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June 8, 2018

212 Comments

Blush with me as I take you back to my first outing where I was required to breastfeed in public …

I wasn’t nursing a natural attacher – my daughter was subsequently operated on to loosen a severe tongue-tie – so I had to peel back my top to my armpits exposing the bursting boob in its entirety. An outdoor café table on the street seemed an ideal place to do this….the breeze cooling down my hot and bothered, L-plater self.

Juggling Caroline into position and then slamming her again and again into the nipple for no result took enormous effort, and I really didn’t care who was watching. To a point. Just as I squeezed one of my slippery nipples into a perfect shape, a large group of 15 year old boys from the nearby secondary school sauntered past us. Of all the luck!

Years later I would do my supermarket shopping with a baby swinging off a boob no problem – but this was my first time out and I was mortified.

Offensive?

Strangely I don’t remember the boys’ reaction (only mine!), however I do remember the reaction of a woman in a restaurant, who made a huge play of being put off her soup by me breastfeeding quietly at a table nearby. Unlike the first time, I even had my baby covered with a cloth…a boob-free vision of mother cradling child ….but no, we were clearly highly offensive from the way the woman snorted her disapproval and pushed away her soup before storming out.

Today there are a number of breastfeeding cover-up options, from inexpensive muslins to engineered, fashion prints covers. I became very adept at feeding discreetly anywhere and everywhere, and frankly couldn’t be bothered with covering up most of the time, but I did always carry something to avoid embarrassment from another party (ie. when feeding in front of my father-in-law).

Now my babies are all weaned (try telling that to one of my boobs that still produces milk four years later), I love seeing women feeding in public. And it would take a lot more than that to put me off a bowl of soup!

Cheers, Chrissy

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  • Babies on demand – demand, and there is nothing wrong with breast feeding in public discreetly – no one bats an eye if a bottle is pulled out to feed them do they.

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  • I see no problem with feeding in public if its done discreetly. Babies can’t always wait until a clean, private comfortable place can be found !

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  • I choose parenting rooms when out in public. Just my own choice.

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  • My baby needs to eat regardless of where we are, so yes I do breastfeed in public and it’s easy to do it discretely

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  • I also fed anywhere and everywhere, I found bf very easy though so I didn’t have any problems

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  • I am more than happy to breastfeed anywhere and anytime. I’m not that person that says “there is a time and a place”, because realistically, if it stops my 19 month old (or any age child) chucking a hissy fit and causing a scene, I’ll do it with a big smile on my face. Each to their own, and frankly I don’t give a damn if there are millions of people out there that think differently to me. I’ll do what I want, when I want to do it, because it’s my body, my child and my life.
    I’m kind of like Oprah in a sense…
    “YOU GET SUPPORT,
    SHE GETS SUPPORT,
    EVERYONE GETS SUPPORT!”
    There are much bigger and crazier things to negatively focus on in this world x

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  • I use to feel uncomfortable feeding in public but to be honest I have no problem at all with mums feeding in public. Well done to them and it should be encouraged.

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  • Personally I like discretion and trying your best to cover modesty.

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  • I’ve never had a problem with public breast feeding (me or others), but I do think there are occasional venues where it’s reasonable to be a little discreet about it.

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  • I discreetly fed my babies in a quiet corner, where ever I was, whenever they were hungry. As a breastfeeding mum, you don’t have a choice

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  • Whatever works best for you and bub I can’t see someone breastfeeding putting me off any food.

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  • I try and be discreet but it can be really hard

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  • Yes I feed in public but do so discreetly. You can definitely tell some people are put off by it but I couldn’t care less. At first I was very self conscious and as time has gone on I’ve relaxed a lot more

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  • Babies need to be fed whenever they are hungry and wherever mum and bub may be.


    • Mums do not need to hide away – breast feeding is natural and normal.

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  • Any parent has the right to feed their baby virtually anywhere. BUT if breastfeeding, a cover should be used. If you want to get it all out or are not 100% sure then many places provide a parents room with feeding rooms to use.

    Reply

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