 100 times easier!

If DD was being fussy feeding out and about, I sometimes found that feeding her standing up while swaying kept her still and calm. As a bonus, if you get your clothing right, bystanders often don’t realise that you’re doing anything other than rocking your baby. A high effort option though, and only for while they’re tiny!

Nursing necklace - you can get one from Etsy, some are quite pretty! My DS (nearly 9 months) is so easily distracted and it only got worse with age! I make sure I feed him before I go anywhere as I can't guarantee he'll feed when I'm out...

Sorry if that sounded negative, was just sharing my experience, they're all different! I still can't get mine to feed peacefully when I'm out but the necklace does help as it gives him something to fiddle with! I also do the two top/one up one down thing but also use a breastfeeding scarf - so it doesn't cover his face but it gives me a little extra privacy and flexibility with regard to how I arrange the material IYSWIM?