My ever evolving NIP journey
Welcome to the July 2010 Carnival of Nursing in Public
This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in Public hosted by Dionna and Paige at NursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, we will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public ("NIP"). See the bottom of this post for more information.
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When I was pregnant with Connor, I knew I wanted to breastfeed, but I didn't know if I'd be able to do it. I love my mother to death, but she gave me conflicting information. She said I shouldn't register for a pump; I should wait and see if I was able to nurse 1st. But she said I didn't need to take a class; that it came naturally. If it was natural and no class was necessary, why not register for a pump right away? I took her advice; I didn't put a pump on my registry and I didn't take a class. I did a ton of research on pregnancy and child birth, but none on breastfeeding. Connor had some problems at birth and was on oxygen for his 1st 15-20 hours of life. I was able to hold him for a short time, but was told not to nurse yet. I nursed him on his second day of life, and we had trouble latching. It took almost 30 min just to get him latched well. It was a tiring, difficult start, but we quickly got the hang of it.
Nursing in public happened slowly. Our first experience was in front of extended family at a family reunion. I used a receiving blanket to cover us. On our first ventures out in public, I nursed in the car before really heading out. Then I discovered the nursing rooms. I really liked those rooms since there was a comfortable place to sit and it was quiet, but many places didn't have one, and sometimes they were too far away. As we both became more comfortable with nursing, we started nursing wherever we were, but I still used a blanket, especially for the initial latch. As Connor got older, he decided he didn't want a blanket over his face. I realized that there was very little exposure happening, and I got to the point where I didn't really care. What mattered was nursing Connor. By the time he was 7 months old, we were nursing whenever and wherever. We never had a negative experience nursing in public. We've nursed in multiple restaurants, in rest stops, and most memorably, while in the Skywalk Observatory of the Prudential Center in Boston, MA. There weren't many seats, so I just sat down against the wall and nursed.
Connor weaned himself at around 22 months. He was done nursing; I offered and offered, but he was done. My husband and I are trying for baby #2 now. I've learned that I don't need to cover myself; no one can tell what I'm doing unless they look very closely. I'm looking forward to nursing again. Never again will I hide in a car. I'm proud of nursing and I'm sad that I ever felt the need to hide.
Welcome to the Carnival of Nursing in Public
Please join us all week, July 5-9, as we celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers. And visit NursingFreedom.org any time to connect with other breastfeeding supporters, learn more about your legal right to nurse in public, and read (and contribute!) articles about breastfeeding and N.I.P.
Do you support breastfeeding in public? Grab this badge for your blog or website to show your support and encourage others to educate themselves about the benefits of breastfeeding and the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children.
This post is just one of many being featured as part of the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Please visit our other writers each day of the Carnival. Click on the links below to see each day’s posts - new articles will be posted on the following days:
July 5 - Making Breastfeeding the Norm: Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding in a Hyper-Sexualized World
July 6 - Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers: the New, the Experienced, and the Mothers of More Than One Nursing Child
July 7 - Creating a Supportive Network: Your Stories and Celebrations of N.I.P.
July 8 - Breastfeeding: International and Religious Perspectives
July 9 - Your Legal Right to Nurse in Public, and How to Respond to Anyone Who Questions It