From the beginning I was never really self conscious about breastfeeding in public. Wyatt was born on a Saturday and by Monday I was out and about, breast feeding in the park and not thinking twice about it. I breastfed everywhere- parks, planes, beaches, bars (jk, but not really- I’ve nursed in bar bathroom, Wyatt wanted a happy hour drink too…can’t blame him!). We like to be out of the house, so if that meant whipping a boob out in public, then so be it.
As Wyatt got older, it has become harder for him focus while he eats. If Tim walks into the room- Wyatt has to look over, if Tim makes a noise- he just has to see what dad is up to. Literally everything is a distraction. Needless to say, breastfeeding in public has become much harder, he’s too interested in everyone else. (And neither of us really loved the breastfeeding covers- how would you like to eat in the dark all sweaty!?) I found that around 6 months, attempting to breastfeed in public became a challenge and I pretty much stopped (aside from on the plane). I started bringing bottles of pumped breast milk instead.
I started pumping during the first few weeks after Wyatt was born and would feed him bottles occasionally, but didn’t save up a stash of milk until we moved into our New York apartment. After we settled in, I built up a freezer full of milk, I felt so proud every time I looked at it- my stash of liquid gold all neatly lined up by date and amount. We had a supply for babysitters, for being out of the house all day, or traveling. The only annoying thing with breast milk (besides the whole acquiring it part) is that it has to be temperature controlled. If we went out all day I would need to bring the mini cooler to store the milk in. And don’t even get me started if we thawed the milk and didn’t end up using it or he only drank half of the bottle and we had to THROW OUT THE SPOILED MILK!!! It would feel like a piece of me was being poured down the drain- all my hard work up at 2 am, pumping (feeling like an actual cow), while my warm bed was just waiting for me (oh the drama). But really, I would have anxiety about using it because I was afraid it would be wasted! So I was in a little bit of a pickle, with all of our activities in New York and all the traveling we do, bottles were necessary for on-the-go, but breast milk was a pretty big challenge.
[#NewMomTip: I have flown breast milk across the country for trips and my advice would be to get this cooler or something similar, pack it with frozen bags of breast milk, refrigerated, or both, and the frozen ice packs. Then pack it in THE MIDDLE of your suitcase so it’s insulated. You can also bring breast milk through security and get ice on the other side if you’re carrying it on. Just remember that if the frozen breast milk begins to thaw, you need to use it then, or keep it refrigerated and use it within 24 hours!]
Then I pulled a Christopher Columbus and discovered something that other people already had- formula packets! These are AWESOME, I’ve used both the Similac and Enfamil kinds. I have a few of these sticks in my diaper bag at all times, along with a water bottle, and a bottle. They are a lifesaver in a pinch, like during a 4 hour car ride, when we’re out and about later than expected, or when we’re hiking in the Grand Canyon and don’t want to pack a baby and a cooler on our back. I felt a sort of freedom about having these in my arsenal- I could be out for the whole day and not worry about if a bottle was getting warm or that I have to be home in 4 hours, and I didn’t have to wear nursing friendly clothes- hello cute tops again! I really love these little sticks and will start using them much earlier with my next babe! (As a side note: I MOSTLY breastfeed and luckily the occasional bottle/missed feed doesn’t mess up my supply, but be careful of this if you’re thinking about supplementing!)
If we’re being real though, the first few times I supplemented with formula I felt guilty. Like somehow I would ruin Wyatt with the occasional feeding of formula and that I was being lazy for not making the extra effort to strategically pack breast milk, or just go home when Wyatt got hungry, because I could do those things. Mom guilt is real. But what it comes down to for me is doing what works best for our family. I feel like I talk about this with mom friends all the time, we share strategies about sleeping or feeding and there’s no right way to do any of it, it’s all about what works for your baby and your family. Some of my mom friends were never able to breastfeed, others started supplementing when they went back to work, some have never given their babies formula. I think we can all agree that fed is best, no matter how it’s done!
What do you think?