Friday, June 7, 2013

Breastfeeding outside of MY comfort zone

My little sweet cakes is now two weeks old and so far we have breastfed out of the house in three very public areas. All three due to my 7 year old, who needs to get out of the house, and me trying to make all my children happy and take him out as often as possible. Just because I'm a Lactation Consultant doesn't mean I am completely comfortable breastfeeding in public. Each time I find myself getting nervous that someone will be able to tell what I'm doing, or that my breast is going to flop out for all too see. SO yesterdays adventure to a indoor play ground was probably the first time ALOT of people could tell what I was doing. I and my baby were completely covered, but I got the sense that everyone around us was very aware what I was doing. I don't think of myself as one of those moms who wants to prove anything about breastfeeding in public and that it is the norm and everyone should accept it, even though it is VERY normal and everyone SHOULD accept it. I understand that to most people in our society breasts are only sexual and to see too much of one may seem offensive. I know that aspect of breasts all too well.  I am a large chested women who has been trying to hide my breasts since I was 13years old. Even under clothes I always got too many looks from men and unhappy glances from women. It doesn't help that I tend to smile all the time and so I probably always look like I am inviting men to stare at me. As with most large chested women ( I assume) the opposite is true. But, I have lived in Arizona my whole life and so dressing in tank tops is almost required most of the year..and if you don't know...tank tops and large breasts tend to not show off modesty. However I am a Taurus and my stubbornness made me dress like everyone else, even though the shirts didn't always fit me properly. That same stubbornness is what has been getting me out of the house and breastfeeding, not all my knowledge on the subject, or how I refuse going to introduce a bottle until I absolutely have too. So Awkwardly trying to latch a baby inside my baby wrap is something I am doing because sitting at home all day every day is not a option for me. So please know that if you are embarrassed to breastfeed outside your house and you are opting for bottles or early pumping, or just not leaving the house at all, that I understand. I am still planning on buying a breastfeeding cover, and I know that we will get less awkward at our latching abilities under a cover, but the only way to get better is practice :) I do have to say that a nice mom and her little two year old were playing around me while I was feeding, and in Spanish he asked her were my baby was and in Spanish she told him that my baby was feeding from my breast to get milk. For some reason in Spanish is sounded very lovely, maybe because the two year old repeated it very matter of fact with no weird faces or concern. If everyone could look at breastfeeding like that two year old.

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