Breastfeeding in public

[Beebeebeek]

Just wondering how mums go about doing this discreetly?
I know you can buy nursing clothes and I intend to buy a few tops, but other than that do you improvise with a scarf or nursing scarf? Or Muslin?

I just place a blanket over babies head.

Right. Get ready for you don't need to do it discreetly bingo ....

I always found covers/muslins too much of a faff that actually drew more attention. I always wore a thin vest under my top, so top up (covering most of breast) and vest down (covering belly).

I never bought any specific clothes but wore clothes with ease of feeding in mind.

If anybody was bothered by me feeding a baby, they could indeed place a muslin of scarf over their head if they wanted.

I wear a vest top under a top, pull down the vest top, pull up other top and attach baby.

You will be far more concerned about it that anyone else so try not to worry!

I always wore a little vest crop top under everything so could pull that up when i undid shirts etc.. to cover.
I also lived in baggy crop tops with a vest under and high waisted jeans so could just pull up my top.
Nursing specific clothes were also really handy in the first few months until I became good at it.

I do 'one up one down' as a few other people have described - vest top under your clothes so you can pull that down and your main top up and have only a little sliver of boob on show between the two (which baby's head will then cover anyway). I do think it's easier in nursing specific clothes. Also, just give it a bit of time. The first few times I fed in public I basically got my whole boob out, slowly, and felt really embarrassed (though no one else ever batted an eyelid, for what it's worth), but my baby is still only 11 weeks and I can now do it so quickly and smoothly that I feel much less on show. I really didn't feel like I'd ever get the hang of unclipping my bra, rearranging my top, latching on baby without it taking an age - but it comes surprisingly quickly.

People will do anything to avoid looking at you when you feed. I just take a muslin in case I feel uncomfortable. I tuck it into my bra strap and put it over baby's head. But it does take a bit of practice to get baby and nipple in the right place and you'll need to see what you're doing.

Btw, while some people prefer feeding with a cover/muslin over them it's not always an option - my baby hates having anything over his head while feeding and will scream, so I quickly gave up on that, as it drew a lot more attention!

Assorted lovely scarves, flexible tshirts & a defiant look for those who look like they’re about to complain.

Some of my NCT friends had bf covers- I never bothered, couldn't see what I was doing and DS hated being covered. Frankly baby's head is in the way, there's nothing to see other than clothes and baby unless you try really really hard!

My dd doesn't like her face being covered she wriggles and exposes more so I tuck a muslin into my bra strap so it covers by boob but not her face. It's also handy to slip over my boob when she stops for a good look round 😑
Also loose button up shirt. I have a thing for plaid shirts. They're very discrete, any big show to cover yourself will just draw attention to what you're doing.

The only person who ever said anything (DS weaned himself at 27 months) was an old lady in church who told me I was doing a good thing satisfying his needs. I was almost disappointed to never have had a bad comment!

Bebe au lait nursing cover

One up one ddown with cheap primark vests works well. Or tbh I just lift my top now, by baby’s big enough to cover any exposed skin! It’s a lot easier than you think it will be though. I’ve had chats with people on park benches where the other person hasn’t noticed I’m feeding.

I was very worried about this before having dd. I found scarves and muslins got in the way and she hated them covering her head (don't blame her) so I just learnt to not give a shit. Baby needed food so I fed her. I did mostly try and be discrete through clothes choices eg a feeding vest and a shirt over the top, but did also have my boob quite on display sometimes. Never had any negative comments. I did walk through town with my nipple out once though.

Have a look at the Facebook page, "can I breastfeed in it" great for ideas for clothes you can feed easily in!

Seconding the recommendation for ‘can I breastfeed in it?’ on FB. That group should be available on prescription.

I either use a cover or a muslin depending on how exposed I feel. I've lost a lot of my inhibitons over time and am not bothered feeding in front of my family or baby groups anymore.

I always did the two top thing. Had a few bfeeding tops but felt like they looked a bit odd on me.

I used to throw a thin scarf round my neck for a little bit of privacy while my baby was latching on and to try and get them to concentrate on feeding. My dd would stop to have a look around every few minutes, leaving me exposed if she was too distracted.

Try not to worry too much, you and your dc will work it out between you. x

I used a cover. I knew w some don't like them, but for me, it made me feel much more comfortable going out in public.

Brilliant advice here, thanks so much.
@seven201 that made me laugh!

Honestly it’s totally ok if you actively want to cover up and be discrete but it’s not necessary for the sake of random sensitive souls - people can look away if they’re offended. Also a lot of babies won’t tolerate anything over their heads, and early on it’s not ideal as you’ll probably be wanting to keep an eye.

All that said - one up one down works well for keeping yourself pretty well covered when it isn’t too warm for two tops.

*discreet

I initially used a cover that you tie around your neck - more for my confidence and moving my son around etc as it took me about 7 weeks to do it properly and getting him to latch on etc. After that I didn't care so much and wore breastfeeding tops from H&M so nothing was covered. It was a lot cooler for my baby, he was like a little hot water bottle. Go with what works for you x