Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Breastfeeding while out in Central London

54 replies

Orissiah · 14/02/2008 13:59

Does anyone know of any nice places to breastfeed a baby in central London? I would love to still head into the city without worrying about feeding my baby (I can express milk into bottles I know but it would be lovely to still have the baby feed from the breast while out and about in the capital).

I'm assuming John Lewis's "parents room" in their store on Oxford Street is breastfeeding-friendly... I think Mothercare at Marble Arch and UCH at Warren Street have breastfeeding rooms. Anywhere else?

And what about cultural places like Tate Modern, Barbcian, National Gallery, British Museum and the like?

Any suggestions most welcome.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ZoeyW · 22/02/2008 15:11

Totally agree. In England you can breastfeed pretty much anyway and NO ONE cares and if they do that's their own problem.
Took me a while to get enough guts to do so tho' I must say..... But then I JUST BF with abandon.
And as for Maccy Dee loos - Yuk. Wouldn't want to eat my lunch in there!!!

As for Bloody New York however!!!! I took my bubba there when she was about 9 months. Shocking!
No places for men to change nappies - evidently it;s a ladies job ( a shop assistant actually said that to the father whilst in Macy's by himself with the baby). Only changing places were in ladies loos, and people STARED when i breast fed - you would think they had never seen it before. Luckly I was over getting embarassed about whipping out my tits by then , heh heh heh

JingleyJen · 22/02/2008 15:49

Lolli, why should she cover the baby up?

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:03

Jen - Well is that not how you do it discreetly, by shoving the baby up your top? She just hiked her top up, stuck the baby on her boob and left it like it, surely there's a better way than that when you're in public? I know people are proud of their babies but that doesn't mean you should just start flashing your boobs in a pub!

EffiePerine · 22/02/2008 16:08

I never shoved DS up my top, he would NOT have appreciated it. When he was a small baby and I was self-conscious, I wore a vest top - top combo and hiked one up and the other down IYSWIM. Or I used a cardu to cover up my sdie (mainly because it was chilly otherwise, DS was a winter baby). But why should anyone look or comment ?

Bubbaluv · 22/02/2008 16:10

Wow Lolli,
Who's given you such a negative outlook on boobs?

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:12

Yes that's what I mean, you're still covering yourself (your boob) or the baby.

Why would anyone look - well you'll find when people get their tits out people WILL look, especially pervy old men! Even I'd look if someone randomly pulled their top up and popped their breast out, why does having a baby in your arms suddenly stop that?

I know people are happy to breast feed in public, I expect I will do once I get used to it too, but I don't think that excuses you from showing your breasts in public, we're not in Ayia Napa!

JingleyJen · 22/02/2008 16:16

Lolli, I can feel my blood pressure rising so I am going to step away from this conversation, I really hope that you find a way of becoming a little more forgiving of others and what they do.

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:18

I think that breast feeding in public is fine, I just don't think that the way the lady did it was right. Pulling your top up, exposing your breast and then putting your baby on it isn't right. A 20 something girl wouldn't get away with pulling her top up and exposing her breasts, just because you've got a baby there shouldn't allow you to become a flasher, that's all i'm saying. I don't expect you actually do this either when you're breast feeding so I don't see your problem with it.

EffiePerine · 22/02/2008 16:23

am also deep breathing a bit, I really think we need to change attitudes to bfing if we want to raise bfing rates in this country, but anyway...

One thing to bear in mind: if you have a really wriggly baby, or are bfing a toddler, it can be heard to be discreet, but surely that doesn't mean you should be banished to a smelly toilet because of possible pervy old men?

I realise that some people feel uncomfortable with seeing babies being breastfed, esp if it doesn't happen much, but surely that's not the fault of the woman feeding her baby? I mean, I used to feel a bit uncomfortable if I saw someone bfing but I wouldn't have pointed and mocked or anything (not that you would, of course).

EffiePerine · 22/02/2008 16:23

hard not heard

Bubbaluv · 22/02/2008 16:27

A twenty-something girl flashing her boobs is making an innapropriate sexual display. A mother feeding her child is not and the fact that you may glimps some breast in the process should not be an issue for anyone and certainly does not make her a flasher.
I would duck if I were you Lolli!!

BroccoliSpears · 22/02/2008 16:30

"we're not in Ayia Napa!"

Am puzzled. It would be okay for people to see your breasts if you were in Ayia Napa, but not if your baby was hungry and needed to be fed in a cafe, surrounded by other people who are also eating and drinking?

