What to do about breast feeding in public

We can’t live our lives totally around our baby’s feed pattern. We will have to, at some time, breast feed in public. The secret to success is to be both prepared and organised.

Some mums have come across a lot of resistance to breast feeding in public – sometimes from council officials. Before you breast feed in public, check the local rules, regulations and customs within your local area. Unfortunately, some local authorities choose to discriminate against breast feeding women. If you find that breast feeding is not allowed under local laws or regulations or is frowned on or forbidden under local customs, take this into account when deciding whether you will breast feed in public or in deciding how you will breast feed in public.

Whether you think the law or regulation forbidding breast feeding in public is fair or not, it is still a law and the law will interpret your actions as breaking the law.

If you decide it is OK to breast feed and you are going to do it if necessary then you need to consider how you can do it discreetly and tastefully. Even if you think a breast is made for breast feeding and that it is perfectly natural to breast feed in public, you need to take the sensibilities of other people who might have a contrary view into account. Their rights and wishes need to be respected too. A compromise position does exist.

One of the easiest ways to breast feed in public and not offend is to wear clothing that allows you to gain east and instant access to your breast without flaunting them and making it obvious to others what you are doing. Wearing clothes that allow you this easy access to breast feed are not necessarily boring. There is a range of tasteful designer clothing made especially for ‘nursing’ mothers and there is no problem in finding something to wear that is both suitable, fashionable and discreet.

Other pointers to make breast feeding in public successful:

• Successful breast feeding in public is a matter of practice. You can practice at home in front of a mirror. The more you practice the more you will feel confident and therefore the more you and your baby will have a successful feed.
• Feed you baby before you go out if you can. This will reduce the likelihood you will need to feed in public. If your baby does start to get wingy and look like she needs a feed, feed her before she gets really hungry. Once she is really hungry and screaming, she will draw everyone’s attention right when you are trying to get her to the breast. This can make you feel really awkward.
• When your baby is feeding, don’t ignore people when they are passing – smile at them. Almost always you will get a smile back and they will be looking at your face and not at your breast.
• If you can, turn away from people. Breast feeding is an intimate process between you and your baby. A good way to maintain this intimacy between the both of you and not share it is to drape a shawl around your shoulders or use a baby blanked to screen yourself from view. This will tell other people that you consider breast feeding to be a private affair.
• If you aren’t prepared for breastfeeding when out, eg the baby isn’t due for a feed but wants one, and you aren’t dressed appropriately, you could ask a store manager or someone else in charge if they could provide you with somewhere private to feed your baby. Most times people will want to help you.