Breast Feeding in Restaurant

In about 6 weeks or so, I am due to give birth. I plan to breastfeed. I also plan to do all the things I need to do, such as go to the post office, or the bank, or eat lunch, or shop. Baby will probably feed every couple of hours - did you know that a newborn babies stomach is the size of a marble? So the little that they drink, digests quickly and then in an hour or two that tiny tummy will be empty again.

Have you ever had hunger pangs, say about 30 mins before your lunch break? Not nice. Why would you expect a mother to ignore that pain in her baby.

Cheeky_gal wrote: »

Exactly, I never once said it was "disgusting" of the mother, but I do think she could have done it elsewhere. Not in a restaurant.

Like where? If you dont position the baby properly, and are comfortably sitting, baby will not latch on properly, feed properly and you cause problems like cracked nipples or mastitis, both very painful, so no, I wont sit in a cramped car where neither myself or baby are comfortable.

Ditto for toilets /changing rooms (eh, toilets for babies?) why should my newborn eat where there are fecal and urine spores hanging around the air for them to inhale? now thats disgusting.

hondasam wrote: »

I suppose what I'm saying is you have to take other peoples views into consideration as well.

I plan to - my childs views that is. That is my primary concern. Not random strangers. They certainly dont consider me - like the woman who pushed me out of the way so she could get on the bus first, or the whole lower deck who were happy to let me stand with my 8 month belly hanging out. So, why the F**k should I consider them?

hondasam wrote: »

I said to give the baby a drink of water in a bottle, babies need drinks sometimes between feeds. I understand not all mothers express milk or carry a bottle with them.

Breastfed babies dont need water. Their thirst and hunger is satisfied by breast milk. The foremilk is thicker, which fills them up, and the hind milk is more watery which sates their thirst.

A baby is far more efficient at extracting milk than a breast pump. You might struggle to get an ounce out a day with a pump, after an hour of pumping. That to me is far too precious to waste, by bringing it out in case of baby needing a feed and for fear of offending people who are easily offended. I plan to freeze so that my partner can defrost and use it when I want to sleep more than 3 consecitive hours.

Dempsey wrote: »

I thought they'd look for a baby changing room or something before they'd resort to breastfeeding in a crowded room.

Not all restaraunts have a separate changing room. Usually there is a changing table in a disabled toilet. (which you cant as an able bodied person hog for 40 mins or more to feed a child when a disabled person might need it) toilets are manky, not feeding the little one there. Even if the restaurant has a separate changing room, there are usually discarded nappies and rarely a chair to sit on. You need to sit to comfortably feed baby.

LeeHoffmann wrote: »

I would have thought feeding the child in a side-room or using a bottle with expressed milk from earlier or feeding the baby before dinner or not going to a restaurant with a baby that was likely to need feeding were also alternatives?

My position is that it´s unnecessary to breastfeed in public, it´s not something I would ever do, I would be uncomfortable seeing others doing so, but women have the right to do so

You cant feed a child earlier. Like I said, tummy is the size of a marble. You need to feed the baby when they are hungry. Babies can have growth spurts when they need to feed every hour. They do this and the mothers body responds by producing more milk, which in turn the baby needs with an ever increasing appetitie.

Cheeky_gal wrote: »

As another poster said it's not life or death "I must breast feed my baby now in this restaurant!" - you can plan.

So I can plan eh? please, let me know how to plan to avoid offending the likes of you. I'm serious.

You tell me how to "plan" my day doing the things I need to do like grocery shopping, paying bills, bringing baby for his/her checkups, without breastfeeding in public - and without having to spend hours expressing minute drops of milk that have to go into a bottle and hang around unrefrigerated for an hour or two and is on the verge of going off before baby needs it. (oh and I'm not going to bring my newborn with barely an immune system into a public toilet either)

Please, enlighten me. I'm really interested to hear all the alternatives I apparently have.

hondasam wrote: »

Who are the two ladies? You would be aroused if you seen a woman breastfeeding, what age are you 12 ?

I've always presumed you and cheeky gal were female, & even thinking about breasts gets me aroused.

Op if you go to any night club or anywhere, where people get dressed up to go out and enjoy themselves I can assure you, you will see more cleavage/tit then any mother has on display breast feeding their child. Why you would call a mother feeding her child ignorant is beyond me.

Cheeky_gal wrote: »

I guess there should just be a specific place designed where breast feeding mothers can go then everyone would be happy.

As I posted in a retail thread before... Some parents allow their kids to come into my shop and tear the place apart while they stand chatting on the phone or whatever, totally oblivious to their kids turning the place upside down. Then they'll walk out without apologising for the mess their children left which I then have to clean up. Not all parents are right like, but I guess that's for another days discussion

What shop do you work in? We could all come and show you how discreet we are at feeding and how natural it is.

