Breastfeeding 101- Lesson #2

So 9 (almost 10) weeks into this whole breastfeeding thing, and what has changed? Drew's going much longer between feedings during the day; we went from every 1-2 hours to now every 2-4 hours! What a relief for Mommy!

My small bit of experience on BIP (breastfeeding in public): Even though you may attempt to keep yourself locked inside your safe haven living room, one day you will have to venture out beyond the driveway, taking the baby and his food with you. It was ever my intention to stay inside as long as possible and avoid BIP to save myself from the assured ultimate embarrassment. Well, this mommy can only take screaming in the chick-fil-a line for so long. My mom was driving, and I was in the backseat with Drew. We still had a 20 minute drive ahead of us, and the chick-fil-a line was at a dead stop for the longest time. I finally took him out of his seat while we were still in the drivethrough, trying to manage the whole "washcloth, blanket covering" thing at the same time. We decided to pull into a parking space so I could feed Drew. Uno problemo there, partner. Only one parking space available in the whole lot and it's facing the busiest road in town! Talk about getting thrown into this whole BIP thing head first! As I was fanagling Drew and the girls around trying to feed my child, guess who decides it's time to leave? The people parked on BOTH sides of us. The little boy getting in the vehicle to the right all but cupped his sticky little hands all over the back window to see what was going on inside. What a trip!

The next BIP experience came in the Zaxby's parking lot. What is it with my kid and fast food lines? Maybe it's his way of telling his mom to high tail it out of the fatty food places! We parked way in the back near Taco Bell which was basically empty...that is until we parked and I started "making lunch." That's when everyone in town decided that a 99 cent taco would hit the spot. Including the 80 year old man who kept walking by. Shiesh!

There have been several incidents since this point, but you get the jist. We're getting a better handle on being discreet!

The other thing I've had to manage is going back to work and pumping. It really hasn't been bad, except that since my shifts are so long (13 hours plus 1 hour total commute), I have to pump several times. So you pick up you black "discreet" bag by Medela. You might as well put a big sign on the side that says (Breastmilk bag); women know exactly what the bag is and don't say a word. Men, on the other hand, immediately ask, "Where are you going with that bag? What's in the bag?" Well, I'm not gonna lie and I couldn't make up anything quickly enough to tell the 65 year old man, so I just said, "To get food for the baby." His eyebrows raised and not another word was said. Then, since the doors at work don't lock I put this great sign on the door. There are only "so many" signs you can put on a door that people will actually obey. "Do not enter" would probably make some high falooting adminstrator think some nurse and tech were having a redevous in the empty pt. room. Instead I was advised to write this: "Pumping! Privacy Please!" and so I did. And it's somewhat embarrassing to walk out of the room with 16 eyes staring at you, knowing what you're doing every time. Why is it embarrassing? I don't know, but I know I'm not the only woman that feels that way! However, it's for my child's health so I'll continue embarrassing myself and little old men.