Carnival of Breastfeeding: Here? At the restaurant?

By kim ( June 20, 2009 at 1:29 am) · Filed under Uncategorized, , , ,

Welcome Carnival of Breastfeeding readers! This month’s carnival is about nursing in public. Please go check out the other posts in the carnival (links at the bottom of this post)!

I was a week and a half postpartum. My mom was staying with my husband and I, keeping me well fed and watered while I adjusted to life with a newborn. I’d had a quick, uneventful homebirth followed by a tumultuous first week including supplementation for “too much” weight loss, two blood clots, and a very fussy baby.

On this particular day, my mom and I had been up quite a bit the previous night and both of us were tired. She offered to treat us to dinner and suggested an upscale joint where we could get delicious gourmet hamburgers. I was in (Guacamole and salsa on a hamburger? Can life get any better?) and we were joined by my husband and dad.

We sat down, ordered our food, and were waiting for our salads when my newborn daughter, sleeping peacefully in the carseat next to me, began to awaken.

And fuss.

And demand to be fed.

I had prepared by wearing a nursing bra and nursing shirt and decided that if I hoped to be comfortable nursing her in public when she was older that I had better start now.

I cradled my daughter next to my breast, jiggling her to keep her calm while I prepared to feed her. I looked up to say something to my husband, felt something funny, and looked back down.

My hungry daughter had latched herself onto my breast through the shirt! The look of confusion on her face was priceless and I burst into laughter.

My family, when they realized what was happening, joined in, and the server arrived with our salads just in time for me to pull my daughter off my shirt, leaving behind a sticky circle of saliva. Shortly afterward, I was nursing my 10-day-old daughter in a booth at a restaurant attempting to eat with one hand.

I never thought I would be so bold.

Check out these other posts on nursing in public! All posts will be up by the end of the day on June 22, so keep checking to make sure you get to read them all!

29 comments »

  1. Whozat said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 1:36 am

    As with so many things, “the first one is the worst one!”

    I think I flashed an entire bar the first time I nursed Peeper in public - but we’re old pros now. :-)

  2. kim said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 1:37 am

    Hahaha, it’s so true! By a couple of months old, we were rockin’ the NIP everywhere we went!

  3. Nursing in a room full of people you know « GrudgeMom said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 3:11 am

    [...] through the looking glass: Here? At the Restaurant? Published [...]

  4. Nicole said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 3:14 am

    haha! I can just imagine her reaction to having the shirt there! I enjoyed your first-timer story, and wish I could remember our first time. I think we were visiting someone…

  5. MumUnplugged »  Aww, is he sleeping? said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 3:40 am

    [...] PhD in Parenting ‘Breastfeeding in Public - Talents - I haz it’ - Dirty Diaper Laundry ‘Here? At the restaurant?’ - Kim Through the Looking Glass ‘Nursing in a room full of people you know’ - [...]

  6. Claire said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 4:14 am

    This made me laugh out loud - it’s so funny when they are small and latch onto anything, my son used to get confused and latch onto his hand, then cry when nothing came out :) P.S. not sure why but it looks like I already commented - did I do something weird?!

  7. kim said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 4:17 am

    nope, that other one is a trackback comment. happens when bloggers link to you :)

  8. Tammy said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 4:55 am

    I think the most interesting place I nursed in public was on the Safari ride at Animal Kingdom! I think I also did at It’s a Small World at Magic Kingdom :)

  9. Dirty Diaper Laundry » Breastfeeding in Public- Talents- I haz it said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 6:11 am

    [...] Here at the Restaurant [...]

  10. kim said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 7:50 am

    Tammy, it’s awesome that you’ve nursed ON a ride :D I’ve nursed in La Senza and Canadian Tire :)

  11. Nursing in Public: Chinatown, the Subway, the Vatican, and More « Massachusetts Friends of Midwives Blog said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 8:04 am

    [...] Kim from Kim Through the Looking Glass: “Here? At the Restaurant?” [...]

  12. Christina said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 9:28 am

    I had the same experience–latching on over the shirt. Too funny!

