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Are there any situations where you'd cover up?  

post #1 of 68
10/9/08 at 5:36pm
Thread Starter 
My inclination on this would've been "no" until yesterday.

I was incredibly grateful that she was willing to nurse in the sling with the sling pulled up to block most of the view when I had to latch her on and start nursing on a crowded bus yesterday.

I think I might've resorted to a blanket in that situation if she hadn't been in the sling. Of course, then I would've elbowed the young man next to me in the ribs, so... Yeah, just infinitely better all around that Lina was snuggled away in the sling.

Now, an experienced toddler mama would've known better than to transfer through downtown at the start of rush hour.
post #2 of 68
10/9/08 at 6:15pm
I covered up when I was nursing DD to sleep on a overnight train in coach class. I knew DD & I would fall asleep before she popped off my boob, and I wasn't really in the mood to flash the other passengers all night long.
post #3 of 68
10/9/08 at 6:20pm
I cover up on occasion when it's for *my* comfort- such as when with my MIL at her 50 year class reunion. Or the couple of times my dh has brought dd to work so I could nurse her there. I never really cover her head though, I just use a blanket or my sling to cover up my side, belly and any other exposed skin that I may have.,
post #4 of 68
10/9/08 at 6:29pm
I cover up up when I visit my DH's family in Morocco. As a conservative islamic culture, it would be HIGHLY embarassing to have one of his male family members see my boobie! Even as pro-EBF as they are, boobs are still off-limits.
post #5 of 68
10/9/08 at 9:12pm
If I had another reflux baby, I would buy a commerically made cover instead of hiding out and stripping to the waist to protect my clothes from his frequent pull-offs and refluxes.
post #6 of 68
10/9/08 at 10:56pm
Yes, if I was around a child who was recently weaned or in the process. I've asked friends in this situation before nursing, but they have never requested me to cover-- but I would probably ask.
Yes, if I was around a child that was waiting for a test and was fasting.
We were recently in that situation (being around children that had to fast for 6+ hours) and I had that in the back of my head... but dd didn't need to nurse while we were in the waiting room and I knew my son wouldn't mind that she nursed when we were waiting for the MRI and were in our own room.

I can't think of many others, except for my own convenience, like when its freezing out, or in the past when I've just been a chicken at times. I think I'm over that now, I hope.

Jessica
post #7 of 68
10/9/08 at 11:24pm
I will when my creepy uncle is around. And probably often when latching on. I don't care to show my nips to anyone.
post #8 of 68
10/9/08 at 11:59pm
I do at church.... I'm have a kid with reflux so they pop on and off and I don't know if I"m comfortable wtih church peopel seeing my boob.
post #9 of 68
10/10/08 at 12:40am
Around the 4-5 month mark both of mine became highly distractable. Even though they were hungry, if there was any activity visible to them, they wouldn't nurse. Covering up helped keep them nursing long enough to finish a feed and kept me from squirting bystanders.
post #10 of 68
10/10/08 at 2:01am
I used to be in the "nursing covers are anti-lactivist" camp. Then I had my second daughter and was distracted with my toddler all the time, so I figured what the heck I'll use one. I found that it was so much easier to eat at a restraunt without having to keep on adjusting my shirt. I did not have to wear a tank top under my shirts anymore. And it's a great conversation piece with other moms that may have been too shy to approach me before. I do not think it is needed to be sucessful at breastfeeding but, it can help a mom who is uncomfortable with NIP. Not that I am uncomfortable with NIP, it makes me proud to NIP, it's just that I don't have to even worry about an unlatch flash. I can't be on my gaurd as much anymore since I have my toddler, too. Besides, the cover has that boning so the blanket isn't right on the baby's face. I can see my baby and smile at her all the same with the cover on.

