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EBF baby won't feed in public- help!
My almost 5 mo is an incredibly good eater/sleeper. The only problem is, she does not feed well while out in public, or even in our main family room where the lights are on, toddler is playing, etc. I feel like I'm constantly taking her upstairs to nurse her in the quiet of her room, which leaves my toddler alone and is very isolating. I plan to BF for a year, and don't think I can keep this up. Has anyone else had this problem and transitioned your "sensitive feeder" to nursing in a more social environment? TIA!
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Re: EBF baby won't feed in public- help!
My #2 was like that- it was rough. Also he absolutely REFUSED a nursing cover. He wanted NOTHING to do with being covered. He hated it.
Honestly- I know what you mean about isolating- however really just try to take it for what it is- because truly this is one of hte VERY VERY VERY few times you will ever have alone with #2. (I know) Esp as they get older. So just try to roll with it.
Only other suggestion I have is to pick the meal that your baby is HUNGRIEST and try nursing in a more distracting setting (vs the quiet dim room)
That suggestion never worked for us- he never got a hold of nursing in a social environment- which made it VERY difficult when I wanted to take #1 to an event/outing.
DD also hates the nursing cover, but will tolerate it enough when she is very hungry. She gets very distracted when there are people around during a nursing session. When we are at the mall, we head to Nordstrom for feedings because they have a Woman's Lounge, with a separate baby-care section for changing and feeding. It's usually very quiet in there and DD will nurse happily. If you can't find a Woman's Lounge, you could also try dressing rooms.
DS would NOT nurse with a cover, and he went through a phase right around 4-5 months where he got really distracted. If he started to nurse and kept popping off or pulling away (with me still in his mouth sometimes... ouch!) I would end the nursing session temporarily. I'd sit him on my lap facing out for a few minutes. It gave him a chance to see his surroundings and take things in before trying to nurse again.
Don't worry, chance are it'll be a phase that passes! I hear about a lot of women experiencing "distracted babies".
ETA: The phase passed soon enough, and I was able to nurse DS in a busy-ish living room setting. He still does better in a quiet room or a car. And if someone comes into the room and starts talking he'll sometimes look up - but sometimes not.