Nursing ... in public?

Nursing in public: do you, will you, have you?

When my first son was born, the idea of nursing in public (NIP) scared the bejeezus out of me, I'll admit it.  What if someone saw my boob?  What if I leaked milk all over the place during letdown?  Ohmygosh, what would I do if someone told me to leave?!  I had no idea what my rights were, or that there was even legislation in place to protect those rights.  Our nursing relationship was short-lived, unfortunately ... so short-lived that I think I only NIP a few times with him.

When my second son was born, I was prepared to take NIP head-on.  He made it very clear that he would not tolerate something over his head, so the idea of covering up with a blanket was out of the question.  I didn't have a lot of extra cash, so buying a specialty cover was not an option.  Armed with a nursing tank and a baby, I stood in front of our bathroom mirror and practiced latching and unlatching, checking to see what it really looked like to other people.  To my surprise, it looked just like I was holding a baby.  That's it.  His head covered up the 'business end', the nursing tank covered up the rest of my breast, my back and my stretched-out belly.  I went on to confidently NIP for the 18 months that he was nursing.

Thankfully, there are plenty of options for the Mama that would like a little more privacy, or is still learning how to figure out how to juggle both a wiggly baby and breastfeeding (let alone in public).  I mentioned 'specialty' covers above - covers that are made specifically for the nursing Mama.  They frequently look like aprons - they tie around the neck and have something rigid around the top so you can look down and actually see your baby.  There are devices like the Cover Me or Latch On, a clip that turns any blanket you may have into a cover.  Then, there's the Baby Bond, a 'sash' style cover that gives a Mama coverage, but is not in a blanket form (handy for babies that don't like fabric touching their heads, like mine). 

The one item I suggest that every Mama has in her arsenal (outside of a good nursing bra!) is a nursing tank.  Ladies, I lived in these things for a year.  I literally wore one every single day.  Not only did they keep my body covered so I could lift my t-shirt up to nurse, they helped camouflage my extra baby weight (which makes it totally worth it). 

What about you?  What are your tips and tricks for a successful NIP experience?  Do you use a cover or go without? 

or email me katie@milksmartmama.com