Babys First Year Blog
Nursing In Public Without a Cover
When I first had Tate, I wasn’t adverse to nursing in public, but was consistently doing it under a cover. And it worked pretty well. For awhile.
There are so many reasons why i stopped using the cover. First there’s the fact that wearing a cover seems to be far more attention grabbing than nursing discreetly without it. That is not to mention that Tate won’t nurse well under the cover now. He spends more of his time trying to rifle out from under the fabric than actually nursing.
The first time I nursed him in public sans cover happened to be in a very public setting. I was at a Christmas parade and Tate has hungry and cranky. I didn’t think twice before I started nursing Tate in a crowd of dozens. It went so well, the people I was with didn’t even notice. So I started doing it at restaurants, cookie exchange parties, and family gatherings. Most of the time, people don’t realize I am doing it, and the rest of the time they don’t seem to care.
Sometimes when I was using the cover it felt like I was wearing a sign that said, why yes, my boobs are out, be ashamed that you know that.
I feel much more comfortable and confident nursing Tate away from home now.
Would you rather nurse with a cover or without?
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7 Comments
Sara commented on Dec 31 11 at 8:37 amI started nursing with a cover, too. It was mostly for the sake of my dad and father-in-law, but I also used it in public. Then it was just too HOT (in July & August) for even the thinnest cover. At that point, I started to nurse in the car or on changing rooms, etc. Now, I just don’t care anymore.
If there are male relatives around, I still try to go into a separate room to avoid awkwardness. If it’s just strangers, then the boob is out.
Alison commented on Dec 31 11 at 5:54 pmI never used a cover when nursing in public. I can do it discretely without one. When I was setting up my baby registry, I saw the products out there and thought they looked like giant bibs! Just never something I thought I needed.
lauren commented on Jan 02 12 at 12:04 ami got a cover when i was pregnant because i was sure i would be paralyzed with anxiety trying to nurse in public (and i avoided doing it as long as possible for the same reason) but when it got to where i had to do it, it wasn’t as bad as i thought (read: nobody was staring) and now i don’t care too much at all. i do go somewhere private when around male relatives are around though.
The Laughing Family commented on Jan 04 12 at 10:56 amI carry a nursing cover with me, but very rarely use it. Most of the time i hang it on the back of the chair to cover up my back that may be exposed to a draft – so I guess it does come in handy! ;-)
Joey M commented on Jan 04 12 at 11:30 amI don’t use a cover. I find it pretty easy to remain discreet without one. I’ve mastered it so well that I don’t have to go in another room when nursing.
Heidi commented on Jan 04 12 at 2:22 pmMy baby and I both hate the cover. He’s 6 months and distractable even without it, so it’s always a pain. I don’t use it at home (obviously) or when with just friends and family (even male).
But…my nursing boobs are…well..squeezing into an H/J cup. Even with the best shirts I can find (nursing tanks do NOT fit me, even the largest ones just squish in my boobs while hanging excess fabric around the rest of me, which is not what I need) it’s not discrete. It’s not only not discrete, it’s a little insane. Each boob is bigger than the baby’s head. So…how? how can I nurse without the cover? It’s not that I worry so much about offending people, but more that OMG ALL THE FLESH AGH is humiliating. It’s similar to how I’d feel if my shirt were too short/my pants too low and a ring of belly fat were exposed.
I recently had to nurse in a middle seat on an airplane surrounded by strangers. We made it work with the cover, but baby was irritated about it and kept trying to remove the cover. Any suggestions?
Emily commented on Jan 14 12 at 1:23 pmI agree with Sara. :) My little girl would NEVER nurse well under a cover.
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