Breast feeding in the open for the first time

Like most mothers I have been told by the medical professionals that breastfeeding offers Baby the best possible start in life.  I have read the literature and believe that the evidence for this is indeed strong and so decided that I will breast feed.  After the inital difficult sessions to establish good feeding rapport between Baby and I, breastfeeding in the comfort of one's own home became a very natural thing to do.  It was great to spend time with Baby and the fact that I was providing him with food helped cement our relationship very early on in his life.  I was wary of breast feeding in public and devised a plan to help me ease into it gently.

I have been keeping an eye out for women breast feeding while out and about in the weeks leading up to the birth.  I have seen people who were quite unfazed by having to breastfeed on show, others who hid their babies and breasts from view using large scarves, and others which bottle-fed (not sure if it was breast milk or formula in the bottles).  The coffee shop at John Lewis seemed a particularly popular breastfeeding spot; often one or more women would be breastfeeding there and they seemed be with other mums in some sort of mums' coffee meet-up.  So I decided that if I were to start anywhere, the John Lewis coffee shop would be a perfect place.

The day of the deed, I breastfed Baby in the morning and then gave him a bit of formula before we left home.  I packed some formula in the bag (in case the breastfeeding went tits up) and took a breastfeeding scarf with me.  We- Mum, my partner and I- went shopping and then stopped at the John Lewis coffee shop for some lunch when it was about time for Baby's feed.  We chose a quieter corner in the coffee shop where there was a sofa that I could relax on with Baby and then I breastfed Baby under cover of the scarf.  It ended up being no major event as I was relaxed- I was in a safe place, had good company, and Baby and I knew what we were doing.  Since then I have identified places where there are designated breastfeeding areas and I have breastfed away from home but mostly out of the scrutiny of the rest of the world, as a result.  It did mean that I was more inclined to go to certain places than others as I knew I could feed Baby in comfort but I'll only be doing that until he is six months old so its not a big deal.  

For those of you considering breastfeeding and feeling intimidated by the prospects of doing it in public, don't be.  Its really not that stressful if you plan ahead and prepare yourself for the first time.  Every time after that is easy.

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