The LEAST discreet place you've breastfed!

[confusedfirsttimemum]

Following on from the Lorraine Kelly thread and her GMTV discussion (where she seems to think breastfeeding is only ok if it is 'discreet'), I wondered if people might be up for a discussion of the least discreet place they've fed their children.

I'll kick off: In an O2 store whilst DH signed up for an i-phone.

In fairness to the sales assistant, he did not bat an eyelid.

[LtEveDallas]

On a plane

In my brothers pub (and my lovely brother actually shouted to his regulars "bloody hell my sisters got her tits out" )

In front of the Commanding Officers wife (well she was in MY house - but I was mortified at the time)

In the Sergeants Mess, tucked away in the corner (and I had warned people I would do this). Would have been very discrete if around 10 of the lads hadn't decided they needed to talk to me at THAT VERY MOMENT - I didn't give a damn, but some of their wives were a bit

In many traffic jams (bloody M25)

[baskingseals]

Sitting on the floor of Woolies. I was leaning against a clothes rail, and one of the shop assistants came up to me, I thought oh no he's going to ask me to leave/stop, but he actually asked me if I was alright and would I like to go somewhere more comfortable.
I miss Woolies.

[cory]

During a lecture on medieval archaeology. On a very busy boat train. In airports. In restaurants. In Winchester cathedral.

[SarahL2]

A visit to Scotland when DS was about 5 months did wonders for my BF confidence (must have been the knowledge that no-one could ask me to stop) so I BF on a bench at Edinburgh Zoo, in the busy resteraunt at the Sea Life Center and in a service center car park on the way home - would have been discreet as we chose a quiet part of the car park to pull up but then 2 cars pulled up either side, both packed with people and there I was sat with my boob out for all to see!!

Will be far more bolshy when DC2 turns up - I always hated those "feeding rooms" which are no more than a bench in a cubicle!

[bluebell6]

On a plane. At a barn dance with colleages and my new boss. Answering the door for deliveries. Cafes, shops, everywhere really.
Only one negative experience at hairdressers when ds was 3 weeks old and this was from one of the staff who had just told me theyd been breastfed til they were 2... got a new hairdresser.

[zebramummy]

my sister bf at a registary office while translating for a friend's dh during the actual cermony - standing up at the front as well!!!

[zebramummy]

one negative experience i can share was at a local farm during the summer - a lot of the animals were suckling their young and i felt that i should have gone unnoticed really. this big muscly bloke passed by and kept 'having a look'at ds bf - coincidentally we happened to be parked next to one another so a few hours later, we happened to be leaving the carpark at the same time. he gave me this really intense, lingering look - i'll never forget it!

[duffpancake]

cranky, it was three separate occasions!

[sososnoop]

today in house of fraser cafe, started at table DD pulled off and started screaming, milk going everywhere, waiter mortified, table of teenage boys giggling, moved to baby change room, as thought quieter less distraction... DD screaming her 5 month old head off, as by now starving and frustrated, when store security come charging through the door as they thought I was murdering her and had been asked to check.... Seriously!

[confusedfirsttimemum]

Duff - You've got to tell us the story behind breastfeeding whilst being presented to royalty. Pretty please?

[Jenne]

I don't know if it counts as indiscreet, as I was asked to do it, but when our son was being diagnosed with pyloric stenosis at 3 weeks old I had to feed him while the doctor felt his tummy...

As you can imagine, this involved her having her hand down between my breasts as I fed him. Not so bad, but I was a little upset when the consultant decided he needed to check her decision, and brought along 3 male trainee doctors to observe.

Believe me, when you've fed with a complete stranger's hand down your front (particularly when he's old enough to be your dad, and frankly weird-looking), you can do it anywhere, anyhow! Did wonders for my bf-confidence, which had been a little shaky until then...

[duffpancake]

I happened to be staying in a house where a princess was paying a brief visit (as you do) and keeping out of the way with my brood but she heard their shrieking charming childish laughter and asked to see them so we were all lined up to 'be presented'. I probably could have popped ds off but I have views about royalty and kind of kept him clamped on with one hand while shaking hers with the other; she quite shamed me by being utterly unfazed and charming.

