[ParisApril]

I broke my ankle two weeks ago and had an appointment yesterday at the hospital. I took my 23 month old with me and after a long wait he wanted to nurse in the waiting room. There was about 40 people waiting and everyone stares in a waiting room. When you have a toddler in a waiting room he is pretty much the entertainment for the whole bored room. So I wasn't comfortable nursing him there. I thought about taking him to the bathroom to nurse or asking for a empty room but then decided against it as he was easily distracted with snacks. Soon after he asked to nurse we got called for the doctor and he ursed while we waited in the exam room.

I can't help thinking if I had nursed in the waiting room in front of all those people it would have help to normalize nursing toddlers. I'm feeling a bit guilty this morning. Would you have nursed there?

 

[Martha_2sons]

I think I would have felt similarly, slightly embarrassed to start nursing when he's been the center of attention but also wanting to normalize nursing for others. It sounds like you handled it fine though since your son and you remained content.

 

[GwendalynsMommy]

I would have probably nursed in the waiting room. Although after I started if all eyes were still on me and my baby I may have gotten a little self conscious.

 

[lesley&grace]

I totally understand your hesitation. After all, all eyes were on you already and you can never tell who is in your "audience" and it may have made you uncomfortable to have people stare, eyes popped, as you nursed him. If you were not comfortable then I think you did the right thing.

Mind you, your toddler was distracted with a snack and did not insist to be nursed then and there...if you had not been able to give him snack instead or had not been called and he still wanted his milk, then I am sure you would have met his needs before the potential needs of the others.

 

[pixiepunk]

sounds like you did the right thing for you. i don't think i would've nursed there either, because no way could my DS (the same age) focus on nursing with that many distractions everywhere. well, maybe if i'd had a ring sling with me - that helps him snuggle in and get more focused on the task at hand. but i think if i'd brought snacks and drinks along i would definitely have offered those first, or a book, or whatever *before* i nursed.

i totally hear you about normalizing toddler nursing, though, and i do try to nurse him in public just for that reason. but it's not much fun to nurse a squirmy, distracted toddler regardless of location, so i tend not to NIP if i think he won't be bothered by waiting.

 

[mntnmom]

Baby is happy, mom is happy. You did good. I don't think there is a need to go out of your way to normalize BF, just take the opportunity WHEN YOU'RE COMFORTABLE.
Don't sweat it, there'll be opportunities later.

 

[Sagesgirl]

I'd have whipped it out in a heartbeat, but I'm not you.

I don't think you should have felt uncomfortable, but I can understand why you would have. I've posed the NIP a toddler question here before, and I am very definitely in the minority of people who do it without a second thought; I even nurse my 3+ y.o. at the pool during safety breaks. (She gets mad when I won't nurse her in the pool.

)

 

[arlecchina]

I would have whipped it out too...not that I wouldnt have had tremendous misgivings, but I hate feeling like people looking at me should prevent me from doing something I need to do or that I should even care.

I have a much younger baby (3 month) but for example I was walking with him nursing with friends (the friends were walking with me, not nursing

) and we were having to pass construction, and lots of men, I was like NOOOO THEY WILL STARE then I was like no, we're going, I am not letting that stop me. so I just didnt make eye contact and acted like I was so toally supposed to be there (which I was) so who knows, maybe they didnt notice at all?

 

[velcromom]

I totally understand your choice not to nurse there! It's ok not to be the poster child for lactivism every moment.

And it would have been ok if you'd nursed there and all their eyeballs fell out in shock, too.

What is great about your story is that you weren't basing your choice on a misled sense of responsibility for the needs of strangers. You were just taking care of your and your little one's needs in a way that was right for you.

 

[mommy2two babes]

I have nursed my DD at 27 mos in the doctors waiting room but the situation was a bit different. She was sick at the time and really needed to nurse.
There was one other time when she was about 20 mos that we were waiting in the waiting room. There was another baby in there who was obviously not feeling well and wanting to nurse. ( she was pulling at her moms shirt) I nursed my DD because I thought it might make her more comfortable. I think it must have worked because a min later she nursed her poor babe.

 

[Bellejar]

when there is not enough elbow room to be discreet. I don't mine people being around, I just don't like them right next to me. My 22 month old is an acrobat so she tends to pull my shirt of randomly and I am pretty busty. I agree with the above posters that if you aren't comfortable no worries!

 

[mommyddeville]

My two year old knows that we basically just nurse at home. I'd just do what you normally do. If you usually NIP, then I'd continue it. If you don't, then don't feel guilty about not doing it this time.

I know that we nurse at home, unless he's sick or hurt. He knows that if he gets hurt or we're at the doctor's office or hospital, I'll nurse him. He even understands that I nurse his little sister (9 months) wherever we are, but he can only nurse at home.

I think you did well.

 

[bwylde]

I still nurse DD everywhere. I don't even think about it when she asks to be honest (unless she's wanting to nurse for the 100th time

, but in that case her whining for Boo would be more annoying to everyone else than the actual nursing). But you have every right to do what's comfortable for you.

 

[turtlewomyn]

Sometimes you need to put your own comfort level over being a lactivist, it is ok. I haven't been nursing in public much since DD hit 10 or 11 months, she just moves around and exposes too much, so I would have done the same thing.

 

[jmmsunshine]

My DS is 19 1/2 mos old - just yesterday in the middle of Church he asked to nurse.

Of course I'm 6 1/2 mos pg and wasn't wearing a very friendly nursing shirt and didn't have a sling or cover, and the term "busty" doesn't even begin to apply to me... freakishly huge might more aptly describe "the girls."

Since he's on and off and on and off, like so many toddlers are, I really hesitated! I asked him a couple times if he was sure, I offered him some alternatives, but he really wanted to nurse. So I bit the bullet and nursed my toddler right in the pew. (someone, please give me a smile...) I know the woman behind me noticed and wasn't pleased, but I think it was just because she thought her hubby might be catching a glimpse. But her apparent discomfort subsided when my previously animated DS suddenly got quiet and everyone could hear the sermon! ha ha ha ha!

I think you did the right thing for you and your toddler. I don't know if I would have nursed with 40 people staring at me!