Breastfeeding in public

@Amira I usually have a bottle with me, but didn't plan on staying out for so long yesterday. It just happened like that, but I'm actually quite happy because it felt so liberating. It's such a normal thing to do and we shouldn't be ashamed to do it in public!

i don’t cover & i won’t cover. i just whip it out for my baby to feed. i couldn’t care less who sees them - they’re no longer boobs to me, just milk bags 😂

@Amira you still have dignity if you don’t cover. it’s completely down to the woman

Well done you! I’m breastfeeding my second baby and I still get nervous to feed when I’m out, but you’re so right it’s completely normal and we shouldn’t be ashamed ❤️

@Amira do not shame other mums for doing what they feel is best for them and feeding their babies. There is absolutely no shame to feed openly. If you want to cover up and feel others should you are entitled to feel that way but do not put your views onto other mums to make them feel bad. I breastfeed my girl in public, depending on where I am, if it’s busy or quiet will depend whether I cover up or not. Do not put other mums down, it’s not nice. Get off this app if you feel you need to project these thoughts onto other mums who are expressing their relief on feeding in public for the first time!! Well done you, I know how daunting it was when I first did it! It gets easier every time! X

@Amira what you going on about! This was a positive post!! It’s not appropriate to feed in a pub 😂 My baby doesn’t take a bottle at all and he doesn’t like a cover over his face especially in this weather. You don’t have to get “naked” to feed. There is plenty of of breastfeeding friendly clothes out there

Well done!! We also managed our first feed in public this week! Ignore any negativity, this is such a positive post, the negativity is not needed. Our babies have the right to eat wherever we eat and however we feel comfortable to feed them! This app is about support and this post is just that! Any comments that are anything but supportive are unhelpful, we can all have our own views, but to criticise someone’s personal achievement and encouragement to other mums is nasty.

You talked about dignity. You can still have dignity and feed your baby openly. You projecting your views of that can upset someone who is insecure about feeding. We are on this app to give support to other mums

I wasn’t even gonna comment but not sure what part of feeding our babies is getting naked Sounds like a very ignorant comment to make When I whip out my boob for my baby, you don’t even have time to be able to see a nipple as it goes straight in my baby‘s mouth Not the mum shaming 🤣💀

Hey girl! Firstly, well done you. That is amazing and you should be so proud of yourself! You do you in terms of where you feed. I don’t believe a pub is inappropriate. At the end of the day, feeding your baby is your priority and a lot of the time, everyone understands that.. it is natural! Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure maybe a handful of people may feel uncomfortable or make you feel uncomfortable but you must always remember, it’s your babies source of food. It keeps them alive! You feed them wherever you need to💗

@Amira i’m not too sure what’s not appropriate about it? if someone’s peg fed, would you think it’s appropriate for them to cover up? if someone’s tube fed, would it be appropriate to ask them to cover up? if you wouldn’t be comfortable asking them to cover up, you shouldn’t ask a breastfeeding mum to cover up. it’s actually illegal in the UK to ask a breastfeeding mum to leave or cover up in an establishment.

Well done mama! I agree no one ever gives me a second look xx

I don't use a cover because it's too damn hot and neither of us like it or want to overheat - doesnr mean im naked, Its also a faff to me 🤷‍♀️ but i do like cropped jumpers over vest tops if im feeling anxious or someones making me feel uncomfortable and I try to sit in the corner out the way. I also breastfeed in the pub during the day because my partner owns one and I feel safe there. Or I'll sit more openly when wirh friends/family as feel safer that people won't attack me for feeding my boy because that's how he eats

@Amira no one’s saying you can’t have your opinion. it’s the way it was worded - it felt quite shaming towards mummas who don’t want to cover up.

I think if this post was asking for an opinion, you can share but she wasn’t. The fact she found somewhere to breastfeed and did it is an absolute milestone to breastfeeding mums so she should be held proudly as it is hard as it is! Keep your opinions to the posts that have asked for it in future.

@Amira it’s not helpful implying that you only have dignity if you cover up. and that it’s inappropriate to be “naked”(even though you’re absolutely not) in public. this can make new mums incredibly anxious about breastfeeding in public.

