Review:

Udder Covers (Nursing Cover-up)

Submitted by Esper

I’ve never been the type of breastfeeding mother to cover up while nursing, but since Udder Covers was having a promotion at a great price awhile back, I couldn’t pass it up. Udder Covers is a nursing cover that goes over baby as he nurses. It has a strap that loops around your neck and is adjustable. It comes in a variety of beautiful designs and colors. The promotion at the time was for either blue or pink, so I chose a simple baby blue cover.

The cover is made up of a lightweight and breathable cotton material. It is large enough to cover baby as he eats, but still not large enough to cover a moving toddler, such as my own. What I like about it is that it is not hot at all and still gives me the option of covering up, if I really needed to. However, I find it can actually attract more attention to use it as I have a moving toddler underneath, so this would work better for someone with an infant instead.

My favorite part is the boning in the neck area that allows you to see baby as you nurse. In the beginning, when I would occasionally use a blanket to cover up, it was both hot and covered baby’s face. I didn’t like that I couldn’t see him. The boning on my Udder Covers nursing cover is shaped in a V shape and stays open to view baby as he nurses. My son calls it his tent and actually enjoys nursing under it.

I would recommend this for new mothers who want a little discreetness as they nurse, but want to remain cool while doing so and have the option of still seeing their baby underneath. I also recommend looking on their homepage to find out about any promotional codes to save you some money on your purchase.

Go to Udder Cover’s website to see fabric options!

Road Trip With a Breastfed Baby:

If your baby or toddler is already eating solids, this can be an option for feeding him on the road. However, if he only drinks milk, you might want to pump milk ahead of time into bottles to feed him along the way. If you are the passenger, you can even pump into a bottle and feed him during the drive, if need be. Some babies do not take bottles at all and only drink from the breast. In this case, you’ll want to schedule in regular meals and snacks for your child by visiting rest stops to nurse him. Do not remove the baby from his car seat as you travel on the road, as this is both illegal and potentially dangerous.

Breastfeeding On An Airplane:

While it may be frowned upon by some people, it is perfectly legal to breastfeed your baby in public, and this includes during a flight. As a breastfeeding mother, you even have an advantage over those who use bottles, due to the strict liquid regulations. While bottles of formula and milk are now allowed onto planes, the milk in your breasts are not subject to search and are quite portable, making traveling easier for you. One tip you’ll want to try is breastfeeding your baby during takeoff and landing. This can reduce his fears of flying and reduces the chance of his ears popping, which can feel painful for a baby. While many people aren’t thrilled about having a baby near them in flight, breastfed babies typically make wonderful flying companions!

Taking along a baby sling can be a huge help when traveling with a baby, especially when going through busy airports. You can even nurse discreetly in the sling and noone will be the wiser. The sling also helps to comfort baby and reduce fussiness, as well as helping him nap when he’s tired.

Bottle Feeding

Breastfeeding while traveling and doing activities is certainly different than feeding at home. For many breastfeeding mothers, bottle feeding is a new concept. If you do plan on bottle-feeding your pumped milk on outings, be sure you have a cooler that can keep milk fresh as you are traveling and be sure to abide by the guidelines of how long milk should be kept. If you are planning on being away from the baby for a period of time, such as a day at the spa, then be sure to pump ahead of time for baby as well. This can also be an adjustment for baby as well and should be introduced to him days before your departure.

Taking care of yourself

Although vacation is designed to be fun, it can also be physically and mentally exhausting. There is a lot of moving around from place to place that occurs, as well as eating at new places and experiencing new things. It is also possible you will be nursing on a different schedule, which can be uncomfortable for you. To counteract this, be sure you are getting plenty of rest, fluids and nutrition. If you are breastfeeding at odd hours or less than usual, you might need to carry along a small pump with you (or pump by hand) to release some milk and give you some comfort. Take along breastfeeding items you may need, such as breast pads, lanolin or hot packs if your breast get sore. Vitamin B6 can also assist in tenderness. Vacations are a common time for moms to experience plugged ducts or mastitis. Baby is distracted and you may be nursing less. Be sure to take care of yourself so your vacation is relaxing.

Others are more nervous or uncomfortable about nursing in public and wish to be more discreet so as not to attract attention. There’s no right or wrong way, but if you’re one of the latter moms, there are a number of ways to achieve a discreet nursing pose.

Location, location, location

First, choose your location wisely. If you have a vehicle, dressing room, or office available they make ideal locations. If you are in a restaurant a booth is a good choice because it is more private than a table. If, however, there are no booths you can request a table next to a wall and face the wall while breastfeeding.

Cover ups

If a semi private location is not available you will need a source of camouflage. Many companies sell nursing wraps, and some moms like to use these. Some are designed to stay away from the neck for your comfort but also so you can look down and see baby’s face (and your breast, for ease of latch on). One example of a nursing cover up is the Peek a Boo B.