I think that this "all or nothing" mentality sometimes hurts the lactivist cause.
post #11 of 68
10/10/08 at 2:40am
I usually nurse in the sling (home and out) and so that provides a sort of built in cover no matter what. But, while I won't ever not nurse, I definitely am more conscious of being discreet sometimes, just because I don't want the stress of dealing with other people and just need to feed and go about my life! Does that make sense? Sometimes I am more comfortable if me feeding my baby is not the center of attention...
post #12 of 68
10/10/08 at 2:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by momma2libby View Post
I do not think it is needed to be sucessful at breastfeeding but, it can help a mom who is uncomfortable with NIP. ... I think that this "all or nothing" mentality sometimes hurts the lactivist cause.
I couldn't agree more. I had HUGE fears about NIP with my DS, now 18 months old, because I could never figure out how to do it discreetly. (I'm VERY well-endowed -- an H cup when nursing. NOT easy to hide, especially with a baby who needed a lot of help latching on!)

I didn't want to use a cover because I didn't want to be "bad lactivist" ... but what I ended up doing was pumping and bringing along bottles just about anywhere we went. As a result, my DS ended up with nipple confusion and stopped nursing altogether at 2 1/2 months. I pumped exclusively until he turned 1.

Now that I'm pregnant again, I've gotten a couple of cute covers and plan on using them whenever I NIP, at least at first. I would love to eventually be confident enough in NIP without one, but I'm taking baby steps ...
post #13 of 68
10/10/08 at 2:58am
I covered up while nursing in church.

And when I was first learning how to help baby latch on.
post #14 of 68
10/10/08 at 8:04am
Not once in 18 months. Not with DD, either.
post #15 of 68
10/10/08 at 10:20am
I cover up around my male family members (Dad, Brother, SFIL) Its for my own comfort, they never say anything, and only my dad seems even a little uncomfortable but it just makes me feel weird. I can nurse in public with no problem, or around friends, but something about my own family members makes me feel odd if I'm uncovered. We were always a very modest private family with nudity and I guess it carries over to this. Actually I usually just go in another room all together. Everyone has their hangups I guess!
post #16 of 68
10/10/08 at 11:07am
I couldn't think of any situation for an age-2-and-under nursling where I'd want to cover up. But honestly, there are situations where I just don't want to NIP my 3 year old at all - and a blanket wouldn't be the answer.

Too bad, though. For example, DD loves to nurse when having a story read to her. So when we went to the library for story-hour, guess what she wanted to do. But I felt way too uncomfortable nursing my 3 year old with all the other mothers around who weren't even sitting NEAR their own 3 year olds, much less NURSING them. But it was a shame, because it would have really made my DD's day to have been able to do that.
post #17 of 68
10/10/08 at 12:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessjgh1 View Post
Yes, if I was around a child who was recently weaned or in the process. I've asked friends in this situation before nursing, but they have never requested me to cover-- but I would probably ask.
Yes, if I was around a child that was waiting for a test and was fasting.
We were recently in that situation (being around children that had to fast for 6+ hours) and I had that in the back of my head... but dd didn't need to nurse while we were in the waiting room and I knew my son wouldn't mind that she nursed when we were waiting for the MRI and were in our own room.
Those are really good reasons I hadn't thought of before! We usually think of covering up as being for adults' comfort level, but I never considered how it would make a child feel, who wanted to nurse but couldn't.

For me, the only times I have even tried to cover were on very sunny days when I couldn't find a way to position myself so the sun was not in his eyes. Then I would loosely cover just enough to give him the shade he needed to be comfortable. But that's entirely for HIS comfort, not anyone else's. And he still can't stand having things over his face, so I'd have to hold it VERY loosely above him.
post #18 of 68
10/10/08 at 1:45pm
Only for DD's comfort and only with a ring sling, never a nursing cover. When I say for DD's comfort, if she is trying to nurse to sleep when we are in public, then being in the sling can help to block out the distractions of the world around her.
post #19 of 68
10/10/08 at 2:16pm
I would cover up in any situation where I felt uncomfortable and wanted to.
post #20 of 68
10/10/08 at 2:23pm
Dd is 19.5 months, and I think I have only ever covered her up when I thought it might help her to fall asleep. But it has been a long time since she would allow such a thing.
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