NIP

Nursing in Public

I admit it, I used to be "one of those" people who felt that Nursing in Public was gross. There are bathrooms, there are cars, there are "covers" for that sort of thing. Really, the last thing I wanted to see was another woman's breast in my face. I never said anything, I kept it to myself with the quiet promise "when I have kids, it will be different.

Well, I'm not any different. Although I strive for discretion, I don't do any of the things I thought I would. I have diligently pumped before heading out and taken a bottle for my baby. It never fails that it's never enough. She always wants to nurse. Maybe it's the crowds, maybe we're out longer than anticipated, but there are times that I can't just 'load up and go home' so I have to nurse.

First of all public bathrooms....GROSS. Have you ever been in one that didn't smell like poop? Seriously? And you want me to hang out in there for 20 minutes?

Cars...it was over 100 degrees the day I delivered my baby. Even with the ac blasting, it's hot. It means walking to the car, turning car on, cooling car off, nursing, and then trekking back to wherever I was. If it's a restaurant, well I may as well have ordered it to go. Plus, I usually have my 3 older children with me, the thought of them running around the car while I nurse then carting them back to wherever we were is a bit ridiculous.

Covers...everybody's happy right? You can nurse in the middle of a Mardi Gras float, and no one will notice. Unless you have a baby who hates it. Who will fling it off and rip her head around exposing not the "briefest of flashes" as you latch her on, but your whole entire boob waving in the breeze for everyone to ogle. So instead of being discreet, I became a side show.

I know it offends some people to see a woman breastfeeding in public. I apologize for the people I've offended by NIP. However, the next time you think "that's gross" ask yourself, how long would you hang out in the Walmart bathroom? Oh and while you're in there, eat a sandwich...because that's what you're expecting my baby to do :)

It's been 6 months

It's been awhile since I've posted. My twins turned four, we moved, we moved again. Tess has been teething, the twins started preschool. Boyd still isn't potty trained. We're still "mostly" cloth diapering. I'm breastfeeding. I'm baby wearing. We just started solids. What a crazy 6 months we've had since she entered our little world.

Here are some pictures of our "not so little" family.