Have You Ever Been Told To Leave a Public Place While Breastfeeding Your Baby?

As a mother of three children, I have nursed in public with each one of my babies. I am not afraid to feed my baby in public because he or she is hungry. Luckily, I haven't ever been asked to leave a public place.

However, I have heard of mothers being asked to leave or go nurse in the restroom. Asking a mother to do this is crazy and absurd, why should a baby have to be interrupted while eating so that a mother can move. And I wouldn't dare eat in a bathroom, neither should a child.

How are mother's combating this issue?

Nurse In's : Nursing mothers are gaining support of other nursing mothers and going to locations that have previously asked another mother to leave. They will all band together and nurse in public at that location.

Refuse to leave: Some mother's refuse to leave and continue to nurse their baby since there are laws protecting mothers who breastfeed. They will often carry a copy their local state breastfeeding laws in their diaper bag or purse.

Cover up: There are mothers who cover up their nursing baby with a blanket or udder cover. This allows the mother to breastfeed her child without exposing her breasts for others to see. I personally do this just to prevent people from staring at my boobs while I nurse my baby. However, it becomes more of a challenge as my baby gets older.

Go to a private location: Some mothers will find private locations such as their car, dressing rooms, or other secluded areas to nurse their baby in. I also do this sometimes when I don't feel like covering up my baby when he eats.

Feed baby bottles of expressed breast milk: Others just avoid nursing in public and bring bottles with expressed breast milk with them on any outings. If she doesn't have a breast pump, then she will need to purchase a manual breast pump, single or double electric breast pump, or get a hospital grade breast pump. The amount of use will determine which breast pump is right.