Has anyone bought those sheet things that can be worn in public in order to discreetly breast feed.

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Hello! I am 31 weeks and would really like to get out and about when little one is born. I thought that I would express in order to take a bottle out and feed. However, has anyone tried those sheet -things (excuse my ignorance as I am not sure what they are called) in order to breast feed? If so, any recommendations?

I got one off eBay. I used it loads, and plan on using it again with DC3. Very self conscious, so I found it a godsend when out shopping etc.

I wouldn't buy anything like this until you give it all a try.. I had friends that got tonnes of breast feeding tops and these sort of things and then didn't breast feed. I found they sort of seemed to draw more attention to someone breast feeding than just doing it! Would wait and see how you feel and whether you and baby take to breast feeding then invest. Would also probably go for a decent breast feeding top rather than this..
All the best!

You may find those tops get in the way - it's so much more of a hassle breastfeeding in the early stages than you can possibly imagine (I know whereof I speak - fed two kids for over a year each, and now pregnant with DC3!) Honestly, I would have found it impossibly difficult to latch on the baby, get the milk going, etc. Plus, it's lovely to look at your little baby while you're feeding!

If you're self-conscious about having your breasts on display, actually it gets much easier (and more discreet) over time as you can just take one breast casually out at of any low-cut top (I seriously never bothered with special breastfeeding wear) at a time and feed quite discreetly (which I have to admit never bothered me in the slightest, but I do get that some women find it embarrassing!)

I never bought something specifically to cover up when feeding but I had one of these scarves when I was breastfeeding. I already had it and just happened to be wearing it one day when I realised that I could fold it out from a triangle into a square and drape it over my shoulder and DS' head. It was also fab at covering over the pushchair so that DS slept rather than nosing around him. When we'd finished, fold it in half and wrap it back round your neck.

Cheaper than the "proper" BF covers as well.

Yep - it was really useful for a couple of months and then I got to grips with not flashing the world and it seemed like too much of a faff, plus DD decided it was more fun to swing out of it than get on with her feed. A friend got me a plain black one from ebay but it was really cheap and blew up at the slightest gust so I'd recommend going with a decent cotton one if you are bothered. You can achieve pretty much the same thing with a cotton summer scarf from Gap though.

Any cloth apron would do it.

I remember feeling like you with my first but I'm on my third and honestly, I get far less attention just sticking him across my body and hitching my top up a bit than I did when I had a bulk of varying materials to manage.

I feed EVERYWHERE as Ds feeds every 40 mins or so during the day. Today I fed on a swing, in a porch, on a double decker bus, in a cafe, at the checkout at sainsburys and in the foyer of a bank! I have enough 'stuff' to cart about without adding things.

I used to wear vest tops and t-shirts, I could lift up the t-shirt and lower the vest so only my nipple was out and before anyone could see anything baby was on and guzzling. It does get a lot easier though with time. I remember trying to use a scarf whilst trying to get 2 week old baby latched on out for sunday lunch with DH family and got in a right pickle and so flustered I never tried that again!

I wore my own clothes with vest type tops or boob tubes underneath. I fed absolutely everywhere(with EBF twins I had to ) I would practice at home in front of the mirror so I knew I wasn't showing side boob or something :)

I have seen these covers twice in public in the last few weeks.
TBH I think they draw more attention to you but I can understand people using them.
What I mean by that is, I noticed the two women whereas I'd need to be sitting with a mother to notice she was feeding without these covers.
They had them in mothercare if you are looking.

Save your money. I had one and you can't see to latch baby on. Vest top and normal tops are the way forward. I have a few vests which clip down from mother care but also a few from primark for £1.80 which I just pull down.

I didn't bother with anything like that either. It's easier to pop a muslin or blanket over your shoulder. But i agree with the other comments that you need to see what you're doing in the beginning. It can feel a bit strange getting your boobs out in public but really no one's paying any attention and once they are latched on the baby's head is in the way of seeing much.

I definitely would not recommend expressing and taking in a bottle, way too much hassle and hard to keep fresh.

Find some other feeding mums to hang out with, you can feel less self conscious if you're all at it.

