Yesterday, Alex, Toby and I went on a leisurely walk around the West Village. (It was such a pretty fall day!) Toby breastfed a couple times while we were out, and Alex took a few photos, which I figured I'd share.
Since Toby was born, I've met so many wonderful moms who are nervous about breastfeeding in public--they worry that people will give them weird looks or say something negative, or they just feel uncomfortable baring a boob.
I totally understand that, and when I was pregnant, I thought I might be shy, too. But once Toby was born, I actually found myself feeling surprisingly passionate about breastfeeding in public. After all, I figured, I'm feeding a child, and what's more important than that? (Also, it's cool in France!:)
I was also really encouraged by my friend Leigh and her
blog (she writes a lot about
breastfeeding). When Toby was one week old, I breastfed him in public for the first time, and I actually texted Leigh to thank her for inspiring me. She wrote back, "You fierce, fearless mama! You go right ahead." I loved that. :)
When I was pregnant, I had also read a few stories about restaurant owners or random passersby saying negative things to nursing women now and again, so I came up with a phrase that I'd have at the ready, just in case. Want to hear it? :) I planned to say, "It's my legal right to breastfeed my baby anywhere in public or private; if you have a problem with it, you can look away." Haha, sounds dramatic, but I felt good knowing that I'd have a reply, if the situation ever arose! Luckily, strangers have actually been great. You know, 99% of the time, people don't even notice that you're breastfeeding (it's so subtle!); and when they do realize it, people have even walked by and said, "Aw, that's so sweet," or "Isn't that beautiful?" which was a nice surprise.
Overall, I'd love to encourage women to feel proud to nurse their sweet babies in public. As you can see from the photos, it's really modest (the baby's head covers up almost everything; and I'm also wearing a
Boob nursing shirt). At this point, I've ended up breastfeeding Toby all over the city, and it has been a wonderful, fun, cozy, intimate, freeing experience. Now I barely think twice about it! I just bust out the boob!
Anyway, I want to give a huge thumbs up to all you mamas out there, no matter what you choose to do! If you don't want to breastfeed in public, by all means, don't; but if you
do want to or are thinking about it, please feel encouraged to go for it. And know that I'll be here in the blogosphere, rooting you on. xoxoxo
P.S. Here are a few fascinating blog posts on
breastfeeding in public.
Photographer Carolee Beckham is expecting a baby and is doing a fun photo series: She takes a snapshot of her growing belly and the piece of fruit that corresponds to the size of her baby that week. Huge congratulations, Carolee!
My darlings, my mom also sent us some photos of our family in Paris, right after my sister and I were born. I totally adore this breastfeeding photo, it looks so tender and made me a little teary.
And I'm also amazed that her clothes look so current!
You can see Versailles in the background...
My mom delivered us by C-section at the American Hospital of Paris and stayed for a whopping ten days afterwards to rest. My mom also said the hospital food was amazing, including slices of Camembert.
The view from the Eiffel Tower...
I really loved looking through these; thank you so much, Mama! It was the best birthday present.
This weekend, my mom dug out a bunch of old photos from when she was pregnant with Lucy and me. They were so much fun to see. My parents had just moved from the U.S. to France, and they thought they were having just one baby (they didn't expect twins!). My mom described what the experience was like...
"When we moved to Paris, I was already pregnant and very excited," my mom told me. "We went to French restaurants every night and explored Paris and surrounding towns on the weekends. During the day while Dad worked, I would walk through Le Vésinet, a beautiful residential district, to St. Germain en Laye, where I would have tea and a croissant and write letters home. Some days I would go swimming at a public indoor pool on the way back. I had a fitted black maternity suit--very sexy and French! Once on the way home, I was craving a hamburger, so I stopped for lunch. It was delicious. As I left the cafe, I saw a poster with an outline of a horse, saying that the special of the day was hamburger a la cheval!"
"During my pregnancy, Daddy and I called the baby 'Freddie' and whenever we visited a gorgeous French cathedral--Notre Dame, Chartres--we would always light a candle for 'Freddie.' "
"In early January, I was eight months pregnant. My belly was quite big, and my doctor was worried that something might be wrong. Dad was on a business trip, so I went alone to the Hôpital Américain de Paris for a sonogram...
"I was lying on my back with the cold jelly on my belly and the technician said, 'Je vois un bébé.' I smiled, and he kept working. Then he said, 'Ooh la la! Je vois deux bébés.' I was stunned! Twins! He kept working and then he exclaimed, 'Mon dieu, je vois trois bébés!' Triplets! He was a bit flustered and wanted a second opinion so said he was going to get a doctor and left the room. I lay there thinking, 'Hmm. I only have two arms, but I am going to have three babies!' When the two doctors came back, they took another look and finally said, 'Madame, you are definitely having two babies only!' I thought, 'Only two! That'll be a cinch!' Later I wondered if they had worked some clever psychology on me..."
"When I left the hospital that afternoon, I was so excited. I passed a little shop and spotted this cute mouse doll with two mouse babies! I bought it, and when I met Dad at the airport the next day, I gave it to him. He was perplexed and just looked at it (Why was I giving him a stuffed mouse?). Then it dawned on him, 'Oh my gosh! Are you serious?' He was shocked but thrilled. The next week we lit candles at a church for 'the Freddies!' "
Yesterday I stumbled upon this awesome Lucky Magazine story on maternity wear. What a smart idea to try out boxy men's shirts. Both women are so cute, and the one on the right, incidentally, is this illustrator!
Yesterday, Alex, Toby and I went on a leisurely walk around the West Village. (It was such a pretty fall day!) Toby breastfed a couple times while we were out, and Alex took a few photos, which I figured I'd share.
Want to hear a weird secret? When you're pregnant, your hair gets thick and glossy, but a few months after your baby is born, it starts to fall out! It's crazy; I'm officially balding with a full-on receding hairline. Apparently it does grow back, but in the meantime, I'm thinking of getting a choppy haircut to make it look thicker.
A few readers have requested a post about nursing wear, so I thought I'd share my ten favorite things from the past five months, in hopes that it might be helpful...