Breastfeeding (In Public)

For the moment, nursing little Livy is my primary activity. She is insatiable and growing like a weed (which is good because she was/is a tiny baby (6th percentile) so she certainly needs to).  At home my boobs are basically always out -- to all those considering stopping by, you've been warned. Our pad isn't huge, so when she's hungry I just hunker down on the sofa despite who might be visiting. I've nursed her in front of all of our parents (including dads), and basically all of our friends. C'est la vie. 

Even though she is basically tethered to my breast, I still need to go out into the world and keep up with some of my normal life. This inevitably means that at some point she is going to be hungry while we're out and about. As you may have guessed from the above, I don't really have qualms about feeding her in public. You can't really ask a hungry baby to please be patient and wait. I have breastfed this baby while getting a pedicure, while getting a manicure, in doctors offices, in Anthropologie, in GAP, in Urban Outfitters, at a BBQ, at a wedding reception, in cafes, and while getting a brazilian bikini wax. This list is only growing. Again, c'est la vie. 

Since it's not so common place for a nursing mother to just feed her baby publicly without covering up, I've been using a Bébé au Lait Nursing Cover. It's a great product -- it's pretty, covers you up comfortably, and Livy doesn't seem to mind it at all. Plus they have a patented open neckline that holds the cover away from you just enough to maintain eye contact with your little one so you don't have to miss out on any sweet moments. I'm happy to have this option, but I still wish it wasn't taboo to feed my baby in public. Even with the cover up, I get shocked and embarrassed looks from people when they figure out what's going on. Not that I really care. In my opinion, breastfeeding is one of the most natural and non-sexual things a woman can do -- it's the whole reason we even have boobs! 

What do you dolls think? Breastfeeding in public, a do or don't? 

(Whether or not you breastfeed your baby is a very personal choice - there are a myriad of cultural and health factors at play. We are (or rather I am) only breastfeeding Livy for now, but I would not presume that what works for us works for everyone.) 

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