Things said to you while breastfeeding in public, good and bad!

[Tryingandhoping2020]

I've never had anyone say anything negative personally, but curious to see if anyone else has? I have fed in all sorts of places including a beachfront bench and the shoe section of Primark 😂

Never had anyone say anything good or bad, only had negative comments from family tbh

I’ve breast fed on and off for the past 9years (3 children) I have breastfed all over the place and nobody has ever commented or taken any notice really.

No comments from anyone.

Had negative comments from MIL 🙄

But lovely moment on a packed train heading home from a day out in London (left it later than planned), DS1 was getting louder and louder and I knew I’d have to feed him before making it home.

Started feeding him, sudden silence on the train, everyone looks in my direction.
The older lady opposite (same rough age as my MIL) leans towards me and I start thinking, uh oh….
She says “you’re doing an amazing thing, well done”
I nearly cried!

Why do people feel the need to say anything at all?

I’ve breastfed both my children, and on two occasions, once with each child, an elderly person has said to me whilst I’ve been feeding outside “good for you for breastfeeding!” It made me feel great I’ve had lots of positive comments from the various doctors/health visitors with my first when I was still exclusively breastfeeding as time went on as well. I’ve never had any negative comments from family or other, and never been made to feel uncomfortable feeding in public either so I think I’ve been lucky!

I fed everywhere: on the high street, in shops, on buses, trains, tube, at bus stops, in the supermarket. Only thing I can remember is that someone brought me water in a cafe which was sweet.

I breastfed whilst ordering a new sofa in DFS. Poor young salesman didn't know where to look, but didn't say anything!!

I have also been handed a 'you rock' card for breastfeeding at a soft play. A random lady gave it to me. The card said something along the lines of 'thanks for feeding in public and doing your part to normalise etc'

I've never had any negative comments but I personally like to be discreet (thanks to the off and on babies that like to expose me!)

Nothing bad, the stupidest was at the hospital where ds had been born. He was tiny and ebf so I had taken him to a routine eye apt, tried to time it so he wouldnt need feeding but he was getting twitchy by the end of the apt. I said he would be fine once I fed him to which I was told 'oh i dont think there is anywhere for you to feed him...'
I gave a puzzled look and said 'a chair will do or failing that Ill sit on the floor'...
Very odd!
Someone offered to buy me a drink in costa once when i was feeding dd there. I had actually ordered a drink and they were bringing it over but I thought it was very nice.

I remember when ds was just 3 weeks old, I was struggling a lot, on my own and it was dd’s 4th birthday. I took her out to look in the toy shops and sat down to feed ds on a bench outside. An old woman sat next to me and said how wonderful it was, that when she had her children she would never have done it in public, and how silly that was, but that I was doing a good thing and to keep going. I was at a real low point, I had such bad PND and it has stuck with me more than 14 years later that her words were so long and encouraging. I never manage more than a little smile to anyone I see feeding, maybe when I’m older I’ll have more courage to offer praise and encouragement. I’ve fed 4 children and ime it’s always older people who will say something lovely, I’ve had old men talk to me positively about it too.

Sat on a bench in Scarborough next to an old chap. He nodded to my baby and said "That were me, 90 years ago. Well done lass!" It was lovely 😊 I don't remember anyone saying anything negative.

I breastfed my son in a synagogue and daw a few of the choir ladies looking at me and a bit of whispering going on. I was covered but it was obvious what I was doing. We then prayed and couple of minutes later one of the choir ladies came over to me with a glass of water and said "I thought you would probably need this, what a lovely baby you have". It was lovely and afterwards a few of the other older choir ladies came over to admire my baby and say how nice it was to see a mum confident to feed her baby when he needed it. That was a lovely moment. As was the older chap who was waiting in the GP surgery while I fed my daughter before our six week check. He gave me a big smile and said it reminded him of his mum feeding his brothers and sisters when he was a little lad, told me I was making a beautiful healthy baby and that I should keep up the good work. I was so worried about feeding in public but only ever had nice comments when people did say anything

Once when I was breastfeeding my DD, a woman came over with her small child and (without saying anything to me) explained loudly to her little son, "Look Sebastian, this lady is making milk to feed her baby!".
I didn't really mind, but I did feel a bit like Exhibit A at the zoo!

I was feeding my first child in an art gallery when he was tiny and two women walked past and looked at us and one said to the other ‘that’s the most beautiful picture in here’. When feeding my youngest who was about two in a park a woman came up to me and asked if I was English - I said I was and she said that she thought I couldn’t be as English women don’t usually feed toddlers ( she wasn’t English and seemed to mean it supportively).

I was sitting on a bench in a sculpture park breastfeeding when an old couple walked past - he stopped and said we were the most beautiful sight in the whole park

Very similar as above

I’ve only ever had positive comments too. I was worried as I was still feeding my 15 month old son who was big for his age when we were holidaying to NYC and I had heard people were a bit mean there (I was young and cared what people thought!) No one batted an eyelid and I fed at the top of the Empire State Building, twin towers, on the subway etc.
People have said things like “giving the good stuff” or “doing a great job there” or just generally been nice.
It’s important people are positive and kind and encouraging in my view as many are worried about negative reactions and it can be very hard work and lonely too… so these kind comments or actions like people offering drinks can make a world of difference.

I was once feeding in the members' room at Tate Britain and an elderly man said I looked like a painting

Breastfeed 3 Dc to 6 months old ages 13, 7 & 4 had a comment once whilst feeding my eldest at a cafe with a blanket covering us, me and mother were waiting on our order and one other gentleman at end of room finishing his drink up got up to leave and deliberately walked past us and said save your money and buy bottles in a horribly tone and walked out I was 20 at the time and first child I was flabbergasted, saddened at the judgement from a total stranger and lack of kindness.
With Dc2 her grandmother on the fathers side did not like it she made numerous remarks and snide comments whenever she visited while I fed baby or whenever there was any talk relating to feeding baby by then I was 27 and couldn’t give a toss what anyone else thought didn’t even bother defending it, educating her or telling her to respect other peoples choices and what they think is best for their family I just sat smiling and sometimes nodding and continued to feed baby happily.
Other than that there was nothing else.

Aww these are lovely stories. Hope this is encouraging to anyone worrying about bf in public!

Never had a negative comment, was offered complimentary cake and extra drinks a few times "to keep my strength up" by sweet older cafe owners

I've had "glad to see you're feeding him properly", which isn't negative, but I thought was a bit judgemental and not a compliment. And I've had "that's enough to put you off your dinner" when feeding at a pub once.

No one ever said anything positive to me, but they were the only "negative" things. Most people didn't bat an eyelid, or I just didn't notice - and I fed everywhere!

Not a comment as such, but the nicest staff member in Marks and Spencer came over to me when I was looking for somewhere to bf my first born (in a hormonal, sleep deprived, post-natal daze) - it was packed in the cafe and she took me to the changing rooms, put me in a cubicle, said to take as long as I needed and got me a bottle of water! I was so grateful! Now I'm on my third and can latch him on single handed while wrangling my toddler, but as a ftm I really appreciated the help.

Actually best comment was from a priest who said I was doing as god intended with a lovely smile

In an M&S cafe an employee came over and asked if I’d like some water as she remembered how thirsty she used to get by. It meant the world to me.