Neyite wrote: »

Not all restaraunts have a separate changing room. Usually there is a changing table in a disabled toilet. (which you cant as an able bodied person hog for 40 mins or more to feed a child when a disabled person might need it) toilets are manky, not feeding the little one there. Even if the restaurant has a separate changing room, there are usually discarded nappies and rarely a chair to sit on. You need to sit to comfortably feed baby.

All that isnt lost on me, all I think is that its surprising that a mother would breastfeed in public. I just think most like to avoid the situation and alot of it is because of the reasons you say. Am I wrong? I certainly dont have the issues that the OP has.

Dempsey wrote: »

All that isnt lost on me, all I think is that its surprising that a mother would breastfeed in public. I just think most like to avoid the situation and alot of it is because of the reasons you say. Am I wrong? I certainly dont have the issues that the OP has.

It's not always a choice though. Say for instance I need to get baby vaccinated, then pick up some groceries, go to the post office and pop into the chemist.

My bus journey into town is 30 mins. A 20 min walk to the doctors, then a wait of say another 20 mins. Then its at least 15 mins in the post office queue, and the chemist is 5 mins. Thats an hour and a half, and I fed baby before I left home. I know that baby will probably want another feed in about 30 mins, so what do I do? I dont have time to get the groceries and get baby home in time so I do the next best thing. I pop into a coffee shop to sit down and have a cuppa while baby has a quick feed, then I'm off again to finish what I need to do in town before getting the bus back home.


My sister breasfed - She had a muslin over her shoulder and it kind of covered her breast and baby. She also tried to get a corner table if she could. I'm going to try and do the same.

Its hassle feeding when out, but compare that to making up bottles of formula - washing bottles, sterlising bottles, separate kettle (can only boil the once) lose count of formula scoops (cos yer knackered!) , refrigerate, then heat up in a teapot. Then a breastfed baby does not recognise the bottle teat - not used to it so is confused and rejects it. then cries. I'd just pull aside my top a little and latch baby on - far less hassle in the long run.

Dudess wrote: »

It's extremely relevant - you can't tell someone how scenarios pan out when you don't have any knowledge of them. I know that card can be pulled by smug parents when it's not warranted, but it is warranted here. Never said it means having issues - I don't always agree with people who say that about this issue, and if it makes someone uncomfortable, fair enough, they can't control that. But they just have to put up and not look, because the woman can do it if she needs to - nobody has a right to stop her. And you and others can say she shouldn't do it and that it's rude all you like, but that's an unreasonable thing to say - therefore people will contest it.

Rubbish. To invalidate someones opinion and perspective on kids because they don't have their own is ridiculous. I realise children are a highly emotive issue but if everyone who has an opinion on something has to have been in that particular situation to have a valid opinion well............

I can't possibly comment on china or japans stance on capital punishment because i've never been on death row in those countries......

Rinse and repeat for a shedload of arguments.

The baby was eating, others were eating, each of them the food they like and need, what's the story. Most Bf mums show less boob than a girl on a night out. I don't know of any restaurants with dedicated amenities for baby feeding and a changing room, usually with a toilet nearby isn't the best option. Would you eat your lunch at a toilet? Most people wouldn't so why should their babies? It's really funny that some women would dress for eating out in the most revealing clothes so that their assets are on display for all and sundry but show them a breastfeeding mother and they are disgusted.

Dempsey wrote: »

All that isnt lost on me, all I think is that its surprising that a mother would breastfeed in public. I just think most like to avoid the situation and alot of it is because of the reasons you say. Am I wrong? I certainly dont have the issues that the OP has.

You can't avoid it or plan your little baby's feeds - it will feed when it's hungry and if you don't feed, the baby will definitely let you know. I was BFing and my daughter point blank refused the bottle so expressed milk wasn't an option. And I see no reason why BF mothers should be treated like pariahs by the public. You don't see people demonstrating in Easons because they have erotic/porno magazines on display with very graphic first pages, nor do I see people boycotting tabloids with "celebs" flashing their breasts to attract attention, yet a BF mother becomes a very easy target for public criticism even if she does it discreetly.

Neyite wrote: »

Nothing worse than a baby screaming on the wedding video for all eternity :pac:

On our wedding, our dd was well fed and comfortably sleeoing in our swing. Afterwards, one of my slightly reality challenged aunties remarked, oh, i was a bit disappointed about the baby sleeping, it would have been more romantic if she were crying like in Hollywood movies. She never had any children of her own. It took all of my strength not to make crying with pain.