BIP

I had a goal of breastfeeding in public sometime soon. The reason BIP is negatively received is because it is not seen enough. Our society views bf as nudity and breasts are only sexual. They are sexual, but were first used for feeding. I usually feed Lincoln before we leave the house, nurse him in the van, or in the nursing room at church. We have been out on weekends and it would have been more convenient to BIP instead of having to leave to go to the van. One weekend we were at the Botanical Gardens on a park bench and another time we were at the Athens Kid's Expo at the Classic Center. Lincoln can go 2-3 hours before he needs to eat so we are not confined to our house as much as we used to. Both times I suggested BIP, Joe wasn't supportive. I'm not sure of his reasoning. I'm not sure if it is his discomfort with me doing something private in public or his fear of other's reaction to it. Well, on Saturday Lincoln and I went to Bishop Park for the afternoon since it was beautiful and Joe had to work. I told Joe that I was probably going to bf him while we were there. He said to be careful. We walked around for a while. I saw another mom nursing her baby on a park bench at the playground. Lincoln and I set on a blanket on the grass playing with toys and practicing sitting up. He started burrowing his face and whining. So I got out my cover and nursed him in the middle of the park. There was sun shining and a refreshing breeze. It couldn't have felt more natural being in nature feeding my baby. Several walkers, a dog walker, and a dad pushing a stroller walked by. No responses and barely noticed, if at all. He didn't drink long, but he was satisfied. We stayed another hour or so before going home. I'd say it was a confidence boaster for future BIP experiences.

Comments

Sarah Hogan said…
Good for you! At first I thought you meant nursing with no cover;) I guess Austin and southern California are more "hippy" than Georgia because nursing in public is very accepted both places. I tried with Kate and George (I was WAY to modest with Hannah), but they always seemed to choke under the cover. You can do it!
And you post about competitive mothers--it only gets worse as your kids get older, so it's good to let it go now. I just always try to remember that my husband and I are the only one who answer to God for our kids, so we have to do what we think is best. I feel very strongly that my kids need to be kids--not participating in 8 activities each. The girls have one activity each plus Girl Scouts. Always rushing around makes me not a nice person. I feel like other moms judge me for not expanding my kids horizons, but I have to own my decision and know it's in our family's best interest.
I think you are doing a great job of being a mom and being honest about your struggles. Do you have a group of moms that you hang out with regularly? I bet if you advertised a small playgroup at your mommy shop (of course, only if you had time and were interested), you would get quite a response from other moms in a similar place. I've been involved with MOPS and moms of little kids have such a need for companionship. No one seems to share that it can be a very lonely season of life with all the demands that children place on our time and attention.
April 1, 2012 at 2:10 PM
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