Nursing cover recommendation please/ NIP help!

[expat-mama]

Hi- DS and I have got to get better at nursing in public before the summer when we'll be out and about a lot more and going on a loooong plane ride.

One of our problems is our nursing cover- it's made by Infantino and it SAYS it's breathable, but it makes us both sweaty and miserable. Some of the sweatiness and misery is caused by the fact that I am literally wrangling DS trying to get him into a good position to nurse under there while he is flailing and flapping about exposing us to passersby (normally, I wouldn't mind but I live in a very conservative culture- most women here are covered head to toe).

The only good thing about is the stiff neck that allows me to peek in and see DS. I'd like another one with that feature.

Do you have a light, breathable nursing cover that covers you and your babe well?

Our other problem (not cover-related) is that I'm way too reliant on the boppy. I could never get comfortable nursing DS without it, so when out and about we're pretty much screwed. I even have one in my car- that's where I run to when I've got to nurse while we're out. But I need to break free from my boppy dependancy before the summer!

Any tips for nursing a wriggly, big baby in public? I could use these as well!

[expat-mama]

I just found another recent help with NIP thread. I know I should just practice at home without the pillow... but it's such a pain...ugh. Yes. I will do it.

I want to get a new nursing cover so that I can practice without the pillow AND with the cover too. I need to figure out how to get DS to stop messing around with the cover while we nurse.

[KristyDi]

I'm no help on the cover since I got hot and frustrated and gave up on them.

Practice in front of a mirror, or video yourself so you can see what you look like to others.  I bet you expose less than you think.

I always crossed one leg (the same leg as the boob I was nursing on) with my foot over the opposite knee and used that knee and leg to help support DD.  Also wearing a nursing tank under my normal shirt really helped me stay covered.  The outer shirt was pulled up and covered the top of my boob while the tank underneath covered my tummy.

This is how we did it, in case seeing it might help.

[janevar]

I have the bebe au lait nursing cover.  It's cotton and quite lightweight, but my 7-month old will NOT tolerate it for even two seconds. He is much too wiggly!  The best cover i have used is actually a wrap sweater.  Something like this, with long fluttery ends. I wrap the baby up in them once and it's a remarkable amount of coverage.   Using a good undershirt combo helps too (one shirt gets pulled down and one shirt gets pulled up so you expose the least amount possible). 

When we flew in November, i was still using the boppy a lot.  I didn't bring it on the plane but i did bring an inflatable neck pillow, kind of like this one. I inflated it and put it in my lap and it helped raise the boy up to nurse. it was fuzzy too, and comfortable enough that he fell asleep.

The only things i can say for nursing a wiggly baby are 1) letting him get hungry enough-- i.e., find other ways to soothe him if he's fussy but too wiggly to nurse, like books or toys, 2) nursing sitting up, i.e., put him on your knee sitting upright, straddling your leg and facing you, and see if he'll latch on like that.  Probably best to practice at home first, of course.

Good luck!

[briannas auntie]

If you can get your hands on one, either through Ebay or Amazon.com, the Lansinoh breastfeeding Privacy Cover is wonderful!  I use this cover when I am traveling and have to pump, because it makes the pumping discreet (especially if you are traveling with a church group and have to share a room with some of them). It also has a weight on the end of it, so it can't be accidentally pulled off easily.  This might help if your baby is one who likes to kick and squirm while nursing.  Because I am on Domperidone for stomach motility, it has caused me to produce lots of breastmilk, even though I have never had a baby, so I have to pump once a day in order to avoid getting mastitis and engorgement pain. 

I bought that Lansinoh privacy cover on Ebay in 2009 and love it!  I have seen two of them on there in the past week that are in excellent condition and are at a low starting bid. 

Hope this helps!

Jessie

[muslimahmama]

Thank you so much for posting this!! I have a 4 month old and I really want to nurse in public.. well, I do it a lot but always worry about what people think. I take public transportation everywhere, and have had to nurse at bus stops.. once on a bus but it was mostly empty.. I feel like the more mamas nurse in public, the more acceptable it will be, but I still cover with a blanket. I have a hard time getting him to latch on under it, since i can't see anything! He also tends to pop off quickly to look around..Like the OP, I am too reliant on a pillow at home and need to practice nursing without it.

[expat-mama]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions!

I am working on it! When I am not nursing DS to sleep, we practice without the boppy- we both hate it. Ha. Haven't ordered a new nursing cover yet- I am going to look for the lansinoh one!

Thank you!

[waiting2bemommy]

I don't have any experience with this personally, but in regard to the boppy, could you try putting a folded up blanket where his head will rest while nursing, in place of the boppy? He is priobably just used to extra padding, lol. If you could transition him to using a folded up blanket instead of the boppy, that would be a lot more convenient for you to carry around, I'd imagine!

[Jewels*]

This is THE BEST COVER EVER....  I was so so so worried about NIP too but this one really helped me get it together..

http://www.moboleez.com/

it's like a big floppy hat that baby wears and the brim covers the breast... I really like it for keeping out distractions while NIP too