I've exposed my breasts to strangers and friends!
Apr 12 '02
The Bottom Line You may have few embarassing moments when nursing in public but a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do.
This review is written in honor of my recent milestones. Not only did I just celebrate my 1 yr anniversary with Epinions but I also exceeded my goal set for myself to breastfeed my child for his first year. And, I think I may have experienced the most embarassing moment of my life, and I survived, but I'll get into that more later.
What Should I Know About Nursing in Public?
As a breastfeeding mother I've sure done my fair share of nursing in public over the past 15 months. My choice was to breastfeed and there are a few things that just come with that decision. A child's gotta eat and drink, right? Nursing in public is something that's just going to have to be done from time to time.
Now, of course, my personal preference is to breastfeed in the comfort of my home but sometimes that's just not possible. Babies need to eat every couple of hours and its important for me to get out and on with life instead of remaining cloistered in the home. Cloisterings for nuns, not mothers.
The first time I was out in public and my child got hungry marked the beginning of an era. I would spend the next year or so exposing my breasts amongst strangers and friends and in the stangest of places. The first few times I felt a bit awkward about it but it got easier.
A few things to keep in mind:
-To the argument or expectation that you should go nurse your child in the ladies restroom.. Ask them if they would like to eat their lunch while sitting on the toilet? Of course, they wouldn't.
-Why is a baby who is sucking on a bottle or a pacifer cute.. but a baby who is nursing at the breast not? They are both doing the same thing, and that is taking in nourishment. A baby has to eat too!
-Don't let the idea of nursing in public stop you from moving on with your life and getting out and about in public. Its not a big deal, its matter of fact. You are feeding your baby and that is nothing to be ashamed of.
-There's no need to "expose" yourself entirely, or flash people. It can be done discreetly with very little flesh visible to the public eye. There may be a few seconds of awkwardness or exposure but most of the times its quite possible to divert those around you's attention or to turn away for those few seconds.
You will learn how to nurse discreetly and quickly and move on with your day. If you are unsure how its done at first you can practice at home and do it in front of a mirror. You will be amazed once you have a baby just how much you can do with one hand free and the other holding your (heavy) baby.
The biggest thing I found to help was wearing certain shirts or types of clothing will make or break your ability to breastfeed while in public. They do sell special nursing tops and dresses. I never owned one of these outfits and don't think they are entirely necessary. I've found that wearing a loose fitting shirt works just fine and in cases where I wanted a little extra discretion or cover up a sweater or jacket, or a baby blanket work just fine.
In the beginning with a newborn its the easiest to get away and nurse in public with no one knowing. Also, they can be tucked into a sling carrier and it will look to others just like your baby is sleeping. This is good because at this stage in the game they are also needing to nurse much more frequently.
As your child gets larger its possible to still be discreet but you will get more stares or comments from strangers. Who's more important? Strangers or your child?? Your child of course! But if you feel uncomfortable, arm yourself with other types of baby foods -- cheerios, goldfish, juice or water in a sippy cup, etc. These are all easy way to satiate your childs hunger til you are able to nurse them comfortably.
When your child approaches the 1 yr mark and beyond that, a sense of humor is key. Remember that your child has no idea that breasts are there for anything other than them, nourishment, to feed them and comfort them. It is at this stage that you may find your son or daughter patting or grabbing at your breast while they ride in the grocery cart seat and you are doing your weekly shopping. Just smile and move on. If its very awkward or they are unbuttoning your blouse try and distract them. The cheerios, goldfish, juice or water still work pretty good!
At this stage when you are nursing in a public place it is very helpful to hold your child's hand or give them something to hold onto. I've learned from my own mistakes a few times as my son lifted my shirt up on a few occasions. It can be embarrassing, but it happens. I've lived through it and chances are if you are a nursing mom of an older infant or young toddler you will too. I will say though, my biggest breast exposure happened at an entirely different time and not during breastfeeding in public. (Here's where I get to that most embarrassing moment that I mentioned in my opening paragraph..) Just recently while we were at swimming class my son removed my swimsuit top while we were at the pool. I was pretty embarassed but he didn't know any better and I wasn't angry with him. How could I be?
Breastfeeding has been a wonderful experience and I'm glad that I was able to make (and exceed) my goal of breastfeeding for the entire first year of my son's life. Making it for a year was something I was very unsure I'd be able to do and here I am approaching 16 months. At this time we don't nurse with anywhere near the frequency that we did in the past and my son is confident drinking from a cup and feeding himself table food. As we are in the process of weaning, our nursing days are numbered.
Overall, I can definitely look back on my year and say without a doubt that I made the right decision to breastfeed my son and also to not be afraid to do so when and where we needed to in order to move forward with our lives and enjoy each day to the fullest.
This editorial is part of the Milestones Write Off hosted by Naphtalia
Other participants include:
azielinski yusakugo jo.com bluehawq reviewer12 gungian RadioGuy EdGrover ArtByJude erinrounds Faireheart cntaur5 Mattygroves Telynor MaryTara and of course, naphtalia
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