To Cover or Not

 I get messages all the time from mamas asking me how I’m always so confident to breastfeed in public or to blast it out on social media. The truth is, I’m not always that confident. 

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Cubby has never liked a cover so it was just never something we used. And I’m proud that I can feed him with my body so I never wanted to hide that. But sometimes, I’m not as confident in whipping my whole breast out. Sometimes I face him so that the breast he’s feeding off of isn’t the one facing the room. Sometimes I put a lovey in a strategic place where it covers my nipple. Sometimes I pop him in a wrap or a carrier and cover him as much as he’ll allow. These moments can happen anywhere, anytime, even with people I’ve fed in front of before! 

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What gets me through these moments is going through with them. I feed him and 9.99 times out of 10, no one says or does anything that makes me feel uncomfortable. And by the end of the meal, I don’t even notice my breast is out. That .01 time, it’s usually because someone else did something that when it comes down to it, is just weird. Old man staring at you for waaaaayyyy too long? Yea, that’s weird no matter what. Someone saying something negative to me? That’s a reflection on them, NOT me or my choices. So I forget about them. That is not the norm. And more so, that is not MY norm. 

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Breastfeeding in general makes you feel like you have a million mirrors on you. Your choice is being blasted out and everyone feels like it’s their place to comment back. It’s hard to not falter in your decisions. It’s hard to not want to give in. It’s especially hard to not feel like you’re doing something shameful when people sometimes outright gawk in your direction. And to be honest, it’s not about feeding covered or uncovered. It’s about having options. And mama, you always have options. Your baby, your body, your choice - and whatever you decide is the RIGHT decision for that moment. 🙌🏼