I agree, save your pennies. I did the same as milkyjo, two tops so you don't have to show very much at all. You will get very good at feeding discreetly as the time goes on and will find things like that a big faff.
I did have a similar thing to begin with but ds hated it over him and would thrash about thus drawing more attention to us!

I had a breastfeeding butterfly which I used occasionally as I felt uncomfortable feeding in front of certain people (such as FIL for one example). I found it ok but a bit of a pain to get right and DS wasn't keen - once I'd worked out what I was doing with bf I found it easier most of the time just to drape a muslin over him as a bit of coverage.

These covers aren't popular on mn and seem to evoke strong reactions (if you search there are some past bunfighty type threads about them). Personally I think anything which makes a mother more confident to bf in public is a great idea - for me it wasn't about whether or not I was "drawing attention" to myself, I couldn't give a crap if people realised I was feeding! For me it was about having the confidence to do so without showing anything I didn't want to and these are pretty good for that.

bebe au lait nursing covers...

I found them really useful. Good luck with everything...

I think you mean a bebe au lait nursing cover?

Seriously, don't waste your money - I bought one (why?!?!) and have used it twice in 4 months. If you really want one, there are instructions on how to make one here

Aden + Anais swaddle muslins are also great for covering up, because they are so large - but obviously no need to buy something as expensive as those either! I just love mine

Both things were good for me while I tried to build up my confidence breastfeeding in public, but now I don't even use an ordinary sized muslin (except to catch DS's vomit) - I hope you will find that confidence too. Feeding with other mums really helped me as well - at breastfeeding cafes, La Leche League groups or just with other mums when out for coffee.

And yes, I've had people say to me "oh but those covers just draw attention to the fact you are feeding", but as a pp said, I don't give a crap - I'm using it because it helps me feel comfortable and more importantly to me, that I'm not making anyone else feel uncomfortable (although the majority of the time I am in the camp of "you don't like it, stop looking").

I bought a cheap one on eBay and used it for a couple of months whilst we got bf established. After a couple of months you'll be able to whip em out and put baby on without anyone even realising it :)

The main reason I bought one tbh was so I could bf in front of relatives without feeling self conscious - strangers don't bother me but getting a boob out in front of the fil felt weird (especially when mil would kiss baby's head whilst he was attached but that's a whole other issue...)

If you think it'll make you more comfortable then get one, jut don't spend too much as i bet you won't use it for long!

I plan to use one this time round (all going well) simply because my dd was a nosey little so and so and would get v distracted when we were out, so much so that I would end up feeding all night to make up for it!

I bought a mama scarf (which a friend swore by) but any type of scarf would do. It didn't work though, it was too late, I think you would need to use one at home and from early on - depending on your baby!

Alfiebear has it in one. As a first time mum, trying to feed in front of close family and friends was waaaay more intimidating than out in public. No one knows where to look initially and it feels really rude to disappear off upstairs for 40 mins at a time if you have visitors :)
I used the bebe au lait type - cheers to the poster, and there's a half hoop built into the top so the fabric stands out and you can see down your top and see what you are doing. Changing sides and getting the child out from under all that fabric to wind them is comedy central sometimes though. It's a nice windbreak if you get caught and have to feed in the park though :-)

To feed discreetly without a scarf, you need the two-tops method. Wear a stretchy vest top over your bra, then your usual top/t-shirt on top (a slightly loose one is easiest). To feed, reach under the outer top, unclip whichever boob you're using (obviously nursing bras have clips above each boob) and pull bra and vest under your boob. At this point nothing's on show as you haven't touched your outer top. Then position baby's head in front of boob and finally lift up your outer top and latch baby on. The baby's head will cover your nipple before they latch on, your outer top covers all of your boob and the vest means no tummy on show. Try it in a mirror - honestly, you can't see a thing. YOU can see, looking down, but anyone opposite or around you can't see any skin at all - honest.

I tucked a Muslim in my bra and covered up that way.

I found the bebe au lait cover brilliant for the first few weeks when latching on was a bit hit and miss. I could see dd's head easily and take my time getting her on and getting comfy without having to hold on to a muslin at the same time. Also could eat without dropping food on her head ;)

After a while I found the vest under/top over system described above to work really well too.

Wolfiefan - autocorrect fail