i saw a real life hooter-hider

[wahwah1270]

in an uber baby friendly south london pub today, the sort of place where no one bats an eyelid that i feed one year old dd, a woman put this ridiculous lime green hooter hider on to feed her young baby son. if she hadnt worn the hooter hider i doubt i'd have noticed her feeding. i sooooooooo wanted to tell her not to bother with it but bit my tongue. am i alone in not getting the hooter hider concept?

If I'd known such a thing existed with my now 4yr old ds, I might have bought one in the initial few weeks of bf as I felt a bit awkward getting my rather large bosoms and baby into the right position to feed.

I still bf my 2 yr old ds and this time round, I couldn't give a shit who saw my boobies, my belly etc.., though I have to say it's second nature now to bf and have found no need to worry about exposing flesh re as many postings here say, you get into a way of just getting baby to boob without having to expose your tummy, breasts etc.

Hooter Hiders is a freaking ridiculous name. Marketing aimed at (maybe)new mums' nervousness at bf in public. It's such a shame that such things have to be invented in the first bloody place. It just should not be an issue to bf in public, anywhere, never, nunca, ne rien. Period!

I find it interesting that some have mentioned they used a muslin until they got more experienced. I'd imagine many are the same with the hooter hider.

I do, however, think they look ugly I'm not against the idea of them though.

Donkeyswife - oh really? What about women who have been victims of sexual abuse and still have anxiety with exposure of their breasts even if it is to just naturally feed their baby? Should they have a special stamp on their forehead so people like you can deem it ok???

For me, something to cover up is handy because ds has hellish reflux and is on and off like a yo-yo. I caqb't feed him 'discretely' as he screeches through each feed so everyone knows what he's doing, which is fine by me! As my boobs and ds are tiny, a muslin suffices, but if I were bigger busted then I'd imagine a hider thingy might be handy.

Whatever helps you bf is a bonus imo.

its not that people are necessarily ashamed of what they are doing, and yes women should (and can in my experience of BFing anywhere and everywhere for a year) be free to BF in public, but for most women getting that part of their body out in public is a NEW AND UNFAMILIAR experience and the hider thingie offers a period of transition to adjust to it.

I had terrible trouble feeding out and about, between trying to rest DD on a makeshift pillow (usually her changebag)because side lying was the only position she would seem to latch on, her squirming trying to latch on and trying to hold her with one arm and my enormous H cup boob up with the other hand, the bebe au lait thing was a total saver - I wasn't able to feed outside the house for a very long time without it and believe me, I tried using all the usual tricks - the muslin, feeding tops etc etc.

Hey StarExpat, get off my back. It's just my opinion. There are all kinds of reasons for all sorts of situations, I was just saying that I personally feel there's no need to cover up and be embarrassed about bf. If you don't agree with me, fine, but don't get on me like that. I don't need you firing comments at me like that thanks.

I have one, then again I also had 36g boobs before the baby as well, so to be honest no amount of baby was ever going to cover up my boobs, and for some women getting your bits oiut in public is so not natural even if breastfeeding is, you have absolutely no right to have a word with this woman or even consider it, each to their own

Sorry that I directed the comment toward you donkey. I shouldnt have done that.
While bf, covering isn't always out of embarrassment or shame.

StarExpat, that's okay, thanks I appreciate you saying sorry. I actually hadn't thought about women who've been sexually abused - but you're quite right I can see why women who've been sexually abused or had some kind of dv would feel uncomfortable bf in public. And as I mentioned, with first dc I probably would have used one if I'd known there was such a thing as my boobs are well lets say 'rotund' and it was such a palava for me trying to bf when I had to wear a normal underwired bra as bf bras just offered no support whatsoever. In peace , Donkeyswife x

thanks donkeyswife.

Haven't read this thread all the way through. But the reason I thought of a hooter hider when my two were little, was not because of hiding my hooters, but to try to hide my belly.

I only discovered cool stuff like breastvest after I'd finished feeding DS1 and 2 We need more stuff to cover our tummy's not our boobs, surely?

www.breastvest.co.uk - a vest, with the boob bits cut out so you can feed without showing the world my belly. How many times have I wished I'd come up with this idea??????

I can't believe people go through such a rigmarole to bf. It's v sad.

My sister used an standard apron when feeding her twins. I found it a bit odd. Wow she is super woman she's going to breast feed twins and whip up a batch of muffins!
Anyway whatever floats your boat and if it gets people feeding for longer then it has to be a good thing. I must admit more stuff does draw more attention, but again is that a bad thing if people know someone is BFing but aren't getting the show.