@Paige thank you so much 🥹💖

I would just report that Amira woman as it is hateful behaviour Other than that I’m so proud you feel more comfortable to breastfeed without having to rush home I did feel like you in the early days too but when baby needs to eat baby needs to eat I’ve done it on the trains and in the airport departure lounge and no one bats a eyelid YOU GOT THIS MAMA🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

@Amira OP wasn’t asking for views, as Paige very well put.

@Amira I don’t think you’re understanding that this was a huge achievement for the OP and you felt the need to voice that you don’t agree on breastfeeding in a public pub. Sometimes just keep your opinion to yourself. As everyone else has stated (other than you) you literally can BF anywhere and it’s normal!

@Amira protecting from what?

@Amira respectfully, please keep your patriarchal views to yourself. Shame on you! This lady is sharing a lovely post about how she felt comfortable feeding her baby in public and you've jumped on it and said 'cover yourself' and 'pubs aren't appropriate'. We are humans and we can go anywhere we want to, women aren't second class citizens that need to hide away! If she wants to go to a pub or anywhere else she bloody well can! And covered or not is up to each woman, take your nasty/old fashioned views elsewhere 🤢. I've always found pubs are great to take kids to, the kids don't have to be quiet like in a restaurant setting so it's more comfortable and the food is cheap and cheerful. Nobody has ever batted an eyelid at us, it's a free country 😒

@Amira i can’t believe you’re actually pushing blame on to other people from what you wrote 🤦🏼‍♀️

@Amira hunny...your tone and the way you're writing is judgemental and pushing your agenda onto others. Nobody cares if you want to cover up, and if you want to hide at home with the curtains closed, you go for it 👍🏻. But the rest of us will do what we want to as well. It's judgemental people like yourself that have made the lady who made this post scared to feed her child in public and post incognito in the first place. So I'll say it again, shame on you for trying to make a nervous new mum even more nervous. She should be CELEBRATED for trying to breast feed in the first place when there isn't a lot of support available and definitely for doing it in public. It's a massive deal and she's a superwoman for doing it 🌟. I hope more ladies get inspired by this post and not put off by judgemental people's silly opinions. Babies need to be fed, nobody should be running home with a screaming baby or hiding in their car for flip sake. BF is not shameful, it's beautiful 🌸

How I wish my milk didn’t dry up due to stress, so I could breastfeed anywhere and everywhere. Kudos to you and to everyone who is breastfeeding! Is already hard work, so don’t you even think it’s not appropriate to do it in public! People will judge you if you feed your baby formula, if you breastfeed in public, if you don’t breastfeed in public and the list goes on! Just kudos! ♥️

OP you are awesome, well done!! It makes life so much easier when you are confident/comfortable enough to just feed whenever you need to.

Thank you all. The post wasn't meant to create arguments but share a happy experience! I felt really proud for doing it, for feeding my boy when he needed it despite my fear at first. Hoping it encourages more mums to do it and not feel embarrassed or scared to respond to their babies' needs in public. ❤️

And you are amazing for sharing!! I reported the negativity as we do not need it on here! You should be proud of yourself, it’s amazing achievement! X

Agree with (most) of the other ladies, just keep going, you're doing amazingly! Every time you'll get a little more confident and comfortable. I have started doing 'mindful breastfeeding' and it can be as simple as doing breathing techniques before you BF in public and it helps it go smoother when you are more calm and relaxed. The first three months are so tough but it gets better from here on, and one day it'll just be second nature. You got this 💪🏻 🌟

@Luiza I didn't realize milk can dry up due to stress 😢😢.Can I ask was it very quickly or over a period of time? Feel like I've had the weight of the world on my shoulders lately,with how stressed out I've been.

@Nazma for me it was over a week. My partner caught chicken pox when the baby was a fee weeks old. LO already had some small health issues and my supply was just enough, at the beginning was actually really low that we ended up in a&e with baby having low blood sugars cause he wasn’t getting enough milk. So i have stressed so much over that week, was alone as my partner was isolating from us, so slowly my supply decreased even more. I didn’t think it’d be possible either..and I didn’t have time to pump so get it back or help my supply, as i was so sleep deprived and handling everything at home. I guess it was a mix of a lot of things, but stress was mainly the issue.

@Amira no one asked for your opinion in this post. You came across very rude and your comments are just making it worse. The wording and tone was not right. Women should not be ashamed to feed their child it is up to them if they want to cover up or not Well done OP I am trying to build up public feeding too first mum groups but not as confident as you yet!! Congrats 🫶🏽 x