Where Do We Breastfeed?
I have chosen to breastfeed my children, and I’ve been very lucky (depending on how you look at it) to be able to do so. As too many mothers know, choosing to breastfeed doesn’t always mean you get to. I see you, moms who made the choice to bottle feed, or had no choice. <3
With my first child in 2016, I noticed the amount of time I spent nursing each day was all consuming—it breaks down to sometimes 8+ hours a day—but with my second child in 2022, I’m noticing the wide variety of places I must nurse.
Babies don’t have any patience or chill when they are hungry. They cry, scream, wiggle, slobber everywhere and otherwise let you know that it’s time to eat. They don’t care for your excuses:
“But I just fed you!”
“But we’re at the laundromat!”
“But I am hungry, myself!”
“But I don’t feel like breastfeeding right now!”
“But I’m in a hurry!”
Like the heart, the baby wants what it wants.
Usually, I’m pretty good about timing feeds so that we can nurse in the privacy and comfort of our home, in a location where we are both most comfortable. But sometimes, I blow it.
As I’ve been going about my daily comings and goings, I’ve been making notes of the more frustrating, ridiculous or difficult places I must pull out my boobs, and snapping selfies. Here are a few:
At the salon
At the park on a 40 degree day
At the mini storage
At the post office
I am grateful for the fact that I live in a country where I can nurse in public without too much fanfare. I thank shows like Mr. Rogers for normalizing public breastfeeding and for the many mothers who’ve put their health and safety on the line to push the message that feeding babies, however they must be fed, is paramount, and sometimes it has to happen in public.
But that doesn’t make it any less absurd, frustrating, embarrassing, bizarre, silly or hard, at times.
I hope this post helps some moms somewhere realize that it’s OK to whip out your
tatas in public, if need be. We now have supplies like this cute cover which help provide some privacy and make it less emotionally complicated to feed under a choir of judgmental eyes.
Wouldn’t it be *amazing* if more locations made an effort to help moms feel welcome to handle our mom business? I know not everyone can provide a “nursing station” in their facility but it’s not an impossible ask, either. A chair in a small room or off to the side would do the trick.
More in breastfeeding adventures:
Is It OK That My Wife Posts Photos Of Her Breastfeeding Our Son? - The New York Times’ Ethicist
Italian Women MPs Win Right To Breastfeed In Chamber - Barron’s
Please Stop Saying These 7 Things To Breastfeeding Moms - Huffington Post
Does Breastfeeding Protect Against RSV? Yes, Studies Show - Motherly
World Breastfeeding Day - Unicef
Drop me a line to share a story about the craziest place you had to breastfeed. I’d love to hear it. Email: themomreportshow@gmail.com, or @ me on Instagram or Twitter at @ItsTheMomReport, or get in touch on the Facebook group.