[BottySpottom]

Not indiscreet, but the place that most built my bf confidence was going back to our NCT ante-natal class as we were the first to have our first baby. I had to breastfeed infront of them all - goggling at me to see if I was doing it 'properly'.

[MillBill]

I breast fed at the front of a church, right in front of the vicar, which doesn't sound much when I see it written down.

My friend was in the opticians being fitted for glasses and did it then.

[MillBill]

It's not so much the act, it's the getting your boob out carefully so as not to give everyone an eyeful (literally) and finding their mouth (under a jumper) to stop them from crying, which can be hard to do discreetly.

[Pennybubbly]

On the subway. In an outside cafe. On the beach. In my BRIDESMAID's dress at the wedding reception (even had a let down spray on the dress).
Most places come to think of it. My ds still tries to latch on when I'm getting dressed and sit down on the bed with my top half still undressed - he comes toddling over with his mouth open, head at an angle....

[Pennybubbly]

Meant to add... I was actually told by a lactation consultant that if you breastfeed when they are having their immunisations, they won't actually feel the pain, as the sucking numbs it. Never tried it myself (too to whip them out in the doctor's face) but I have fed immediately afterwards, as I do every time ds is in pain and it always stops the crying .

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

In a posh deli in greenwich, the seating was set around a large central table, stool seats. My DH was like OMG you cannot do that in here. Im a bit of a BF militant so despite it being quite uncomfortable i carried on. There was a couple on the opposite side of the table to us, much whispering going on - next thing i knw - out came her boobs and she BF too - it was very funny. No one batted an eyelid, but i guess greenwhich is a bit of a right on, middle class parental stomping ground.

A woman i know was doing extended BF, she fed her toddler (18m) at M&T. Nowt wrong with that you would think, but when he finished she just say there with one boob out on full display for ages (her DS had wandered off!) - you could tell she was not just forgetting to put it away, she looked very smug about it - put me off my custard cream!

[Veggiemummy]

On a packed tube bit tricky in those little seats. I think DS2 may have kicked the person next to us a couple of times. But of course everyone just starred forward and seemed not to notice.

[Ruthie22]

I have just come back from a break in Italy and would recommend it to anyone who may be embarrassed about BFing in public - we didn't have a fridge in our hotel room so no pumping for 2 weeks!

Have fed DD just about anywhere imaginable! Was feeding her near some big church when I looked to the lady next to me and realised she was feeding her son too!

Top tip: baby towels with the 'hood' bit are the best for being really discreet as they don't keep slipping off!

[HaventSleptForAYear]

Nice stories.

I bf DS1 (3 weeks old) while applying for a passport in the local "mairie". Several people came to have an admire (of him not my norks!)

I still bf DS2 pretty much anywhere (he's 2.5) but am made slightly nervous about doing it in the UK next week.

I have never had a bad comment but I see a lot of people have.

Any good retorts anyone? [braces self]

[saltcod]

Front pew of the church during DS's baptism

[melmog]

In a raised, glass fronted cafe over looking hundreds of shoppers.

In the registrars office while sorting wedding.

On various park benches.

In church.

At the dinner table at the in law's.

I am ashamed to say I have been guitly of leaving one boob flopped out over the top of my vest top (it was too hot to try and be discreet), when I answered the door to the gas man. It was an accident though and luckily wis wife was bf too so he hardly noticed.

Oh yes, and I was at a posh wedding, sitting in the ladies with both boobs out of the top of my dress, using a very squeeky breast pump. I'm a charmer.

[Addis]

In a running shop, whilst being fitted for new running shoes. On a v crowded 73 bus, whilst the inspectors were trying to check tickets. They were v courteous and entirely unphased. And on lots of trains and several aeroplanes.

[5049emma]

Most public probably sitting on a curbside in Covent Garden watching a street entertainer with the other 2 kids. Don't think anyone particularly noticed. However, all over the place - wedding, funeral, public benches, huge numbers of cafes and coffee shops, parks. You name it, I've probably had them out in it! Only bad reaction I've ever had was on a National Express train home from London, sitting opposite a man in a turban who clearly felt very uncomfortable. I did feel a bit bad, but it was a crowded train, there was nowhere to move, and I am pretty sure both he and the entire carriage would prefer feeding to screaming all the way from London to York