Tag Archives: NIP

How It Should Be

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about nursing in public. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!
 

 
A few days ago, Peanut and I traveled into town on the train. We almost always take the train, but this time I decided to do something different. I thought bringing a stroller rather than just our Boba would be easier, so we tried it out. It turned out to be immensely more difficult, but that’s not the point of today’s post.

Since we had the stroller, we had to sit at the very front of the bus. It was just around Peanut’s nap time and I knew that if I nursed her she would pass right out. Of course, I happened to be wearing just a thin strapped dress with no sweater or anything (it’s July!) and the bus driver was already grouchy about the stroller. Needless to say, I was ready for some confrontation.

So there I sat, nursing my 28 month-old at the very front of the bus in the most showing way possible (I won’t say immodest because breastfeeding is not an issue of modesty). I knew the bus driver could see us because I could see myself in his mirror. On the other side of the bus sat a mom and her probably less than 2 month-old son who was currently having a bottle. I looked up the breastfeeding statues of my state so I could readily read them allowed. I got on my lactavist hat so I would be ready to respond with my handful of facts on breastfeeding. I tried to look as confident (though nonchalant) as possible, even though I was feeling terrified that this was going to be when someone reacted.

Then something amazing and unexpected happened, the mom on the other side of the bus looked at what I was doing and then smiled at me.

And that’s how the rest of the bus ride went. I nursed Peanut for probably 20 minutes before she finally passed out and almost every person who got on the bus just smiled at me. Maybe it’s just because I smiled at them. Maybe they didn’t even notice I was nursing. Either way, there was zero confrontation (even from the mean bus driver). Just a wonderful, happy experience nursing my child on the bus. It put me in a wonderful mood for the rest of the day (even when Peanut woke up the second we got off the bus because of that ridiculous stroller… which I already sold).

Of course, it doesn’t always happen perfectly. There are people out there who are willing to harass a mom just for feeding her child. Such a thing happened last month in a Whole Foods in the same city I was visiting. Needless to say, there will be a nation-wide nurse-in on August 20th at 3pm at all Whole Foods stores. Hope to see you there.
 

 
Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

My Biggest Advocate

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about nursing in public. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st! 

 
As many of you know, I am not nearly as outspoken in person as I am on the internet. Actually, I am embarrassingly shy and hate confrontation. When I get into arguments, even civilized ones, I instantly get hot in my cheeks and forget all of my points. I put my foot in my mouth constantly, I talk too much about nothing when I’m nervous, and I rarely speak in front of groups. I will never be a good public speaker and I’ve come to grips with that.

It makes me feel very conflicted about the topic of breastfeeding in public. I am constantly arguing with people on the internet when they shun breastfeeding in public. I am constantly encouraging other mothers to have the confidence to NIP. Yet, it is one of my biggest fears that someone will actually get upset about me nursing Peanut while out and about.

So when I read the line “Who or what makes it easy for you to nurse in public?” when we were coming up with and editing the list for the carnival, before I was even in blogging mode, I instantly thought of one person—my husband. My husband is confident and outspoke, yet still diplomatic and able to handle arguments with ease. I have always hoped that he would be there if I ever get confronted about nursing in public.

I am blessed to have a supportive husband. When I hear other moms talking about their husbands not being supportive of their breastfeeding, it just feels alien to me. I can even picture myself sitting there with my mouth agape out of shock. How can your husband not be supportive? How could I survive without my husband being supportive? Supportive isn’t even the best word—he is my biggest advocate. How could my breastfeeding relationship survive without that unconditional support?

It’s because breastfeeding has turned into something much bigger for him than I had expected. I figured he would go along with it because it’s what I wanted (and of course the fact that it’s cheap would make him all sorts of happy). I thought that he would passively endure. Maybe he would go as far as telling me that I have the strength to continue when I felt I wanted to quit. Yet somehow, he ended up feeling as strongly about it as I do. He is the one person in my physical world that I can tell the research to and he’ll listen with interest, I can speak of benefits without him taking offense, and I can breastfeed where ever I want knowing that if I’m not able to stand up for myself when someone speaks against me, he’ll gladly take that role.

It’s not just his protection that makes it easy for me to breastfeed in public. Even if he isn’t there if/when I get confronted, I feel him supporting me will help me to stand up for myself. Him having absolute confidence in me and agreeing with my stance 100% makes me realize I am not alone. I am not the only one who knows I have the right to breastfeed where ever, when ever, and how ever I want. I am not the only one who knows that this is just how babies eat. So hopefully, if the need arises, he won’t be the only one who can stand up for our daughter’s right to eat.

 

 Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Nursing at the Zoo

The Carnival of Nursing in Public is going on right now. I know, I know, I should have submitted a post for it. Lactating Girl of all people should submit a post! Life is so hectic right now with the new house and spending all of my Peanut-free time working on marketing for the Salt Lake City Breastfeeding Cafe (if you’re interested in participating in our two week carnival coming up soon, let me know!). Anyway, I figured I’d share a quick post about a recent experience of nursing in public.

This is Peanut nursing on the train at the Hogle Zoo. She was getting ansy while we were waiting for it to start, so I figured it was a perfect time to nurse! I thought she would stop once the train started going, but she just kept on nursing. Kind of sad that she only saw the right side of animals, but she didn’t seem to mind—she just kept on staring at the animals on the left and smiling. Wanna know what I’m happiest about with this picture? The fact that I know that right in front of me are a bunch of girls who we were with at the zoo (it was a birthday party) and they saw me nursing. I played my one little part in them being more comfortable with breastfeeding and hopefully doing it themselves one day. :-D