Ned Frisk/Blend Images/Getty Images
-
Parenting
Celeb Mamas
-
Global
iVoices
-
Parenting
Stuff We Love
When it comes to breastfeeding, I'm pretty much an anytime, anywhere, in-front-of-anyone kind of mom. I'm a big believer in feeding babies the way nature intended, and I don't think a nursing mom should have to hide in order to do so. But even though I secretly love my finally-more-than-A-pair, I do usually feel more comfortable if I cover up.
That said, I have no problem nursing in front of friends and family whenever necessary -- from my mom to my mom-friends (and their husbands) to my father-in-law. Of course, he’s a retired ob-gyn, so if he glimpsed a flash of nipple, he’d probably just ask if the baby was latched on correctly. And let’s face it, when you’ve already discussed feeding schedules, sore nipples and milk supply with your husband's dad, whipping out your boob just really isn’t that big a deal.
There are times when I move into a different room to nurse, like if I really think it will make someone -- usually a friend’s husband -- uncomfortable or if I'm not wearing a nursing top and have to lift my entire shirt up. But for the most part, I'm comfortable pulling out my boob -- and my nursing cover -- in front of anyone I care to hang out with. As my friend Megan noted, if you retreat into a different room every time your babe nurses, you end up spending a lot of time alone.
Most of my friends feel the same way. "I covered up no matter who was near by," my friend Heidi says. "But I had no qualms about nursing -- covered up -- with my dad or dad-in-law in the room." Another friend says she nursed wherever she was, whenever she needed to -- but confessed that she was banished to the basement when nursing at her in-laws' house. "They were very uncomfortable with the whole nursing situation," she says. "I nursed my youngest son until he was two, and that really freaked them out!"
So what's your take? Do you (or did you, or would you) nurse in front of friends? What about your father or your father-in-law? Who do you feel comfortable nursing in front of?
