Where do you BF?
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19691
Printed Date: 12 September 2025 at 8:32pm
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Topic: Where do you BF?
Posted By: MrsMojo
Subject: Where do you BF?
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 10:38pm
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Emma's thread got me thinking about this. In the early days I was really self conscious about feeding in public and I'd either use mothers rooms or, if these weren't available, I'd feed in my car. I was ok feeding at peoples houses but would often arrange a blanket to conceal everything. By 8 wks I no longer cared. If my baby wanted to be fed she would be ...wherever I was. I fed in foodcourts, at cafes, on buses, at the mall, at the soccor field while watching my niece and nephew play and even got a free ride on the train because the conductor was too embarrassed to look at me while I was feeding. -------------  
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Replies:
Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 10:56pm
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I was thinking about this the other day. I haven't read Emma's thread yet, but my friend was visiting from the USA and she had one of those cloth covers that mums can use if breastfeeding in public, to hide everything - even baby. I thought it was a cool invention but never thought it would be necessary to use one. Apparently BF in public is not really accepted over there (my friend is a NZer living over there for a while) and she has to cover up, even when she's just visiting another house or her husband's work mates are at their place!
I was a bit self concious with DD1 for a while but like you say, got over it after a month or two and fed the baby wherever, whenever. I was sensitive to people who might be uncomfortable so I was discreet when needed, but I never got any bad reactions and never really had to cover up. ------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 11:01pm
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I found that the baby's head covers most of the breast and the most important thing to me was ensuring my post-preggy belly was covered, not my breasts. -------------
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Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 11:13pm
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Heh heh - me too! Or that my top wasn't hiked up at the back, thus exposing my back and usually the top of my bum because my pants were hanging too low!
------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: NovemberMum
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 11:15pm
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my girl gets distracted very easily tried feeding her at coffee group today and she would not have a bar of it :( hope it was a just a once off.
I have rather large breasts so even if I am around people I know I try not to expose them too much.... so I usually try to wear lose fitting tops. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: MonicaMouse
Date Posted: 31 July 2008 at 11:42pm
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I'm lucky that one of my first visitors was a friend who was BF at the time and I found that that helped. I usually use parents rooms because I normally do a bum change at the same time, if I'm at someones house that I haven't been I normally check that they are ok with me feeding there and then - I used to relocate to another room at ILs but one day was too lazy and cold to move and checked and she was happy so now we're in the lounge and remain discrete still. Only fed out in the open twice, normally expose as little of boob as possible and remain discrete.
interesting topic cos I filled out a form on our last plunket visit about this too ------------- 
Blair 15/10/2007 Daniel 30/07/2009 |
Posted By: arohanui
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 8:42am
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In the beginning I would breastfeed anywhere... at cafes, church, people's houses - whereever I needed to. I was lucky though that I had quite a few friends and ladies from church would were comfortable feeding whereever, so that made me feel comfortable too. I always covered up with a cloth nappy and was as discreet as possible (at church I'd move to sit at the back).
I can't do that as easily now though - the boy gets too distracted! So sometimes I'll go into another room or feed in the car, just cos otherwise he doesn't always feed properly. Now instead of a cloth nappy I just have my hand there ready to cover my boob when he pulls away to look around. I always wear breastfeeding singlets under my normal tops cos then I know my flabby tummy and hips won't show! And lol yeah worrying more about exposing them! But as far as exposing my boob - My outer top comes up and covers the top part, the singlet covers the bottom part, and my bubba's head covers the rest! Honestly I've seen more boob on women who are wearing low cut tops... ------------- Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... http://alterna-tickers.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 9:44am
i fed pretty much anywhere....i always took a blanket or cloth nappy with me so i could cover my fat tummy which i was more worried about than flashing my boobs ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 11:38am
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I started out BF in front of everyone from the first week... but from then it went downhill. Chloe just latched on and off and on and off so my nipples would constantly be displayed to the world, and often milk spraying around too. So I wasn't really comfortable breastfeeding unless I was at home or at a friend's place that was already a mother. But I got one of those cloth cover things and they were awesome for us as it hid Chloe latching on and off and attracting all this attention to my stretch-mark-covered boobs spraying milk everywhere. Which I was a bit uncomfortable revealing to the world!! Lol. ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 12:17pm
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I have no shame and fed anywhere and at anytime. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 12:20pm
I always try to breastfeed at home, this is only because I can tandem feed at home so takes half the time. They both take about 20mins to feed. Plus I'm using nipple shields so not very discreet in public 
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Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 1:49pm
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I have always (with my three babies) breastfeed anywhere at anytime. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
Posted By: monster
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 1:50pm
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Anywhere and everywhere. Although these days my boy gets easily distracted so if there's a quiet option, I'll take that. -------------   
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Posted By: BessieBear
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 4:22pm
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mmmm me too , the look so funny (the nipple shields) my ryan comes on and off and spits half the milk out. i always feed at home and express if we are going out. i have a mini thermos ready to heat it up. but even at ppls houses i cant feed around them. i'll go into the car or another room. it takes about 40 mins to feed.and by the time he's done it;s nearly time fr the next feed. ------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel  07/08/2014
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tishy wrote:Posted By: 2bmumof3
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 4:40pm
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I Bf pretty much anywhere, if I feel the need to be a bit more discreet then I normally have a muslim (sp?) wrap to chuck over that side. Like a few I was very conscious with DS1 but got over that once I'd got the hang of it (those first few weeks I simply couldn't be discrete it was a big enough challenge to bf) ------------- Sara Corban (22/11/04) Connor (18/04/06) Chelsea (21/05/08) 
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Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 4:40pm
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I have a couple of tops that allow discrete feeding so have always fed wherever as long as I can be discrete. I remember going to a large family gathering and sitting down in the corner next to my aunt to discretely feed Caleb when she announced in a big loud voice
'you just go ahead and breastfeed that baby here and don't worry about what anyone says. There is nothing more lovely than watching a mother breastfeeding her baby'. 