If you have a baby blanket you can simply cover both yourself and your child with the blanket, but don’t do this by covering your shoulder up, as this just screams “nursing here!”. Try bunching up the baby blanket behind baby’s back so that it comes up a few inches above his head, effectively covering your nipple.

photo credit: seaniz

This option usually looks to casual observers like a mother holding a sleeping baby.

Other approaches

With a nursing bra and a button up shirt that you pull up from the bottom (instead of unbuttoning from the top), you will have quite a bit of coverage. Nursing shirts with specially designed openings and baby slings also make it much easier to accomplish discreet nursing in public.

Feeding a baby is not shocking, but necessary. Unfortunately in some cultures, particularly in the Western world, feeding a baby at the breast IS seen as something shocking, even vulgar by some. To be fair, many people are simply unaccustomed to seeing a woman breastfeeding and so feel some discomfort around a nursing mother. For others, breastfeeding is an activity that belongs behind closed doors.

One the one hand, some proponents of breastfeeding feel that the only way to normalize the activity and affect a change in the collective consciousness is to proceed normally, and not behave as if nursing is something that needs to be hidden away.

Others feel that they can’t do much to change the opinions of uninformed individuals. They may decide to avoid offending others by using some sort of nursing cover up when feeding their baby. No approach is right, it depends on the situation and the feelings of the mother.

Some things to keep in mind when using a nursing cover up:

A large blanket tossed over mom’s shoulder screams “we’re nursing under here!”. A better choice would be a lightweight receiving blanket that, instead of being worn over the shoulder, is placed behind the baby’s back and pulled up over his head so that mom is covered. There are also specially designed, lightweight nursing covers that attach to mom’s neck. These are available in a lot of cute fabrics and designs and fold up easily in a diaper bag or purse. Some of these are stiff at the top so that mom can see baby’s face while nursing, preserving some of the closeness and communication between mom and baby.

Many moms find that using a baby sling, which is a soft cloth baby carrier that the mother wears on her body, is even more effective as a nursing cover up. A ring sling like the Maya Wrap can easily accomodate a nursing infant. The piece of fabric that holds the baby – the pouch – can be pulled up to cover baby’s head easily. The tail of the sling can also be used to cover the baby’s head or any exposed breast.

Young babies are often easy to nurse discreetly, but older babies sometimes develop habits that make discreet nursing harder. For instance, some babies refuse to be covered up. Others begin playing with mom’s other nipple. If your baby begins doing this, you might want to discourage it strongly if discreet nursing is important to you. It’s very difficult to get him to stop once this habit is deeply entrenched.

Nursing cover ups can also be helpful in the case of babies who are easily distracted at the breast, which is common when babies reach around 8 or 9 months of age. Sometimes mom has such a hard time getting baby settled down to nurse that she gets uncomfortably full, which can lead to problems with plugged ducts or mastitis.

Breastfeeding is gaining more acceptance as more people become aware of its benefits, but we may still be a couple of generations before it is common to see women nursing in public. Until then, nursing cover ups can prove to be helpful in keeping moms and babies breastfeeding longer.

Nursing in public can be a challenge for any new mom. Finding the balance between modesty and comfort is key. The first thing to remember is that most states have laws that protect the right of nursing mothers to feed their children in public, so don’t allow yourself to be harassed. Next, you need to decide what you’re comfortable with.

If you are not easily embarrassed, simply putting a blanket behind your baby or allowing your shirt to cover everything but the nipple may be plenty of privacy for you. If more discretion is required, there are nursing covers made specifically for nursing that hook around your neck and allow you to see your baby through a wire edged window at the top.

Wearing a nursing bra tank top makes things much more discreet and easier to manage, as does using a baby sling. Most people will never know you’re nursing if you use one.

Practicing latching baby on in front of a mirror or a friend can help you get your technique down, so that putting baby to breast takes just a moment.

Read more:

Peanutshell nursing cover review
Peek a Boo nursing cover

What’s your take on this? Are you more comfortable nursing where you’re at, or do you specifically shop at establishments that have breastfeeding rooms set aside?

One of the advantages of a breastfeeding room is that you will at least have a comfortable chair to sit in, and no bystanders staring or worse, getting offended and asking you to leave. Of course, many moms find that once they learn how to nurse discreetly, this is no longer an issue because noone even knows they’re doing it!

Depending on the location you are at, some shopping centers and other public buildings have special nursing areas for moms. If you feel much more comfortable nursing in private, these are great. Bathrooms are often busy distracting and dirty. Not to mention smelly! You wouldn’t want to eat in a bathroom, and your baby shouldn’t have to either. If you’re in a store, the fitting rooms are great for some privacy and a place to sit down.

Of course, breastfeeding rooms in the workplace are a wonderful thing for many moms who are returning to work and pumping their milk to give to their babies. They provide a clean, private area where a mom can keep her pump away from the eyes of nosy (and perhaps unsupportive) coworkers.

Breastfeeding has so many benefits for the employer – saving them money due to reduced absenteeism, reduced insurance claims, and more retention of female employees – that you think more would jump on the bandwagon.