Breastfeed in public – in comfort & style!

I breastfed both my children when they were babies and, once I’d got over the initial experience of cracked nipples and breast pads, I really enjoyed doing so.  From a practical side, it was so much easier than having to clean and prepare bottles (although the downside is that Daddy can’t do so many feeds) and from the emotional side, I loved being able to sustain my baby and enjoy that special time together.

One thing that did take me a while to get used to though was breastfeeding in public.  I was always worried people would be staring and Sophie, my eldest, wasn’t very good at latching on so for a while I used nipple shields, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do discreetly in public!  But I soon came to realise that suffering what I felt to be a slight embarrassment for a few moments was so much better than having a screaming, hungry baby in public!

I soon became happy to feed Sophie in public and by the time Josh came along I didn’t even give it a second thought.  I do wish though that I had thought to invest in a proper nursing cover or shawl – I tended to use a muslin which always kept slipping down! One of these nursing covers would have been great as it slips neatly over your neck and covers up your baby feeding – and it comes in some great fabric designs too.  And, as it’s reversible, there’s a plainer side for even more discretion.

The other problem I found when feeding in public was not having my trusty breastfeeding pillow with me.  This meant I was always sat very uncomfortably, particularity as my babies got bigger – unless there happened to be a random pillow around that I could grab!  So I would have loved to have had one of these portable breastfeeding pillows that you can carry over your shoulder or easily attach to the buggy.  They come in a range of gorgeous fabric designs and have the nursing covers to match too.  And, when your breastfeeding days are over, you can turn the pillow into a bag – perfect for carrying around all that extra paraphernalia babies need as they get older!