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From Playpen to Zen > Feeling confident breastfeeding in a café environment
By Janell Fowler
February 22, 2012
By Janell Fowler
February 22, 2012
Society has a love hate relationship with the concept of breastfeeding. There are those who believe that it’s a beautiful thing and should be done whenever your bub is hungry, no matter where you are. Then there are those who think that it should be done in private, away from view.
No matter what you believe, feeding your baby in a cafe can be a little uncomfortable. You just don’t know what people are likely to say or do. These tips will help you to feel confident when you need to feed your baby in a café.
1. The best thing you can learn to do is to feed your child without drawing attention to what you are doing. It will avoid embarrassing the ‘sensitive’ others around you but more importantly, will give you peace so that baby can feed and you can enjoy your special time.
2. Feed baby when he or she starts to show signs of hunger. The longer they wait, the louder their demands will become and then you’ve got no hope of feeding discreetly.
3. I like to choose a seat in a quiet corner of the café, if possible. It helps bubs to settle to a feed but I can still see what is happening around me.
4. Make sure you think about what you will wear before you leave home. I don’t know anyone who is confident enough to take her top off in public! Nursing tops are stylish enough to go anywhere and have the advantage of giving baby easy access to your breast.
5. Take a breastfeeding cover with you. These give you total privacy, minimise distractions for your baby and still allow you to watch your child feed.
6. If you are feeding an older child, be prepared for little arms to wave and a little head to lift and look around, leaving you revealed in all your glory. Luckily, you will be used to feeding together by this stage. If you can lean back so that bubs is cradled in front of you, our baby’s body will help to keep you covered from view and give you time to find some cover.
7. If you can choose a café in which you feel quite at home, you will be more comfortable when feeding and that will put bubs at ease, too.
8. Finally, remember that for every disapproving glance there will be many more which are supportive. You are probably surrounded by mothers who’ve been in the same situation you are now. Ignore the grumps and look for the smiles.
A little discretion will help you and your child to enjoy the breastfeeding experience without attracting undue attention. You can be confident that you are doing the best thing for your child and that you won’t be disturbed by the people around you.
Janell Fowler is the owner of BabyButton, where she provides a unique range of breast pads and breastfeeding covers that will help provide further comfort while feeding in public. Products made by a Mum for Mums!
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