Breastfeeding in Public (more tips on Nursing In Public on the next page) Review on nursing rooms available in Kuala Lumpur. In a poll conducted through our forum, 86% from total 30 members voted support breastfeeding in public whereas 13% voted no. (This 13% actually prefer - "will only breastfeed in public if there is really no option of a nursing room") Read our members' opinions, experiences, tips and some anecdotes about this issue. There are even tips on how to make your own nursing tops. I love watching women breastfeeding their babies. When I catch sight of one in public (nowadays pretty hard coz moms are so clever at doing it discreetly), I feel warm and fuzzy thinking of those old days when J. had a "public breastfeeding" period. It makes me sad that a lot of women still bf in toilets. (Nina) Eeeee.....bfg in toilet!!! I never done that.....imagine we eating in the toilet (just my personal view & no offence to others). – Jessie Boobs are for food; what's embarrassing about that? Cows MOO in public! I think the more women see other women breastfeeding (and where else but in public?) the more they will also be encouraged to breastfeed. We can make it fashionable! Jen (Canadian expat in Melaka) In Australia, the Aussies breastfeed anywhere and everywhere. Got breastfeeding rooms everywhere. I think M'sian not so open minded. val... (Msian staying in Australia) The number of times I have bf in public can be counted on two hands. Would only do it if no other option and in that case always tried to find a quiet place. Always felt quite awkward, I guess partly because I am a guest in Malaysia and like to respect any local values. Having said that, also with other Westerners I still prefer to bf in private. (P, an expat in Penang) I have since learned that malaysians are generally starting to accept BFG and many of them, you'd be surprised, would only give you thumbs up for bfg, especially becoz we Chinese rarely BF more than one month. I'm even feeling kinda proud to breastfeed a toddler in the public. I'd never give 'em a damn for trying to feed my hungry child. Hope we will all be very "boleh" in this matter. (Sze)     2 days ago in my paed's clinic, I was feeding Eugene discreetly at a corner, and a couple just walked by, the woman saw that I was feeding my baby and she told the hubby in Mandarin, "don't look at that woman", and immediately the hubby looked at me and said, "oh...", and the wife was mad and said again: "I told you not to look at her!". And me, I just pretend that nothing had happened. I bet that the hubby would not even notice or bother to look if she had not stopped him. And this morning, when I brought Eugene to the park, there were an Indian couple with their lovely baby boy. I was breastfeeding Eugene, both of them just approached me and talked to me courteously about the goodness of breastfeeding, and she regretted that she did not, and now the child has lots of problem, and they have to keep on switching milk powder from lactose free to soy based, etc... They are so nice and friendly, and I'm sure my breastfeeding act did not turn the husband on, and I'm sure that the wife has not thought about it at all. It depends on the individual's perception. (Vivi) I am not taking sides on whether it is preferable to bfg in public or not. I have done both, many times. I do sometimes got a bit uneasy by moms who just flip open their shirts, sometimes exposing unnecessary part of their body while bfg (I know I am about to be attacked by this statement). But I do believe that bfg is an art. It is not to be done so robustly. It should be done gently, with loving, care & beautifully. I always find that mothers who bfg to look so beautiful & serene while bfg, even when they r bfg in a large crowd. Contented. That's the word. (I – an adoptive breastfeeding mom) I would normally avoid BF in public. If I go shopping and had to bring the baby, I would BF him in the car ... make sure he is full before reaching the mall. It's not so much I "malu", just felt not so comfy to BF when everyone is staring at you. Some more my baby don't like to hide under my shirt ... he wants open air. Sometimes when having dinner outside and baby wants to BF, I would just move to an empty table, BF baby as though I'm putting baby to sleep. Faridah when i go for meals outside.... i usually pick restaurant /decent place so i don't receive too obvious stares. imagine lifting your shirt in busy hawker place otherwise, usually people will be amaze but they will be too shy to even look... in fact i think they will turn away in embarrassment. i know we don't care but after a while they will get used to it. when choosing a place to sit, good idea to sit at the corner or near the wall so when you need to BF, just turn to face the wall to latch her and then i think it's ok to turn back once her mouth is covering the nipple. i do that all the time and i don't have problems. i thought my dad was alright but once when had to attend wedding dinner, he told me not to bring daughter cos not nice BF,,,, i suppose sometimes have to be understanding too my DH also quiet embarrassed initially and insist we bring the bottle with breast milk/ formula but my daughter just couldn't wait...so out came the breast... now he is more used to it. when they ask whether i have enough, i usually reply plenty and also enough to make milo for DH to drink too. ( ps i don't have plenty but enough to shut them up) good luck...don’t worry what other say,,, but you need to persevere MS Oh well, what's a little sacrifice in convenience and dignity (!) when you have a wonderful, healthy darling baby ! Don't worry, you'll develop thick skin just like the rest of us! (Kat) Reading thru' all your experience of bf in public, it reminds me of the first time that I bf and it happens in public too. You see, that time I've just given birth. A lot of relatives was waiting to see me and the baby. When the nurse asked me to bf, I told the male relative meaning FIL and BILs that baby needs to be feed. First time, mah, so shy to even said the word "Breast Feed" . They just smile and nod their head. So, I repeat , I want to feed the baby. They told me to go ahead. Got mad, I just pull up my hospital gown , expose my whole upper body part, get DH to clean my Mcb and start to feed right there and then! They got shocked and I can actually see their jaws dropped! No kidding! (J) I am one who is shy to breastfeed in public. Come from rather conservative background lah. First preferred option is baby room - love Jusco (though it is really packed nowadays and got queue to get in). Otherwise, I would put the EBM in bottle and bottle-feed