Breastfeeding in public?

[mumtotwoboys]

Unless you're a hermit who sits in all day, you're going to need to feed your baby while out, especially in the summer.
I've found that usually there are enough other people to stick up for you when negative people are around.
For example, when travelling long distance on public transport I've had to feed my son. One girl said 'as if you do that on a bus' but her friends were quite vocal about them seeing nothing wrong with it.
Then another time I was in M+S during a long day's shopping, I sat down on a bench and fed baby, one store worker came and said 'oh do you want somewhere to go?, I was like 'no i'm fine thanks' but she was like 'let's find you somewhere more comfortable' so she took me to an office 'behind the scenes' where I could do my thing in privacy.
I was quite happy feeding him in the store, but she felt I should be hidden away.
That's the more polite negativity I've had.

I've wanted to feed baby in cafes and things, while we're sitting down, it would make sense to obviously, but I'm ot always confident enough, especially if there's old people around. It causes problems when I don't feel comfortable feeding him, he'll have to cry for a while and I'll have to finish what I'm doing and go home early.
I wish I could just feed him anywhere anytime.

How do you feel about breastfeeding while out?

I never had a problem feeding dd when we were out - tbh I don't think anyone ever noticed as it just looked as if I was holding her anyway - she was a very good feeder and rarely fussed when latching on. I never experienced negative (or positive) comments from anyone and fed in a variety of places - at a friends wedding, on the bus, in the park, sitting on a chair in john lewis etc

I never really gave it much thought - my baby needed feeding so I fed her.

It doesn't necessarily follow that people like the M&S lady wanted you to hide away. I didn't breastfeed for long, and maybe if I'd done it longer I would feel different, but I felt that feeding my baby was a personal thing between me and him. Only once or twice did I feed my baby in front of people who weren't my husband, because I just loved it being the two (or three) of us. Maybe M&S lady was like me when she was feeding her baby!

now dd is 15 months i don't feed her in public, but until she was about a year i would do it anywhere (standing in the queue for the Natural History museum was the most odd i think). I had to as she was a real milk monster

I've fed all mine wherever. I love that in my jurisdiction, I have a clear right to breastfeed anywhere I have a right to be. (And this being California, I can threaten to sue... or possibly pop a cap in the ass of anyone who dares interfere with that )

I wish England would clarify the same position. Perhaps with less shootiness though.

Well, I always found somewhere private if I could. For example we were in a restaurant, busy, and baby asleep in her car seat...she woke, needed feeding so I went to the car and sat there and fed her in peace, quiet, and private.
Would rather have gone 'behind the scenes' in M&S as you describe than BF in a shop full of people, am sure baby and mum have a much more peaceful time when it's quiet, or is that just me?

I fed in cafes, cinemas (baby screenings), on benches in the street, pubs? Never had any negative comments or reactions.

Weirdest was at a funeral. Didn't think and sat down right by the buffet, so quickly had a queue of people in front of me. No one minded though, lots of lovely old people smiling at us and saying things like "oh he's hungry too isn't he?!"

The first few times I fed ds in public I was really self conscious about it but soon realised that nobody was watching and I've never had any comments. I'm generally pretty good at being discrete, but tend to think if someone happens to catch a glimpse of booby so bloody what?

Sometimes I do feel like I should go somewhere private just to save other people's embarrassment though generally these days I'll do it anywhere I can sit down and get comfy (though I've never breastfed on a bus because I think we'd both just go flying!)

As he gets older (now 7 mo) I'm starting to feel more self conscious again because there seems to be this general attitude that breastmilk is for young babies and most of the older babies I know are now bottle fed.

Carmen, you have a fan :-p

I guess for people who've only fed small babies you can see breastfeeding as a special private type thing.
But if you have like a 5/6/7 month old and you're in town on a hot day, they want a top up really frequently with the heat and all, find somewhere to sit down with a drink, obviously you then realise baby wants some juice too and theyre getting uncomfortable, first thing you wanna do is give them some booby.
I don't like the thought of seeking a babyroom every time, because that's more inconvinience to find one, my 3 yr old will then get restless if we're locked away in quiet room for half an hour, start screaming to go back out etc..
it's easier to feed baby while still at cafe, but being paranoid about what people may think is a big problem :-/
It's sad

In the early days I felt embarrassed, but I gained in confidence at around 4 months and fed him absolutely anywhere.....Then I lost my confidence again when he turned 2!

I now feel almost as if I had a duty to promote breastfeeding by feeding in public and making it more acceptable, especially for the sake of expectant mums.