  13. Breastfeeding in Public : Mommy News Blog said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 6:08 pm

    [...] Kim Through The Looking Glass Blog: Here? At The Restaurant? [...]

  14. Shotgun Mary said,

    June 20, 2009 @ 7:38 pm

    Isn’t it amazing how a hungry baby can be an instant source of courage we never knew existed? Great post!

  15. Nursing in Public: To Cover or Not to Cover : Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - Breastfeeding Information, News and Support said,

    June 21, 2009 @ 1:08 pm

    [...] Dirty Diaper Laundry: Breastfeeding in Public Talent - I Haz It Kim through the Looking Glass: Here? At the Restaurant? GrudgeMom: Nursing in a Room Full of People You Know MumUnplugged: Aww, Is He Sleeping? [...]

  16. Little Old Men… & Nursing in Public « Stork Stories… Birth & Breastfeeding said,

    June 22, 2009 @ 6:20 am

    [...] Kim through the looking glass… Here? At the restaurant? [...]

  17. Breastfeeding and the summertime | Warm Hearts Happy Family said,

    June 22, 2009 @ 8:11 am

    [...] Kim Through the Looking Glass:  Here?  At the Restaurant? [...]

  18. Tales of life with a girl on the go » Blog Archive » Planes, trains and automobiles - we’ve breastfed in them all said,

    June 22, 2009 @ 10:38 am

    [...] Dirty Diaper Laundry: Breastfeeding in Public Talent - I Haz It Kim through the Looking Glass: Here? At the Restaurant? GrudgeMom: Nursing in a Room Full of People You Know MumUnplugged: Aww, Is He Sleeping? [...]

  19. Nursing in Public: A Fresh Perspective on Nurse-In’s | Breastfeeding Moms Unite said,

    June 22, 2009 @ 11:51 am

    [...] Here? At The Restaurant? at Kim Through The Looking Glass [...]

  20. Would you, could you nurse in public? | PhD in Parenting said,

    June 22, 2009 @ 11:38 pm

    [...] Kim Through the Looking Glass: Here, at the Restaurant? [...]

  21. Olivia said,

    June 23, 2009 @ 3:37 am

    How cute and funny. My firt time in a restaurant was at about the same age as your daughter. It was bit awkward physically, but the staff gave us only smiles.

  22. Information about Breastfeeding said,

    June 24, 2009 @ 8:24 pm

    [...] kim through the looking glass » Blog Archive » Carnival of … [...]

  23. anj said,

    June 26, 2009 @ 4:59 am

    awesome. i love the through-the-shirt latch-ons!

    i want to know what restaurant you were at…that burger sounds delicious!

  24. Birth_Lactation said,

    June 27, 2009 @ 2:11 am

    This is one of the funniest stories yet!! I love it. Go boldly young mother!

  25. Jessica said,

    June 30, 2009 @ 9:05 am

    A precious story. Thanks for sharing it.

  26. The Poor Husband said,

    August 9, 2009 @ 3:11 pm

    For a hilarious breast-feeding in public story, please check out
    http://lifewithrachael.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-used-to-hate-camping.html.
    It gives a great account of some of our experiences while my wife was breastfeeding our children.

    Hope you enjoy.

  27. Tiny Grass » Blog Archive » Nursing in Public as an Immigrant said,

    February 10, 2010 @ 8:04 am

    [...] Kim through the looking glass: Here? At the restaurant? [...]

  28. NIP, no tuck - Mama Bear said,

    August 18, 2010 @ 7:17 am

    [...] A Baby: The Adventures of Shrike & Whozat & Peeper PhD In Parenting Dirty Diaper Laundry Kim Through The Looking Glass Grudgemom: Learning To Be A Mom One Diaper At A Time Mum Unplugged Massachusetts Friends of [...]

  29. A Wee NIP In The Park!! | babyready said,

    January 9, 2011 @ 9:39 pm

    [...] A Baby: The Adventures of Shrike & Whozat & Peeper PhD In Parenting Dirty Diaper Laundry Kim Through The Looking Glass Grudgemom: Learning To Be A Mom One Diaper At A Time Mum Unplugged Massachusetts Friends of [...]

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