Difficulties in breastfeeding in public - help, any suggestions?

[Finns]

I have a 4 month old DS and am finding it increasingly hard to breastfeed him in public - he is hungry but when put to the breast he only latches on for a couple of secs and then has to keep being reattached. Have tried feeding off the other breast when this happens and that can help, but it is getting really stressful - especially as he has a particularly loud cry when hungry (ended up in tears today). He feeds much better at home (where I can use a pillow to help support him).

Not helped by the fact he has had very poor weight gain from birth (dropped just over 2 percentiles) and live in fear of the weekly weigh in, so I feel the pressure to get as much into him as possible. He has one formula feed at night (since 12 weeks due to concern at weight loss) but was hoping to stop that once his weight gain had been sorted. Have been to breastfeeding cafes and NCT helpline etc - they all say I'm doing everything right, but I can't seem to make him feed properly when out.

Any ideas? I am getting to the stage when I wonder if I should express milk and take it with me (he feeds fine from a bottle). But that is really time consuming (I'm not very good at it yet). I guess I could use formula when out, but DH has several allergies and I was trying really hard to exclusively breastfeed (although I guess since I'm already doing one formula feed at night, it's silly to be so hung up on it- but am also worried re decreasing my supply).

If I did express, how long can you have it out of the fridge in one of those avent cool bags? I am paranoid about this kind of thing!

Thanks for any tips

Do you think he might be getting distracted by what's going on around him? He's getting to the age where that often happens. I found keeping a muslin or lightweight scarf over my DS's head helped keep him focussed on his feed. May be worth a go if you haven't already tried it.

I agree with Sariskra. My DD feeds so much better when she is in either a quiet corner of a cafe or has a muslin square over her. Otherwise she is constantly getting off, looking around and cooing or laughing at anyone that will look at her.

DD feed better too at home when i'm alone. If DS or DH are about again she is constantly coming off and shouting out and laughing at them. little monkey she is

re the expressing - -you can keep it in the fridge for 5 days.

Do you just need more practice? (Meant in a nice way!) If you're feeling stressed by feeding in public, your baby will pick up on this. Can you go out with a good friend and choose somewhere quiet with very few distractions and make it work there, before trying other places?

If you've already done 4 months, you've done a fantastic job! So keeping away from formula for as long as possible will keep up the good work if you can make the breastfeeding in public work for you.

Have you tried a different pump? With my dd I bought an expensive electric one but it wasn't great and was really noisy. I then tried an Avent Isis and it made a real difference.

Third the muslin idea, DS already gets distracted, I find making a little cave either with the sling or a muslin helps.

Strangely I feel weird using the muslin because I don't want people to think I am "covering up". Bizarre.

I bought a bib from the babybubu website. Best 20 pound I've spent. It keeps DS focussed and less distracted. Doesn't stop him waving his arms about and smiling up at me though! It has a stiff neckline so you can look down and still see what's going on with baby. Well done on getting to 4 month. Great achievement. :-)

Another one for the 'covering-up' idea. Although, that said, it doesn't work all that well with my DS (19 weeks). I have to find a quiet corner somewhere and catch his hungry cues early otherwise it is hell to pay.

I got a Bebe Au Lait cover (this one, in fact) and it can help if I catch him early enough, otherwise I have to sit in the back of my car, calm him, and then only feed.

If its the pillow he likes you could always take one with you. Sounds bizarre but I know someone who couldn't feed without her My Brest Friend so she made a carry bag for it and took it everywhere - it worked for her!

If it helps, in my case it was a phase... by five months it had passed and she was more businesslike about feeding again...

Not the most subtle of accessories, but I sometimes find that wearing one of these helps with my 4 month old DS. Keeps him facing the right direction at least

Would also say that if you think the problem is more than just him getting distracted in public, it's really worth getting in touch with the La Leche League. Most areas have local groups and counsellors, or there's a national helpline. Of all the places I've gone to for help with feeding issues, they've been the most knowledgeable and have really helped sort things out quickly.