What is a nursing cover or breastfeeding cover?

Ah - I wondered the same thing myself!

I was determined with my second child that I was going to nail breastfeeding. It just didn't work out with my daughter; I gave up after 3 weeks of tearful attempts. Anyway, getting back to the point. I was successful this time round and being a bit of a shy person every time someone came to visit or we were due to go out somewhere I either had to hide away or find somewhere secluded to feed my son. I am just not comfortable breastfeeding in public, especially in front of men. To be honest I think a lot of men and some women find it uncomfortable too, now you may think they should just 'get over it' but we are still quite reserved about these things and you can't change attitudes or opinions overnight. I DO believe that everyone has the right to breastfeed whenever and wherever they choose, but I also feel that people deserve the right to a bit of privacy too. I think you can be ‘loud and proud’ about breastfeeding and you can be a little bit more reserved too, both are equally respectable choices.

So after 6 weeks I was ready to venture out, but very worried about feeding my son in public..I had visions of immature teenagers sniggering and starring in the park and the whole experience being embarrassing ..the thought of it terrified me...I needed a solution...should I express milk and bottle feed him in public or only go places with breastfeeding facilities...stay in the car and drape a blanket over me...or what? It was ridiculous; I was making a mountain out of a mole hill.

A few searches later on Google I came across something called a nursing cover, also known as a breastfeeding cover. What was this? I thought, sounded like it could be a solution. I came across bebe au lait and hooter hiders. I loved the fabrics but thought they looked like weird aprons. Anyway after a bit more research and browsing I decided to go with a fabric I liked from an unknown brand . It arrived, it was gorgeous. It was so girly and cute and not at all what I was expecting. The bag that holds the breastfeeding cover is called a 'diaper clutch bag' or change bag / nappy bag here in the UK. When I pulled the cover out and popped it over my head I tried to feed Toby. I thought we would go nuts, he was fine, happy as larry as we could gaze and smile at each other, like we would on any normal feed. It suddenly dawned on me that this was a bloody brilliant idea. Yes it looks slightly strange when you examine it, but when you put the cover on it looks no different than someone draping a blanket over their shoulder and to be honest and once you get used to the idea it just looks no different from anything else a mother does…cooking, cleaning or feeding – the cover just looks like a funky apron or top.

It is not until you own and use a nursing cover that you really get why they are so good and why any Mum or Mom who owns one loves them so much. It just gives you freedom and that little bit of extra confidence to feed anywhere. All I take out with me is my nursing cover and clutch bag, with a nursing necklace, 2 nappies, vest, wipes and nappy sac. Nothing fazes me now and I am very confident about feeding anywhere and I am also promoting breastfeeding in cafes, parks etc…it is obvious what I am doing and I think people totally understand and sometimes appreciate why I am coving my boobs up. If you are lucky enough to have this confidence already, then good for you! But there are still many of us out there who are just a bit shy and prefer to be a bit more discrete about how we choose to feed our babies.

I think the big point to make about nursing covers is that they are covering up your breasts and not your baby! But they do also protect baby from the sun and really concentrate you baby on feeding and not latching on and off because of constant distractions whilst you are out. There are some very negative opinions out there on them, but to be honest I don’t understand why, they help shy Mummy’s to feel more confident about breastfeeding in public! Surely this is a good thing? Baby is getting the best possible milk and Mum is getting a bit of freedom and so are her other children (if she has any).

Marie x