Five Tips for Discreet Breastfeeding in Public

Your baby is screaming, but you're in the mall and you didn't even consider pumping a bottle of milk before you left the house.

Before your child was born you swore you would never become one of "those women". You know the type, the ones that are happy to yank their breasts out in the middle of a conversation..

I mean, you don't have a problem with that sort of thing. But you worry about what someone might say to you. You know the law is on the side of breastfeeding women, but you never really felt like taking advantage of your new civil liberties before. Yet now, your child is hungry.

So, when you have no other option, here are some tips to help make nursing your son or daughter in public a nonevent for you, them and everyone around you.

Wear a nursing bra or tank. I love my nursing tank. It has a built in nursing bra so I can easily remove the flaps for quick access, but because it's a tank, my stomach stays covered even after I pull my top shirt up. Over all, it makes what I'm doing much more discreet (and keeps my stretch marks and loose skin tucked away from public view).

Identify good locations to nurse when you arrive at your location. Going to the mall, use a dressing room. Going to Babies 'R Us? They tend to have a nursing mother's room. At restaurants, I found nursing in a booth to be more discreet, but as my son got older I realized that sitting in one provided far less room.

Plan your outfits carefully. In fact, go ahead and go through your closet and pack away any clothing that would be hard to nurse in. Always dress with "easy access" in mind. Before I had my son I thought button-up shirts were the way to go, but I actually found simple t-shirts the best. The shirt comes up and even helps keep you covered while you nurse.

Keep a nursing cover-up in your diaper bag. Seeing a glimpse of skin while a woman nurses her child doesn't bother me, but it bothers others. We can argue all day about whether or not they are wrong to be bothered, but the fact is - they are. If you are worried about being on the receiving end of nasty remarks, just keep it covered up. Yes, it's true, you don't have to, but it can make life a lot simpler.

Memorize the benefits of breastfeeding. This will help you form a response to those snarky comments some women receive when nursing out in public. There are tons of Web sites listing rude, sarcastic responses. These are hysterical, but they aren't really needed. The better response would be to educate the individual, not encourage them to label you as some bare-breasted, crazy lactivist. So, go ahead, feed your baby. My son is four months old and I've never been on the receiving end of negative comments. When your baby is hungry, they need to eat. Period. It is easy for someone to say that you should have planned ahead better. I always try to feed my son before we leave, but I cannot always predict when he'll be ready for his next meal and if he's with me, he doesn't want to take a bottle. The best I can do is feed him with as much respect as I can for others and pray that they will have respect for me too.