The words discrete and breastfeeding are often found in the same sentence but is breastfeeding something that we need to hide? The answer is, of course, no but we must realise that not every woman has the same outlook when it comes to breastfeeding in public. Whilst some women feel confident enough to nurse in very public places, with no covers or special clothing, there are others who may feel more at ease in a quieter space and may choose to use a  blanket to cover any exposed skin. I personally felt very comfortable feeding in public spaces and was not too worried about exposing a little bit of my chest but I was ( sadly) apprehensive about flashing my new mummy tummy to the world, so I did choose to wear vests and sometimes used blankets to make me feel more at ease. There are lots of good products on the market to make breastfeeding easier when out and about but, to be honest, one of the benefits of breastfeeding is that you do not really have to worry about lots of bag packing, just lift top up or down and you have fast food at it’s best! If you are feeling nervous about it all then it may be worth scoping out cafes and retail outlets that advertise themselves as being breastfeeding friendly and maybe take a friend along for your first visit
 

The most important person that we need to think about, when it comes to public breastfeeding is baby, yes mum needs to be happy but it is baby who is looking forward to her next meal and will not be too bothered about everybody else’s hang ups . As with parents, all babies are different, so some may want a quiet seat out of the way, where there are no distractions, but others my lap up everything she can set eyes on. What is often a problem, when it comes to public breastfeeding, is public perception;other people who simply cannot handle a woman feeding her baby naturally or there are those feel the need to ogle women in the hope they will glimpse a bit of boob. Quite frankly, there is more flesh to be found on those wearing low cut tops, short skirts and bare midriffs, but people don’t like to complain about that do they ? I am very lucky to have had no negativity towards feeding in public but if I were to hear anything untoward I would simply ask that person to reflect on what is making them feel uncomfortable and maybe ask them to go and sit in a corner to reflect or maybe they can be the ones who could eat in the bathroom if they do not want to be around children eating. As parents,there are many struggles we need to tackle as our families grow and spending time and energy on worrying on other people’s insecurities about your child eats is simply a battle we can do without.

Deborah Giannasi

Merseyside, UK