Breast milk is important for various reasons as it is the infant’s best food. It contains all the nutrients that a baby needs. It also builds their immunity, protecting them from infections. As such breastfeeding is critical in every baby’s life. Women are encouraged to breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months.
Despite the many benefits of breastfeeding, many moms find it challenging or uncomfortable to breastfeed in public. However once can be comfortable by resetting their mindset, investing in good nursing clothes and using a comfortable position/environment.
Is It Ok To Breastfeed In Public?
It is ok to breastfeed your baby in public. There is no shame in it and you should get comfortable doing it wherever and whenever your baby needs it. You should be able to breastfeed your baby even in public when your infant needs nursing.
How to Breastfeed in Public without Shying or Shame
1. Train Your Mindset there is no Shame in Breastfeeding
There is no shame whatsoever in breastfeeding your baby. You need to constantly validate yourself and change your mindset if you are currently bothered by breastfeeding in public. Remember breastfeeding is equivalent to eating. If no one is bothered by eating in public, so should you not be bothered too much by breastfeeding your baby, even in public.
- Do not pay too much attention to what other people say. At the end of the day, your baby’s needs matter more, even if breastfeeding in public
- Do not be discouraged by those people who think that you should not nurse your baby in public. When baby needs to feed, they have to feed, and you not shy from doing it.
- Nursing is literally what breasts are for. There’s nothing sexual about a woman feeding her child. It is as natural as eating which no one complains about in public.
- There is nothing more natural, urgent, moral, loving, and fundamental to human life than feeding a hungry baby and do not feel shy from it.
- Breastfeeding is difficult for most mothers. Hence it is such a privilege for you and your baby and there should be no stigma against when and where it happen, even if it is in the public. Remember that there are so many out there wishing they could breastfeed their baby but are not able to.
- Don’t modify your breastfeeding behavior on account of others’ discomfort.
Read: How to Deal with Mom Shaming
2. Get Comfortable Nursing Clothes
To effectively and conveniently breastfeed in public without feeling shy you need the right nursing clothes. Some clothes can make it completely hard or impossible for you to breastfeed. To avoid making breastfeeding in public harder, invest in the right nursing clothes.
There is a wide range of nursing tops and bras that make breastfeeding effortless. There are also clothing pieces/wraps that assist in breastfeeding in public such that it’s practically unnoticeable. They will make it more comfortable for you to breastfeed in public without feeling shy about it.
3. Find a Private & Comfortable Position for Breastfeeding
Similar to the right nursing clothes, you need the right posture and position to breastfeed conveniently and without shame. For instance, you cannot effectively breastfeed while you are standing or walking.
You need to find a comfortable place where you can sit and maintain the right posture for breastfeeding, even if it is in the public. This is very important for your baby as a wrong posture may lead to poor latching or even choking for your baby.
While there are some public places where they have set up nursing booths, it should not stop you from nursing your baby if there are not any. The cultural expectation that women should be feeding their babies in such spaces rather than in public often forces many to use washroom stalls but you should not do it. All you need is a seat and you are good to go.
Parents need to feed their babies, and they have the moral right to do so in whatever way is safe, healthy, and comfortable for them and the baby without feeling shy about it.
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