I should start out by admitting that I am one of the lucky ones. My three kids all nursed like champs from the moment they were born. I have no idea if this was due to their size (all around the 9 lb mark) but they seemed to exit the womb just knowing what to do. The worst breastfeeding difficulty I had was some plugged ducts with my second baby, but nothing a little dangle feeding didn't fix.
The nice thing about being an introvert is that I've become good at not drawing attention to myself, so I have yet to experience any negative reactions when I have nursed in public. I've nursed on airplanes, in restaurants, my in-laws' living room with family present, school picnics, IKEA, restaurants, campgrounds, beaches, nature trails, and my front porch. I started out with my first trying to cover with a blanket. This proved to be difficult when trying to latch her on. As a beginner, I needed to be able to see what I was doing. I eventually bought a nursing cover with a rigid neckline so I could see her while being covered. The problem with nursing covers, for me, is that the gaudy patterns seem to draw more attention so once I gained some confidence, I abandoned covers. I eventually settled on certain types of clothing to help me feel more comfortable. I wanted my belly covered since it somewhat resembles a road map. I used a Bella Band throughout all of my pregnancies and kept using it for awhile after my babies were born. Another useful way to cover my belly is to wear a stretchy tank top with a normal shirt over it. That way I can pull the tank top down to expose my breast, and pull the shirt on top up. Belly stays covered and so does the top of my breast.
My confidence with public nursing has evolved, as I mentioned. I tend to be a bit of a homebody, so I don't nurse in public frequently, but sometimes it just needs to be done, especially with two older kids who have places to be. Most recently was my son's preschool picnic in a park. I just spread out our picnic blanket in a shady spot and did my thing. No one batted an eye or approached me, in fact I'm not sure anyone even noticed what I was doing. I'm lucky to live in a breastfeeding friendly community (at least on paper). My local recreation centre has "breastfeeding-friendly" signs all over the lobby, which is very comforting.
I feel the need to mention - I have quite large breasts, the bane of my existence. They drew unwanted attention when I was younger and I've always felt a bit embarrassed by them. Now that I've used them to nourish my children, I have a new-found respect for them. I still get frustrated when certain athletic gear is overly low-cut since I'm not interested in flaunting my assets while trying to get a workout in. I've learned what clothing I'm comfortable with wearing and how to keep the girls in place while running (doubling up on bras).
I support any mom's right to breastfeed in public, no matter how "discreet" she wants to be. It bothers me a bit when people say, "I have no problem with a mother breastfeeding in public as long as she's discreet about it." That's a pretty subjective concept. Some people want the mom and baby completely covered with a blanket or nursing cover. This might work out okay with a newborn, but once they reach a certain age (my babies anyway) a blanket over the head or face is an invitation to play peekaboo. For me it would just prolong getting down to the business of nursing, since it would be a fun game and a distraction. It's also not always practical, especially in warm weather, because it gets too hot and stuffy under a blanket.
I've also read negative comments about moms "just whipping it out" to nurse. I think people seem to have more of a problem with top down nursing (pulling a shirt down to expose the breast) versus bottom up (pulling the bottom of your shirt up). For me, this is really a non-issue. It's a breast. It's meant for feeding a baby. Sure, breasts have been overly sexualized in our culture but so what? Eyes have lids, necks swivel, so if you see something you don't like, you don't have to look. I don't like horror movies and I can't even watch the previews, so I look away.
I do prefer to find a quiet spot to nurse, but this isn't because I'm embarrassed or because I don't want anyone to see me. My youngest is 10 months old and easily distracted, so I prefer to find a spot without lots going on so she can eat and then we can get back to whatever we were doing. I've never been able to master nursing while walking around, unless I nurse in a soft structured carrier (love my Beco). I've done that while on hikes and a few times while I was cooking dinner. But my preferred nursing spot is a comfy chair with a nursing pillow and something for me to read. In fact, if a fellow introvert mom asked me what my number one recommended piece of baby gear is, I'd recommend an iPad. I've got all my books on there, games, Facebook, internet, so I can fart around on it while nursing in the middle of the night. So yeah, iPad and a great nursing pillow (I like My Breast Friend).
Introvert Dad and I took the kids for lunch at IKEA a few days ago. As is typical for me, I found us a quiet table in the back corner, by the window, away from the crowd. There was a mom nursing a brand new baby nearby, shielded by her stroller and completed covered in a muslin blanket. I so wanted to approach her and offer some encouragement, but didn't want to be annoying or invade her personal space. I kind of wished that my baby wanted to be fed too, so I could nurse in solidarity with this new mom, but she'd been fed recently. Instead I just made eye contact and gave her a nice smile. I hope it helped her to feel more at ease.
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