I stopped worrying about it after that. Now that Caleb is older he is usually only bf morning and night and not if we are out as he gets too nosy and distracted. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 6:12pm
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I feed wherever I need to, today I fed Chiara at the back of church during a funeral, and at a cafe where we were having breakfast, and when the gremlins were tiny I once sat on the steps outside the bank and fed one, and fed the other walking round the Warehouse. With Maya it took about 6 weeks for me to be confident enough to feed without a pillow but once we had the hang of it I fed her where I needed to.
I can't feed discreetly, my boobs are way too big for that, and the smaller the baby the less discreet it is. I do wear a long singlet that covers my back so it's not exposed, I leave pull it down and my top up so my belly and back are covered. But I didn't think twice about bottlefeeding in public so why should breastfeeding be any different? -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 6:13pm
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Oh but I agree with those who have said their babies get distracted, Maya was a shocker, she would try and look around but take my boob with her - ouch! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: NikkiB
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 7:00pm
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I also feed anywhere/anytime. I am discreet and that's what I feel comfortable with. ------------- A very lucky mummy to two gorgeous boys: RB 3/10/2008 JB 29/12/2009 |
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 7:06pm
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Anywhere, anytime and anyone who stares at me gets stares back in return! If I'm going out, I tend to wear a BF singlet to hide my tummy and I try to be discreet with the boobs, but if they see a bit of nipple, well, lucky them! ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 7:59pm
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At the start I was OK b/f Ella in front of other people, but whenever we were out I used I would go to the parents room. Now, however she is far too nosey to feed in front of other people, so I mainly feed her at home (also she isn't so demanding in terms of when she is feed, so is OK to wait until we are home) ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 8:11pm
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Except for about the first week, when you have to spend so much longer getting baby latched, I'm pretty happy to feed anywhere. I know they can see almost nothing and once latched, I usually have a t-shirt right down to baby's mouth anyway. I loved the belly bands I got for when Kryssi was born, helps cover the peeky tummy!! ------------- |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 01 August 2008 at 10:58pm
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With Jack it was ages before I was comfortable feeding anywhere but home but that was more because it was so hard to get him latched I needed a pillow to help me.
I'm happy to feed Caprece anywhere. I always bring my boob over the top of my tops as I have smaller boobs and they get lost trying to pull things over them. I know this way exposes me a bit more but so what. The only time I have ever felt self conscious and tried to hide it was in church and only because I didn't know the 'rules' of church and didn't want to offend anyone. |
Posted By: _Deb_
Date Posted: 02 August 2008 at 10:44am
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I've always fed pretty much anywhere. Whenever he needs feeding. I'm just discreet. ------------- 
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Posted By: pikelets
Date Posted: 02 August 2008 at 10:48am
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I have never liked feeding in public. I will if I have to but I prefer to use the parents rooms or car but usually I try to time my outings around DS feeds.
I am not opposed to BF in public at all, it is just that I personally prefer BF in private as I get self-concious BF when there are lots of people around. I have bought a Baby Hideaway though so I take that everywhere I go, so I can feed DS anywhere without anyone seeing my bits. It hangs around my neck and then covers DS so he can latch on and off and noone can see. I even use it at home if I have visitors or if I am visiting family/friends. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
3 Angels - Dec10 / Mar11 / Dec11
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Posted By: Daizy
Date Posted: 02 August 2008 at 1:26pm
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I pretty much bf anywhere any time. If I'm at the mall and there is a babyroom I'll often use that because thats whats its there for and its just easier.
I often find its so much hard to be discrete when I'm trying (like with a wrap) that I dont even bother. I just quickly pop her own without anyone noticing what I'm doing. Only once has a friend told me they have ever seen anything they shouldnt have, and I used to feed around them all the time. I even fed Maddi while walking around the zoo, with her wrapped in the wrap  ------------- 
 
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Posted By: chonny
Date Posted: 04 August 2008 at 3:07pm
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initially for us things were hard as i was using nipple shield so had to expose everything to get them on therefore only used mothers rooms etc. once that was sorted, i would do it wherever whenever. being discreet if i could & using my hand to cover the nipple when he pulled off once he got to that nosey stage. Also used to wear breastfeeding singlets to hide tummy etc too. I haev af riend tho who pulls her tops down & exposes the entire breast. personally i think this is a bit too ott as she could easily pull the top up. Generally she wearing two tops too. each to their own i guess. -------------   
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Posted By: EmDee
Date Posted: 04 August 2008 at 3:20pm
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Generally I'm happy to bf wherever and whenever. I tend to wear a singlet under my top. I'll pull the top up and singlet down so I keep my belly and back covered. At the start with Ollie, I wasn't that comfortable out and about but after we both got the hang of it, it was fine.
Now if I'm by myself with both kids, I'll tend to use the parents room, but that is because a lot of them have toys so Ollie is kept occupied and I can keep an eye on him easier  ------------- DS 8 DD 6 DS 4 DD 2 |