Nursing In Public

Warning: Loooong post. I can't make it shorter, sorry. :-( 

Breastfeeding has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done (and still doing) for my son. Every challenge that we went through is nothing compared to the benefits it gives us. It is indeed priceless. Everyday, I thank God that He made me capable of giving this precious liquid gold to my baby. 

I think one of the tiny bit things that make breastfeeding a challenge is nursing a baby in public. Some mothers find it hard (or awkward perhaps) to feed their baby when they're in a public place. I, myself, at first found it a little difficult, especially with a wriggly baby like mine, haha! But, happily, I was able to find ways to solve the dilemma. I actually do not have any qualms nursing Trev when were out, it's just that I want to do it discreetly because of course, who wants to expose "herself" into the world, right? Haha! But, it's all good. 

Some people, when they see a mother nursing her young in public, always gives this weird glance as if they're seeing something  unusual. I think some establishments even don't allow breastfeeding mom and baby in their place, I wonder why that is. More often than not, when you see a mom nursing her baby, you can hardly even see anything from the baby's mouth. Besides, what's wrong with that anyway? It's far way more decent than seeing women expose their flesh in public, that's what I think. I have always encountered this statement in most of the NIP articles I have read: "If adults have the right to feed in public, then babies should have that same right, too." It's all true. 

I have a few tips here that I myself do which made nursing Trev in a public place easier. Note that these are only based from my own experience:

• Check your closet. You might have some tops that you can use to nurse your baby in public.

When I was still starting, I didn't have any, not one, stuff that I could use to nurse Trev in public conveniently. But since I was so determined, I scoured over my closet to find clothes that could help me do that. I found this top that I used when I was still pregnant and it kind of did the trick. I hated using this top when I was still pregnant kasi mainit yung fabric niya but since it's the closest I could use to nurse Trev discreetly, I settled with it. It has an empire cut and has opening on the bust area that made it easier to get Trev to nurse. At first, I didn't have any nursing cover yet so I just used plain cloth lampin to cover myself. It was still okay to use lampin as a nursing cover when Trev was this young because at that stage, he doesn't pull the lampin to expose me to the world. Haha!

Trev was around 5 months here. Look at those chubby thighs! :-)

• If you can spare a few bucks to purchase nursing tops/blouses, then that would be great, too. 

I didn't have a lot to spare myself, as you know I'm now a stay at home wife and mom, so tipid mode ang drama ko. Wehe! But since that was the only top I could use to nurse my baby, I checked online what other options I could try. I was like literally hopping with joy when I found Tinytots FB page because they offer really affordable nursing tops (not to mention really cute baby boy clothes and other baby stuffs, but that's another story, haha!). I decided to try it out and ordered. Here's my loot to help me with my Nursing in Public (NIP) journey. 

I got 2 nursing tops, a Milky undershirt (black) and the
 Nurse & Shield nursing cover (stripes). (Oppps, that's my adorable little one 
sleeping right there :-)

My Tinytots finds are so worth it. Been using these for a few months now and nursing in public has been more convenient now. My baby's pedia was also amazed with my top when she saw me nursing Trev while waiting for her at the clinic. The fabric they used are really comfy too! The Milky undershirt, by the way, is a great find too. You can use it under any regular shirt that you have and viola, you have now transformed your regular shirt into a nursing top. I got mine in black so I can pair it with any top that I have. (Note: This is not a paid ad, I just love my finds so much that I would really recommend it to any nursing moms like me.)

Here I was nursing Trev while waiting for his pedia, wearing the gray 
Tinytots nursing top. Notice that I didn't  put on any cover but nothing 
was exposed here. It's all good! Love it! :-)

Here naman I used the Milky undershirt because I was wearing 
a regular top. Viola, my top was instantly converted to a nursing top!
 I also used the Nurse and Shield nursing cover here, so no worries
 feeding Trev at Kenny Rogers! :-)

When I went to the Mommy Mundo Clearance Bazaar August of last year, I was really happy because Mommy Matters was on sale too! I was able to buy 3 nursing tops at 50% off each! What a steal indeed! :-) (Mommy Matters and Latch A Babe nursing wear are also being sold at SPOILED Store in Robinsons Galleria. I bought a Latch A Babe nursing wear there kasi. Wehehe. Affordable din!)

Here's my loot from the Mommy Mundo Clearance sale. 
The blue, mustard and fuschia tops at the right are the Mommy 
Matters nursing tops and I just love them! Notice that my baby was 
very happy too with what I got for him! Haha! :-)

   

• You can also use a nursing cover when nursing in public. 

The first nursing cover I got was from Nursing Mom. Check out the photo above, it's the one on top of the fuschia nursing top. It's very helpful, especially when you are in a public place with a lot of people. You and your baby are both covered really well. It has a "bone" or wire at the neckline that helps air flow inside the baby, aside from the fact that the wire could help you make eye to eye contact with your baby while nursing. Although, admittedly, Trev has this tendency to pull the cover away, mainly I think because he feels hot in it. So, to solve that problem, if I feel like he's feeling hot inside the nursing cover, I don't cover his body entirely, I just cover his face with it, leaving some room for him to breath comfortably of course.

While we were watching my husband play at their bowling tournament. Note that there were a lot of  people here, but I was able to nurse Trev with no difficulty. :-)

I also got another nursing cover from Indigobaby, the Boncho or the Breastfeeding Poncho. Based from my experience, it's much more breathable. Also, Trev doesn't make so much fuss when he's covered by it. I was even able to nurse Trev while we were riding a bus full of passengers! As in standing na yung mga tao! Of course, we were seated, pero I mean the passengers standing beside me could easily take a peek, right? But no, nothing was exposed to the world! The fabric is so soft, add it to the fact that the Boncho is so versatile, you can wear it any way you want, nursing or not. :-)

Having lunch at Tokyo Tokyo :-)

• Try using a regular padded tube bras rather than the usual nursing bras. 

When I was still pregnant, I bought 2 regular nursing bras from SM, thinking that it would make my breastfeeding life easier. But when I tried it and breastfed Trev in public, it was just a hassle. Baby's already fussy and hungry and I was still struggling to unhook my nursing bra. Tapos, after feeding, you have to struggle putting the hook back again. Hay. I realized that nursing bra is not for me. Also, it's unpadded pa. So just imagine how it looks, hahaha! I'll let your imagination wander na lang. Sayang lang tuloy yung nabili ko, dalawa pa naman. It's now there sitting in my closet, di ko na ginagamit. :-(

When I went to the Mommy Mundo Clearance Sale, I bought a nursing bandeau (Blissful Babes) from Momtrepreneur Shop. Check out the photo above with my Mommy Mundo Loot, the nursing bandeau is the one just below the SaYa, brown. A nursing bandeau is just like any regular padded tube bra, only that when you lift the first layer of the nursing bandeau, there's an opening on both breasts so you can breastfeed without need of unhooking any strap like the regular nursing bras. I noticed that the material is very similar with any regular padded tube bra. So, as much as I was very comfortable with my nursing bandeau, I needed to consider my budget of course! Instead of buying another one, I decided that I could do with just any regular padded tube bra. And I was right after all! It's even more affordable. I got one from Sogo and one from Lady Grace, both from SM Department Store only. Based solely from my experience, this one is easier to use than a nursing bra. All you have to do is lift and nurse away! No hooks whatsoever! And the pads are not so thick, just right. :-)

So, that's what I can share. Through this, I hope I gave a little help to some breastfeeding moms out there. :-)