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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

I fed in public today for the first time!

53 replies

merrykittymas · 20/12/2004 17:02

DD is 5 months and I fed her totally in public for teh first time, usually I use a mother and baby room or the car but today I was really brave and fed her in a crowded restaurant whilst having a meal with a friend. The children on the next day had a stare and their mother said "it's only the baby having it's lunch" and I did get a few stares from adults but I stared back as if to say "problem?" Wasn't as if I had a boob falpping about you couldn't even see any flesh. I feel kind of proud of myself now.

OP posts:
EbenyZebraScrooge · 20/12/2004 17:03

good for you, mk.
I wonder what's wrong with me, I never get stared at. Must be my evil eye....

aloha · 20/12/2004 17:06

Good for you! I never noticed any stares either. Maybe it's short sight
Or maybe I assumed it was my baby's beauty and magnetism that drew all eyes? I still think that, actually, and he's three!

ZCMUM · 20/12/2004 17:07

Well done mk! I bf for a little while and never managed to get up enough courage to do it in public!

jinglespots · 20/12/2004 20:14

Well done merrykittymas! I have been pleasantly surprised by a lot of people's positive reactions to bf in public, but I also felt I really had to gather my courage together the first few times. Reckon every time somebody does it, it makes it easier for the next nervous person.

sleepdeprived · 20/12/2004 20:17

Bravo! I did it for 10 months, never got any stares that I noticed. Chose my venues though. Jinglespots is so right.

oopsanta · 20/12/2004 20:29

i did it anywhere and everywhere. But i do live in London- and a "nappy valley" type area.
Best one was in a local italian resteraunt. We'd just ordered and ds wanted his dins too. THe head waiter came across and i thought he was going to ask me to be more discreet or tell me somebody ahd complained- ds did have rather a lovely heavy white linem napkin over his head, I must add.
What he actually said was that they could keep my meal hot if I liked until I was finished, and did I want something I could eat with my fee hand whilst waiting.
Made me feel really great
BTW it is called SOSTA in Crouch end! plug plug.

Yorkiegirl · 20/12/2004 20:55

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grumpyfrumpy · 20/12/2004 20:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gem13 · 20/12/2004 21:03

Well done! I thought I was fine about it but recently felt shy with 10 month old DD (second child too so have had some practice!). We were in the southern US for a month and I was the only person I saw breastfeed!!! No one said anything and I know I got some supportive looks from older women but it is hard being the only one.

No looking back for you now. Makes it so much easier knowing you can feed her anywhere anytime.

prufRockingAroundtheXmasTree · 20/12/2004 21:15

Well done - soon you will be getting them out anywheer and everywhere. I bf ds on the inature Steam Railway teh other day - Santa didn't bat an eyelid!

I love your story oops

wrapmefestively · 20/12/2004 21:41

Hurrah! - well done. I didn't get stared at either - but then it might be because I didn't try to make eye contact with anyone whilst breastfeeding. Good tip that if you are slightly awkward about it - avoid looking too closely at people around you and then you won't notice their reactions, if indeed they have them.

Flumberrysauce · 20/12/2004 21:47

Well done. It is pretty nerve wracking even for a confident person. You did well to do it when baby 5 months. As soon as mine got to around that age she kept pulling off and looking around the room and I really was flapping boob about. Then I had to go somewhere quietly.

MamaV · 20/12/2004 22:05

Well done mk. Why should we have to hide away?! The more people that do it, the more accepted it becomes.

CelluliteClaus · 20/12/2004 22:19

Well done to you! The first time I BF ds in public was in the doctor's surgery waiting for 6 week check up. I remember being so proud of myself and I know what a momentous occasion it is.

tinselwinselspiderclimbedupthe · 20/12/2004 22:19

Well done Soon youll be doing it everywhere like I did. The first time I did it was when we were out with my BIL. When my SIL mentioned that the babe was so well fed and happy he was gobsmacked as he haded even noticed I was feeding. He kept saying stupid things like "Damn I thought Id get an eyefull" to which I replied "What a eyeful of milk? Cos I can squirt that far you know" that shut him up. seriously tho most people dont notice and those that do rarely mind anyway.

xmashampermunker · 20/12/2004 22:21

Well done MK! I thought I'd be really nervous the first time I did it (when DS was a month old, in Starbucks with colleagues ) but as it happened, I was more concerned that he was fed and not crying and nobody seemed to notice.

I had a 'look' from someone while feeding five-month-old DS on a park bench, but I was chatting to a friend at the time and had no idea why this man was staring - I'd forgotten what I was doing!

Good on you though - the more mums nurse in public, the fewer looks they'll get.

spidermansmum · 20/12/2004 23:09

Fantastic. First time I did people came over and congratulated me!!! Keep up the good work

Caligulights · 20/12/2004 23:09

Hurray, well done! And also, well done for not flapping your boobs about - I never managed the discreet look, and when I tried it, I semi-garotted DS! So I have utmost admiration for anyone who does it without frightening the horses!

Chepstow1 · 20/12/2004 23:11

Flippin heck - this is wot boobies are 4!!!! I cannot understand why other people can feel that breastfeeding your child is in any way offensive. What has the Uk come to!!!

Socci · 20/12/2004 23:20

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Awenamanger · 20/12/2004 23:57

Well done merrykittymas it is about time it was more widely accepted. Nobody bats an eye when a bottle is whipped out.

Only problem i ever had was when my milk let down big time and ds decided it was way to fast, pulled away.. milk fountain.. a wee bit embarrassing.. and that was round my parents house!

Caligulights · 21/12/2004 00:41

Awen, that happened to me in Orpington High Street - startled some shoppers, I can tell you!

Awenamanger · 21/12/2004 00:46

Do u manage to hit anyone with it? lol

littlepik · 21/12/2004 08:33

Well done you, it definitely gets easier after the first time, my dd is five months old but has now reached the stage of wanting to look at everything, so there I am trying to be as descreet as poss, while she has a few sucks, then decides to expose my booby to the world while she has a jolly good look around !![]

Original poster
merrykittymas · 21/12/2004 09:52

I count how many jets I have when this happens sometimes I have 6 different jets all in opposite directions

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