I did and still do (gecko is 3 now) it anywhere
nothing to do with anyone else
and I wouldn't let anyone politely but negatively hide me either

I fed DS1 anywhere and everywhere and have been doing so with DS2 for the last couple of weeks. No-one seems to care, have had plenty of people wander over to see the baby, notice he is feeding and just continue on admiring.

Did it everywhere and anywhere and never wanted to be 'somewhere private' feeding isn't a private issue it's a social event even for babies. I'll argue very loudly with anyone who dares tell me otherwise but I never had a problem with Ds2.

i have fed DD out and about everywhere and mainly been met with stunning indifference

she is heading for 7 months now so a feed is over in around 5 minutes

I was far more embarrassed to bottle feed in public.
Felt people were judging me (they weren't, just my insecurities)
When I attempted to BF in public I felt so proud! When I had no choice but to use formula
I felt like people might think DS wasn't mine or I was a failure or something

I can't believe people can be so negative about the most natural thing in the world!

I was very self-concious at first, but I used to go to a post-natal class at the gym, and then for a coffee with a few of the mums afterwards. initially I gained confidence from us feeding in numbers, as it were, as anyone being disapproving would have had to take on the whole group of us!

After I had gained confidence that way, I was reasonably happy to feed anywhere. I did always try to be fairly discrete, but that was more for my sake than anyone else's. I have fed in cafes, on park benches, really most places where there was a seat available. Did once have to do a mad dash through a reptile house with dd2 on the boob, as dd1 had legged it from the cafe!

I've never had any negative reactions, happily- lots of smiles from older people. I always tended to feed where I could rest, so was concentrating on my baby or a book and therefore blissfully ignorant of any pursed lips or disapproving looks!

I've fed all over the place and never had any comments. Or maybe I did and I was just oblivious...

agree with ruby - indifference mainly, or cooing over the baby. People really don't think of this as such a huge issue I don't think

I do feel embarrassed feeding DD in public, and was cringeing a bit the first time I needed to a couple of weeks ago.

But having bottle fed DS, I've found it less embarrassing to have a baby discreetly latched on to your boob than I used to do trying to comfort a screaming hungry baby, with everybody looking, while I desperately spent 10 minutes trying to warm up a bottle in a cadged jug of hot water.

I felt chronically embarrassed feeding dd1, mostly because I was struggling, found it very painful & latching was a major performance of on/off milk squirting everywhere drama! Consequently I hid myself away, even when other people were in my house and ended up miserably sitting on my own with her screaming for hours on end. I lasted 4 weeks! With dd2 I had much better support & got feeding sorted quite quickly. So its a lot easier to be discrete & hence I've been perfectly happy to feed anywhere & everywhere. We're just winding down feeding now she is 12 months. The only person who's commented is my db who walked in on me feeding her when she was a couple of weeks old, said 'bloody hell!' turned on his heel & headed out again. He's got used to it now though!

I think it's so important to feel comfortable bf when out of your own home (I don't know if that necessarily means 'in public') because otherwise it can become a solitary chore, which for me makes it a lot harder to sustain. Although obviously if you prefer the quiet that's fair enough!

Before dd was born i thought i will never be able to feed her in front of anyone, then when she was born i quickly realised that when she was crying for a feed i couldnt care less when or where as her needs came first be it car,cafe,supermarket,softplay area etc have had a few people sort of look twice but nothing ever said.....
once at a themepark i was feeding her while sat at picnic bench and a group of young (i hate this word) but sort of "chav" kids with their own kids where nudging each other and smirking over which only made me angry and told them yes thats right im feeding my baby want a picture! she just turned 1 and am still bf and still will do
wherever needed.

DD1 is 3yrs 9mths and we still nurse in public occasionally, DD2 is 13mths and feeds all the time!

Most people assume DD1 is cuddling, she's big enough to cover me up, boobs are still bigger than DD2's head, but as she's a titch people tend to think she's 5/6 months old and just coo over her!

I've always fed DD wherever, whenever, although I currently try to avoid feeding her in public as its hard to be discreet with my big pregnant belly!

Generally have been met with indifference, although have had some lovely positive comments too. What a shame you got hidden in M&S OP, I remember having some very comfy feeds on the sofas in M&S when DD was tiny!

I fed all three of my Dcs and I fed DD until she was bloody ancient.

I never had anything from anyone in public. People didn't notice or didn't care. I fed at the Oval, at Crystal Palace, on the tube, on the train, in pubs, in cafes everywhere.
Seriously. No one cared less.