This time round for me I'm going to use a bump band post preg. I think the lardy roll of flab over the top of my trousers was much more upsetting and of putting to people and embarassing for me than the off chance of sneeking a peek and a nipple.

What I find rather sad is they're almost obligatory where I am (California). There's a rather snarky undercurrent of, "Well at least wear a hooter hider if you must do it"

I do think it's a shame that anyone feels they are necessary although I can understand why they might be useful for some women, especially in earlier months.

But I'm disturbed by their popularity because I don't think I've ever seen anyone feed without one here

What's a bump band? I definately found getting my stomach out the most embarassing of all!

I think what CarmenSandeigo says is what worries me about it. That women who would otherwise have b/f happily without one may feel pressured to use a hooter hider if it becomes more normal to see them used.

There is enough risk of an anti b/f backlash when b/f in public without old gits people having the added ammunition of telling people to cover themselves up in a mini shower curtain.

I wouldn't have wanted to use one while b/f. Products like these do give women a message that b/f in public is a bad thing that should be hidden away, that their breasts are sexual things that must never have a tiny bit of their flesh showing, etc.

Maybe we should all wear burkas, eh?

Plus there is the fact that if breastfeeding was more socially acceptable and women to be seen openly b/f in public (and I don't mean boob flashing, just ordinary discreet b/f) then it is likely that this would impact in a positive way on b/f rates. One of the reasons why so many mums are unsuccessful b/f is because they don't have a clue how to hold and position the baby as its something they don't see done. Wheras in other contries where b/f is the norm mums manage it even without the help of all the b/f conusellors, etc we have here.

Hairy a Bump band is basically a boob tube for your belly. Some women use them to give light support to their bump or hide midriff before hitting full on maternity clothes.

I've never used one before and I think that if you wore it throughout preg it might be a bit baggy post preg. Lots of places sell them, just google - you should be able to get a pack of 2 (one black one white) for less than a tenner. As my newbie is due in winter and I'm flabbier than last time I'm definately going to use one and keep my cold white flab to myself. Anyone can have a peek at my fantastically huge norks though!

Sounds perfect, I also have twice the flab of last time and am due in October so will want to keep warm. Thanks, slimyak

stripeyknickers, I think that women should be allowed to keep any part of their body covered that they like without feeling like they are letting down the sisterhood, whether it's a burka or a hooter hider.

It seems like women's bodies are such public property- there's always a someone wanting to comment on how much you want to cover/ expose. It's judgy in any case, I mean who is the arbiter of exactly how much flesh and which bits it's ok to show?

I don't really understand the BFCs comment- they are necessary here specifically because bf isn't the norm and therefore the hows and whys of it are a mystery to most of us when we start out.

I think stripey has hit the nail on the head. It's not that women chosing the awfully named hooter-hider is a problem per se, because of course that's their choice, and so it should be. But it's the way in which this starts to become the norm, and tacitly (even if unintentionally) supports or gives ammunition to the anti-BF lot - that's where the problem starts, imo

I agree that women should be able to cover up any part of their body they want to and I'd never judge anyone for wanting to use one of these.

However that doesn't stop me feeling sad that women would feel that they want to use one of these or worrying about how it will affect how society perceives b/f or womens' breasts.

OMG those hat things look like a giant supersonic nipple!
* can't unsee* Please tell me they don't come in raspberry pink.

I worry too that the use of cover-ups will creep in as the only acceptable way to bf.

Re: the breastvest, any stretchy camisole vest works for that, or you can just snip out holes from a high cut vest. I remember doing that 10 years ago, & it was godsend on cold days, as well as covering up a saggy tum.

i think 'hooter hiders' is a great tongue-in-cheek name!

am bfing my second child, and though I've always covered up my breasts with muslins/ a long top I don't see what the problem is with hooter hiders. if I want to be in control of who sees my naked bits, what should it matter to anyone else? don't you anti-hider lot have more important things to concern yourselves with?

I think they are such a wrong concept, it's like saying 'I am ashamed of breastfeeding'. Nobody should bat an eyelid if you get your boob out to feed a child, no matter where you are, and I certainly never had any funny looks feeding my two.

If hooter hiders get more popular, cafes and restaurants might end up demanding that you use something to cover up when feeding. And that would be so wrong.

Get your boobs out people

Ah good, I see others have already made that point before me Nothing like reading a thread backwards!

And can I also say that with all the stuff you have to lug about when out and about with a baby, who's got space for packing a hooter hider into their changing bag as well as everything else?