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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Has/does anyone use a nursing shawl?

17 replies

McDreamy · 15/02/2009 20:36

Or are they a waste of money? Would I be better just using a pashmina I already own? Breast fed my DD for the first time in public yesterday and just felt a little awkward.

OP posts:

Penthesileia · 15/02/2009 20:42

Hooray! Well done you!

Complete waste of money, IME, for two reasons:

they are so awkward to use (once one, you can't see you baby or your boob that well..., you spend more time fiddling about and become more self-consious in the process

my DD hated having her head covered when she fed, even as a newborn, so would never tolerate the poncho-type thing I bought

I always found that a muslin draped over my shoulder and across my breast was more effective.

A lot of mums on here recommend wearing a vest top under another top: you just hoik up the top on top, and the vest top underneath keeps your tummy covered.

Penthesileia · 15/02/2009 20:44

Should say "once on", not "once one"!

And "your baby"

And "conscious"

In my defence, I am typing in the dark next to sleeping/bfing DD!!

thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 20:45

i would just use your pashmina or a muslin or something.
i never bothered with anything myself, once you get used to it it's easy to do it without anything much on show

cmotdibbler · 15/02/2009 20:47

Never got on with anything draped over DS - he hated it and would whip it off.

Strappy vest under another top so that vest pulls down, top goes up was always my favoured method

nappyaddict · 15/02/2009 20:50

Just use a blanket/muslin/pashmina.

whomovedmychocolate · 15/02/2009 20:52

Complete waste of time IMHO - the tutting little old ladies refuse to stay under the blanket till you've done to save embarrassment.

If anybody even notices you are nursing (unlikely in my experience), they will have one of two reactions: (1) They won't care; or (2) they will be offended and look away possibly combined with tutting. The latter are very hard of thinking and you should ignore them because it's poor form to mock the afflicted.

StealthPolarBear · 15/02/2009 21:00

or they will go aaahhhhh and look approvingly at you!

whomovedmychocolate · 15/02/2009 21:14

Yeah Stealth but only if they are Mumsnetters. Mumsnetters with toddlers however will be desperately trying to stop their toddlers yelling 'look mummy norks! Norks!' and pointing

whingeomatic · 15/02/2009 21:23

WMMC!!!

I agree with the stretchy vest/loose top combo - works for me, can't be arsed to faff about with vast swathes of fabric!

cmotdibbler · 15/02/2009 21:25

Yes WMMC - my toddler says 'ooh look, baby having mummy milk' at the top of his voice

whingeomatic · 15/02/2009 21:28

DD1 gives a running commentary if I need to feed DD2 while out. Unfortunately she is 6 and less than subtle...

whomovedmychocolate · 15/02/2009 21:28

cmotdibbler - mine would say 'me have some next?'

cmotdibbler · 15/02/2009 21:34

When DS was still feeding, he would wander up to women bfing and look over interestedly at them, but never actually suggested num nums to them. Fortunatly.

He did once try to latch onto my childfree friend though. Her shriek of horror will never leave me

MinnieMummy · 15/02/2009 21:37

I have one of these and actually I really like it, I feel more comfortable than just using a muslin which I did with first baby - but I have quite big norks and therefore a lot of flesh potentially on display. And that's with the two-top method as well. Each to their own...

FairLadyRantALot · 15/02/2009 21:41

after minnies post!

To OP...I think, the vest underneath tip is ace and if you feel the need for drape your Pashmina will look trillions less obvious, etc. so...yeah nursing shawls are a complete waste of money

Montsterma · 15/02/2009 21:43

I've found people's response to my bf DS in public extremely positive, usually encouraging smiles or comments from women who say how lovely it is to see someone bf. It's been a really nice surprise as I had anticipated some tutting etc. The only negative response has been from a 6 year old girl at a family party who expressed disgust until DP explained that's actually what breasts are for!
IMO the ponchos can look quite conspicuous (I saw a woman wearing one the other day and it looked like it could have come with matching sombrero, she also seemed to have lost LO somewhere under the expanse of poncho material!) I think a handily draped muslin / pashmina would be much easier to deal with if you want to cover your breast / feeding baby. I'm a fan of the vest under nursing top. I've no qualms about exposing boobs in public but prefer to keep tummy rolls under wraps. Good luck, it does get much easier with practice

MamaHobgoblin · 15/02/2009 21:55

Never used a shawl, only used a muslin a few times at the start (they're too small to stay put really, and flop off onto the baby at the wrong moment). It all seemed a bit of a faff really, when the baby was covering the boob and saggy middle bits! I think the patterned shawls are pretty but for that reason just draw attention, so sort of self-defeating if you're feeling a bit self-conscious. But people don't go out of their way to make you feel awkward, IME.

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