Big boobs and big baby..... hard to get comfy enough to feed in public!

[sparklycheerymummy]

My ds is 7 weeks old.... was 10lb 11ozs at birth and is now 14lb 3ozs at 7 weeks..... he is a big heavy boy!!! I also have large breasts..... 38G or larger when full!!! BAsically I can get fairly comfy at home with him in rugby hold and using pillow etc etc but when i am in a cafe or similar I struggle to find a comfy position where he is happy, I am comfy and he can breathe. If i lie him across in the cradle hold i end up suffocating him. I also end up exposing myself when i am trying to get him settled whilst he is not comfy and i end up squirting him in the eye and flashing my boobs which i dont like doing!!!!

PLease guys any ideas, tips or products that might help. I am enjoying being busy with my ds but am tempted slightly to go onto ff or i feel i cant go out in case he needs feeding. HAve started expressing a little but its such a faff. I have a breast feeding cover but i get all caught up in it cos i keep having to check he can breathe!I cant just latch him on and leave him there.

HELP XX

Sorry to hear this, it must be very frustrating for you. I can sympathise as I had a similar problem - at home I always fed DS lying down on the sofa or bed, sitting up was never comfortable at all for a variety of reasons. I could sit cross legged and feed him, but again, I guess this looked kind of odd in public (apart from in the park during summer).

I BF until DS was 13 months, and I don't think I ever fed him "in public". I fed him in the back of the car, parked. I fed him in Mothercare/John Lewis baby room, because the feeding chairs there were OK for me. I fed him in M&S changing rooms, sat cross legged on the floor etc etc.

But mostly I just timed my outings well when he was tiny and took him out when he'd been fed. It was pretty restricting actually and I wish I could have gotten around it somehow. I do plan to have another and to BF, so I guesss I'll be facing similar problems again.

Interested to hear of any solutions too.

you could try a rolled up muslin under the breast to bring it up a bit?

have you tried letting boob just be where it is, and then bringing him to it? that worked best for me (am a G/H cup)
if the breast is "hanging" freely, and baby is latched correctly then he shouldn't suffocate!

my other suggestion would be to see if you have a local breastfeeding group nearby? sometimes it can really help to see how other people manage with positioning and they will be ablt o offer you tips on how to get comfortable. google the baby cafe, or la leche league GB to see if you have any local branches

I went to a baby cafe the other day but it was clicky and noone actually discussed breastfeeding but may go back and ask more qs!!
AM feeling a bit tearful as i am soooo proud to have managed to get going with bf (ff dd and have always felt sad for not trying harder)

will try the muslin thing though x

yeah do, i think some are better than otehrs.
i was lucky enough to live near the original one run by the 2 founders who are lovel, lovely, lactation consultants. sadly it has shut now due to lack of funding

i do think it makes a big difference who runs it though, some that are just run by HV's are nice if you just want general support but not necessarily so good if you need specific help.

we have about 4 different ones round here lol. local LLL is lovely too

yeh this one just had a hv who popped in but didnt speak to me and i was quite shy x I thought LLL might be clicky too!????

the way i do it is to wear a normal moulded cup bra rather than a feeding bra. i then just kind of squish the cup aside to feed, so that supports my breast up more than if it were to hang loose out of a feeding bra. does that make sense?! i know this isn't recommended though as there is probably a risk of blocking ducts etc, but it works for me and my ff/g cups.

ours is nice, but we've just had a new one open whih i'm going to so lots of new people anyway.
i used to go to one further away, and it was harder to "break into" so to speak because everyone already knew each other and a lot of them had been going a long time

but the good thing about LLL is that they have a general group discussion first, so you all tend to introduce yourselves and then talk about a topic. there is time to discuss individual concerns with the leader too though, so it does mean that people don't tend to just sit in groups and chat with each other

wherabouts are you?

sparkly, congratulations on your DS. I can totally sympathise, I'm a 32GG and have a small DD who now likes to wrestle me and lift my top when feeding in public

At first I was very scared and didnt like feeding in public, but I'm now a lot more confident. I thought everybody was looking at us, but now I know that most people dont notice you feeding.

I dont have any breast feeding tops, but I do have shirts that I unbutton from the bottom and wear a vest underneath to pull up/down to keep me hidden. I also layer a cardi over the top to avoid the gaps at the side. A large cheap scarf from H&M or Marks (pashmina type thing) can be light enough to cover you both and let them breath.

In the end it was practice that helped me, I just found somewhere quiet in a cafe and tried to feed her. I also took my mum or sis with me at first to let me know if they could see anything too.

I try to look out for comfy chairs to sit in and try to time a feed before she gets really hungry and she will latch on without a lot of fuss.

It does get easier for both of you

NOrth Yorkshire.... Have just emailed LLL.... I so want to crack this and there must be a way I am sure!!

thanks chipsricks i should maybe think about what i wear more to cover me up but i feel if i could get comfy i could whip a muslin over.....Getting me down though now! Ds can get fussy while feeding but am upping my milk production by expressing an ounce off after every feed when i can which also builds up my freezer stock!!

You can feedback any experiences of visiting a Baby Café to [email protected] . They very much welcome feedback from mothers about positive experiences as well as feedback about how to improve services.