I Will Breastfeed in Public. Darnit. -Part 3
By JodiAdamson | Category: Meet the mom inventor
In my last post, we discussed what happens when you have all the perfect gear, and you still accidentally flash some skin. Just pretend it never happened! Whoever saw anything may think they were imagining it!
- If you choose to use a blanket or a nursing cover, practice at home several times a day to get baby use to it. This way, it won’t be foreign to your little one and he will relax. Even though they did not like it at first, my babies got so use to having a blanket over them it just wasn’t a big deal. Remember ~ moms are teachers. Learning to nurse under a blanket or nursing cover has to be taught. Don’t force it. Begin with placing it on only as long as they will allow and work up to using it the whole session. I do recommend getting one with as light a fabric as possible, though. It can get stuffy under there! In my situation, I began by first having baby latch on and then adding a blanket. After we mastered this, I transitioned to placing the blanket over both baby and myself first, then latching on underneath. By practicing all of this at home, stress simply didn’t enter in.
We became such pros at it that I remember sitting in church one day nursing the baby when a man in the congregation walked up and started talking to me. He had absolutely no idea baby was even nursing. Yes, my mind went into freak out mode for a second. I figured as long as my body language wasn’t screaming “Get back! There’s a naked breast under here!” he would probably have no clue. I mentioned nothing about nursing and kept my cool. Sure enough, I was right, he had no idea! Maybe it was because he was a man, or maybe it just looked like baby was napping ~ either way, he was oblivious. Goal accomplished! The practice payed off! I felt powerful at that moment! Hee, hee.
- Don’t make a big deal of it. Your confidence and attitude will go a long way. Humans are funny creatures. Most of the time, they will follow your lead. Being laid back and comfortable will put others at ease. If you are uncomfortable and feel like you are being gawked at, create a diversion. Keep your water bottle close and demurely grab a drink. Pull out a magazine and gently flip through it. The focus of what you are doing will be completely diverted and their minds will transfer from “a woman nursing a baby” to “a woman taking a drink”. If you find someone who seems preoccupied with staring, grab your cell phone. Begin flipping through yours, and they may feel a need to check theirs. Or you can fake like you are taking a picture of them. That’ll be sure to make them turn away.
If someone still has a problem with your nursing, well, they can get a ladder and get over it! Remember ~ you are doing an incredibly good thing! God created your body to nurse your baby, and if He approves, who cares what anyone else thinks.
- Lastly, I would like to remind you of the story in a previous post. Remember ~ always, ALWAYS look for security cameras!!
I will always giggle when I see a security camera from now on. My baby nursing days are over, but I still enjoyed your posts.
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I agree–as long as you’re not freaked about it, other people will feel more comfortable. I was a pro at nursing w/my shawl when I had my firstborn. But with my son, I just got so quick at nursing him discreetly I didn’t even use the shawl–I figured people would look away if it bothered them. (This is one of those times I KNEW I had become a mom!)
My biggest tip is wear a tank top under ALL clothes. Then you can lift your top shirt and just move your tank top down. your shirt covers you on the top and the tank top on your sides and back!
Great post!
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Since first reading your post, I too have been on the outlook for security cameras.
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