~Breast Feeding In Public

 

Babies that are breast fed are very portable and

easy to comfort no matter where your schedule has

you going.  Many women however, worry about 

breast feeding in public.  The worry of nursing

in a public place is normally worse than the

actual experience and often times the only people

who notice you feeding are the other mothers who

are doing the same thing.

Many women find ways to breast feed discreetly.  

You can ask your partner or even a friend to 

stand in front of you while you lift your shirt

from the waist.  When you breast feed, the baby's

body will cover most of your upper body and you

can pull your shirt down to her face to cover

the tops of your breast.  Some mothers prefer to

put a light blanket over their shoulders as a

type of cover.

When you are visiting someone else's home, you

may feel more comfortable either leaving the

room or turning away from people when you first

put the baby to your breast.  If you would like

more privacy, breast feed in an empty room, car,

or public restroom.

A lot of restrooms are becoming more baby 

friendly and they even have a seperate are with

a changing table and a chair.  Several shopping

malls now offer special mother's rooms where 

the mom can breast feed her baby in privacy,

which will help sensitive babies who are too

distracted by feeding to nurse well in public.

It won't take long at all though, before your

baby will learn to breast feed without any fuss

at all.

An alternative way is expressing or pumping 

your milk at home and then offer it in a bottle

while in public.  Keep in mind, offering

bottles with artificial nipples in the first

few weeks can and probably will interfere with

breast feeding.

When breast feeding in public, you should always

use what works best for you.  During the first

few weeks, it will take some getting used to,

as it will be as new for you as it is for the

baby.  With some time, you'll have no problems

at all.

If you don't feel comfortable breast feeding in

a certain location, then you shouldn't.  You 

should feel a certain level of comfort when you

feed, as the baby can tell when you aren't 

comfortable doing something.  If you show your

baby that you aren't nervous - you and your 

baby will be just fine.