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:32

No, please don't think that I mind women bf'ing in public, that is not what I have said at any point, I have tried to point out that on this one occasion I didn't think that she did it particularly correctly because she got her breast out in full view. The actual bf'ing bit was fine, as I have said before.

How do you breastfeed Effie, explain to me so that I understand, because I've seen women bf'ing before when you wouldn't even realise, and I've even seen them starting it off and at no point did it involve them showing anyone their breast like this lady did.

gingerninja · 22/02/2008 16:32

Lolli, if other people find it a problem then that is their problem, not yours as a bf'ing mother. Of course there are ways to bf in public and be descrete but if you happen to see someone's breast and find it offence then I'd say you shouldn't be looking. I've seen some ugly hairy builders arses poking out from above their trousers but it never occr me to tell them to pull their trousers up, I'd just look the other way.

At the end of the day, nature dictates that your breasts are a source of food for your baby, society has made breasts sexual objects and it is up to us to challenge that. Why it's perfectly OK for women to get their kit off for titilation in 'news' papers yet frowned on for doing something that is absolutely natural is beyond me.

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:37

I agree with everything you are saying Ginger, but do you really think I'm that much of a perv to be purposefully looking in the first place? Actually I was serving her table with a round of drinks when she did it and I pretty much had my face right in there.

But then again there's topless sunbathing which is fine - but again it's a bit more of a place for it you know?

EffiePerine · 22/02/2008 16:38

DS doesn't feed during the day any more (he's 17 mo), but when he was an older babuy (say after 6 months) and I was feeding out and about, I'd hitch down my bra, pull up my top and latch him on. With a loose top you can;t see much, but I probably wasn't as discreet as in the early days, mainly because I was too tired to worry about what anyone else thought! Maybe the longer you bf the less conspicuous you feel. But I've never had anyone comment or even notice that I'm feeding, I think part of that is living in London where most people ignore you anyway

There is a big different between feeding a tiny baby (when I could latch him on discreetly) and feeding a larger, mobile one. Maybe we're just not used to seeing older babies being fed?

gingerninja · 22/02/2008 16:46

I understand your point Lolli and I used to feel uncomfortable when friends wapped out their breasts to feed but I never questioned their right to do it in public, just averted my gaze. Still not convinced that feeding a baby in a pub is a less appropriate use of boob than getting them out on a beach for people to look at. You may, get a glimpse of a nipple with bf'ing but by the time you've noticed it it'll be gone anyway. Hardly enough for some old cogger to get his rocks off. I would imagine he'd buy The Sun for that, those girls are so much more wholesome and virginal.

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:47

Yes that's possible Effie but the baby was only little, she took her top up, I suppose unlatched her bra, then picked the baby out of the high chair and latched him on.

The bit I saw was her with her boob out and picking the baby up. I would've thought maybe have the baby on your lap first you know then it's only going to be a tiny second of your boob not being covered seeing as the baby's head is going to cover anything else (although obviously the boys did point out you could still see the side of her boob, but to be honest with some of the tops people wear these days it wasn't any more than what you'd see).

debinaustria · 22/02/2008 16:48

I always used to be more bothered about showing a glimpse of the jelly belly than the boob!!

EffiePerine · 22/02/2008 16:48

Maybe she was tired and cross and couldn't be arsed with worrying about it? (drawing from experience here )

gingerninja · 22/02/2008 16:51

Plus, maybe she wasn't British? The Germans seem more relaxed for instance and so wouldn't hesitate to do what your lady would. I think the sticking point really is that even if I felt a bit shy about seeing it I wouldn't be offended.

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:52

Ginger - oh I'd never have a problem getting my boobs out in front of my mates, they can get out of my house if they don't like it!

What I was saying about the beach is that it's more accepted that you can get your boobs out on a beach, but if you laid on a lounger in your front garden that would be unacceptable. It's the same action but the place makes it more or less 'acceptable', if you know what I mean. If the lady had completely taken her top off in a feeding area I wouldn't have batted an eyelid, but in a pub I just wasn't expecting to see boobs that's all.

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:53

Ginger I was never offended, it's a boob, she isn't having rampant sex on the table! I was shocked, I wasn't expecting it.

gingerninja · 22/02/2008 16:55

Lots of ammunition on here for when you do start bfing and should you get any comments. Hope you do, it's a wonderful experience.

lollipopmother · 22/02/2008 16:58

Oh God, if someone made a comment about me bf'ing I'd probably rip their head off and feed it to the pigeons, but then I'm pretty sure I'd be doing it mega-discreet because I'm a complete pansy when it comes to showing my body off in public. Or showing my dancing skills. Or singing skills. Or just about anything in public actually!

Flip

1 2 3