baby EBM in public. However, I think one's skin gets thicker as time gets by and it's also out of necessity. The other day had no EBM on me, baby's dinner time, so sat at corner table in not-really-packed restaurant and breastfed in public for first time. I will still try and avoid it though. SY As for me, i feel more comfortable to do public nursing when my DH is around with me, but without him i have to do it anyway. Most of the time, i found it's him that was more concern about my McB got exposed than myself As i thought i shouldn't be too concern over what people think or how they stare, DH was the one that always trying to block me, cover me, discrete me to some corner etc! Well, i guess he's trying to minimize his "assets" exposure! When i first started breastfeeding, i thought I’m gonna have to spend lots of $ to buy breastfeeding friendly baju, but later i learn to bf with normal baju that i wear everyday, of course not a 1 piece dress, but as long there's a top & bottom, i can pretty much do it. But still can't do it with normal bra, so nursing bra to me is a must. angie I have never had a problem BF in public, be it in the bird park, in BSC , in reject shop while browsing or wherever. Very thick skin about this. My clothing is usually loose without buttons so that they can be easily lifted. T shirts are the best. Never bought any expensive bra, whatever brand is ok with me as long as it gives you good support, good enough. Shamira He He! I bf in public for the first time yesterday. What a breakthrough. Usually only do it in the car. So yesterday at the Starbucks in Times Square, I did it!. They have an upstairs area with sofas and its quite nice and quiet. Was wearing a tight fitting top with a big button down shirt over it so was really well concealed. Try it, certainly works for me. Yippie. Doreen btw, another place moomies may want to think about: Fitting rooms ! We've done quite a bit of this one, but only when there is no one waiting outside of course.. megasale time probably not a good time huh? audrey If I am out seeing any of you moomies bf-ing while sitting on a bench, I would probably sit next to you and bf my baby too. Meanwhile, I haven't made such an encounter and frankly, I admire your guts, cos' I really don't have the courage to bf in public, though I know there's nothing embarrassing about the act. I just can't lor. I feel very self-conscious, shy. Can't help feeling that way. I would always go to the baby's room in Jusco, Parkson, and other shopping complexes. At least reading your posts have given me some idea on how to feed discreetly, i.e. by hanging a cloth over the shoulder. But my baby will definitely pull the cloth down since it will be covering her view... Moommy to two little princess I breastfeed everywhere and in front of anybody. My skin is so thick now that I don't care who looks. Even if it's my FIL. I've even breastfed in the morning market of TTDI in KL ! (adele) Just wanted to mention that I went to the Zoo today with my kids and actually "caught" a few mothers breastfeeding in public. Made me realise that the "breastfeeding generation" is coming along fine. Plus, didn't see anyone else noticing them (well except for me because I big supporter of breastfeeding mah). Anyway, just wanted to say that I think there are plenty of us going public these days. Woohooooo!!! Although I didn't know those people I just felt "bonded" to them in the sisterhood of breastfeeding ( Mom to hurricane toddlers )   Last evening, we celebrated Jia Ee's full moon with a buffet dinner party at home. There were so so many relatives and friends, about 90-100 people... so tired entertaining them. But in between, I got a break to sit down and breastfeed my baby. Some of them didn't realise I was nursing my baby and they come so near to me and sayang baby's hair, and those were guys. Surprisingly, I was not panic at all... I was so natural. Mama to Jiann Yang (07/07/2002) and Jia Ee (15/04/2004) . D-I-Y Nursing tops? I have my own self-designed nursing t-shirt. Anyway, here's how to do my nursing tee. (1) Get a cheap t-shirt. I got those RM4.99 tees at GIANT - got mine one white and one black. Get the ones which are a bit body hugging 'coz you'll be wearing it underneath your shirt or blouse. (2) Make 2 slits about 6 inch long about 2 inches away from the sleeves. It's like at the side of your breasts nearer to your arms. The measurement depends on your McB's size. As long as it is wide enough to "take them out". Anyway, even if you ruined it, it's only a RM4.99 shirt! Also, don't make the slits on top of your breast 'coz it'll gape open. (3) To avoid spraying of the ends, sew those bias tape (can get at sewing shops for 50sen) of the same colour as your shirt. (4) Sew buttons (I use those small metal ones - dunno what it's call) about half way along the slit. You can also use velcro - the idea is to use something that is easy to undo. (5) Wear this tee underneath your normal blouse or shirt or even get a matching coloured cardigan to wear on top. To feed, just unbutton your top, undo the button at the side of your tee and voila! Discreet nursing for you!! I am also thinking of getting one of those tank tops to do this too as it is much cooler. Have fun trying! All in all - spent less than RM10 per t-shirt. The stitches don't need to be so tidy lah... after all, you're gonna wear it underneath your clothes. (Lily) Thanks a bunch for the instruction on the DIY project. Sounds very easy to make leh Actually I learned from the net and also DEE at Msianursingmom you can also make your own nursing tee per Lily's instruction, then get a nicely printed fabric eg. batik / other decorative fabric, cut into square, and fix it over the shirt, so that it's like an overlay for the tee. Just estimate the length from abt above chest area all the way to tee's end. Width is both seams of the tee. Next, sew the upper portion of square onto the tee at above chest. Then, sew one small bottom each on both sides of the square, one left and one right near tummy area to hold the fabric cover in place. When you need to nurse, just unbutton the side you want to nurse and nurse easily while the printed overlay cover your MCb discreetly. (Sze) Loose clothing works better. tee-shirts fine too. You can have a diy nursing attire. wear a closer fit top (eg.tank top) and wear a loose shirt (buttoned or unbuttoned) over. then just unbutton the lower few buttons of shirt, lift up your tank and feed. your loose shirt will give some coverage for exposed tummy and boobs, and baby will cover the rest of your exposed tummy. (Audrey) (more tips on Nursing In Public on next page)