One of the biggest worries of a new mother when breastfeeding is the challenge of being out and about with a new baby. Breastfeeding is so easy and convenient and one of its distinct advantages is that when you do venture out with the baby, then there is not a whole plethora of equipment needed for when its time to feed.
You've been told it's just so easy when you need to feed. Food on the go, the ultimate fast food for babies. Or is it? When it's actually time to feed your baby in public, is it so easy? In those early days when you're still struggling with attachment and positioning and just getting the baby to latch on is like completing a marathon, is it easy? It's fine when you're at home and you can strip off and spend five minutes making sure the baby is positioned correctly as you remember the right order to do things. Was it nose to nipple first or chin leading? When you're in that café and on view of the rest of the customers, you suddenly don't think that perhaps that five minutes whilst you get it right is appropriate viewing for the lunchtime rush. You're not sure if Café Nero had actually accounted for the free showing of your breasts to the rest of its clientele.
So what is the answer? Do you spend hours and hours at home practicing until you can accurately position and attach in 10 seconds and under? You begin to time yourself; you've finally found a use for the stop watch on your smart phone. Monday was 5 minutes and with daily practice when you've got to Friday, you have it down to just 10 seconds. Your partner is beginning to wonder what all the pieces of paper are around the room that say 1 minute; 40 seconds; and the ultimate one that is written in red; 10 seconds! He probably sighs a big sigh of relief when he realizes its in relation to the attachment race and not in relation to him.
Is there a better way? A more mummy friendly way that also satisfies your baby's hunger and doesn't offend the rest of civilization. There are several considerations you may wish to ponder:
• Take a lactivistic point of view and think that your baby is just feeding and not give it a second thought as to what people think. You never complain when the couple in the corner are smooching over their coffee or when Uncle Ted has spilt all his tea down his tie.
• Think people shouldn't be watching anyway. Doesn't it border on voyeurism which is now illegal? And you never show an interest in what other people are eating for lunch, so why should anyone be interested in what your baby is eating.
• Consider the point that actually in England if anyone asked you to stop feeding they would be in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and you could sue.
• Consider the point that actually if you are in Scotland and someone asks you to stop breastfeeding, you can get them arrested. Now its beginning to get more interesting
• There are specifically designed covers that have been created for this particular issue which discreetly cover the breast whilst breastfeeding.
Those are just a few considerations that you may wish to ponder. One thing to bear in mind is that your baby will know exactly the most inconvenient and awkward moment to want to be fed and will make sure that you know about it as well. The only answer to that is, that's parenthood for you - children are designed to embarrass their parents in best way possible and this only increases as they get older. Just remember that they will become teenagers and then the expression "revenge is a dish best served cold" truly comes into its own.
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