Breastfeeding at a work function

[rhiOrion]

I think there have been similar threads before, about breastfeeding at work conferences and such. But in my case it's a casual work BBQ for all the students (our new class just started), faculty, staff, and family.

Our students are all adults and going into a medical profession. Our faculty are all medical professionals. They're very used to seeing me walking around with my pump parts, and I've had conversations about pumping with several of them. It's mostly women.

My thought is that I'll just wear one of my favorite nursing tank tops and just sort of sit off to the side and nurse her if she needs it (she may not even need it if I nurse before we go). Or lower the connecta carrier way down and nurse her in that.

I normally don't even give much thought to nursing in front of people. I do it discreetly. But nursing at a work function seems just a bit different to me.

But, I sort of think that they are medical professionals and should be able to deal with it? I'm not at all worried that anyone will be *mad* at me...but more wondering about awkward situations where someone doesn't know I'm nursing and then realizes it while talking to me.

Just curious if anyone has BTDT.

[PatioGardener]

Yup- not a function, but while visiting work during mat leave. Nobody batted an eye, except one woman who commented how comfy ds looked. I say go for it! it's good for them to see

nak

[jdg]

I took my daughter to a work function a few weeks ago. It was several hours long and Francesca was only about 8 weeks old, so she nursed several times. I'm usually not at all discreet about my nursing, but I did make some token gestures towards discretion this time around. Just turning away a bit from the people I was with, or going to sit with other women who I knew had nursed and would be very comfortable with me. No one seemed to be uncomfortable and everyone commented on how happy/peaceful/content she seemed to be (which she certainly would not have been if she hadn't been on my boob so often!).

[hildare]

do you have tenure?
i'd be inclined to nurse away from the group if it were me. i NIP if the monkey will cooperate for the most part, but would feel a bit paranoid if it were at work. that being said, i pump openly (or.. let people know i pump..) but people are so weird about nip that i'd be afraid to offend that one person who'd appear on the tenure committee or the administrator who'd deny it... kwim?
if you already earned tenure, i'd say go for it...

[rhiOrion]

Originally Posted by hildare

do you have tenure?
i'd be inclined to nurse away from the group if it were me. i NIP if the monkey will cooperate for the most part, but would feel a bit paranoid if it were at work. that being said, i pump openly (or.. let people know i pump..) but people are so weird about nip that i'd be afraid to offend that one person who'd appear on the tenure committee or the administrator who'd deny it... kwim?
if you already earned tenure, i'd say go for it...

I'm staff, not faculty. So I have no tenure to worry about.

I think I'll go with trying to find a relatively quiet spot, but not worry about leaving the building or anything. I might bring an aiden and anais blanket to do the pseudo-cover (I never *really* cover, but sometimes I cover her body and up to her chin so it gives the appearance that I'm trying to cover)

[somelady]

I came to the holiday party while I was on maternity leave and nursed ds there. I'd been planning to do the blanket thing, but I forgot the first time and then after the world didn't end I quit worrying about it. One of my coworkers wives even came by and said she'd nursed her twins for a year.

Then later when ds was about.. 8 months? old we went to dinner after work, and I didn't nurse him there because a) I was back at work so it felt weirder and b) it was MUCH closer quarters. So afterwards I went to the ice cream place across the way and got a snack and nursed before going home.

[rhiOrion]

update:

Back from the picnic. It was great!

I sat down with L and one of the second year students came up to see her and was like "fuzzibunz! that's what we use!" and went to get his wife to show her. We discussed cloth diapers for a minute and then just chatted about babies (their kid is about 9 months old). I nursed L and she said that she feels like she's the only one who ever nurses in public and she thanked me profusely for doing it, too. THEN I found out she lives in my neighborhood and hosts mom groups! Super excited.

[feminist~mama]

Yay! I'm glad it went so well!