The Places You’ll Feed

For some families, leaving home with a new baby for the first time can feel monumental! For others, that feeling hits when leaving home means travelling further away. What many mums and parents find is with time and practice, it gets easier and you’ll soon be marking all the places you’ve fed all over town and beyond.

The First Trip Out

The first time leaving home after giving birth can be overwhelming. It might be for your first health visitor weigh-in, a visit to the GP, or needing to get some air at the local park. You may be sore, you may still be working on your latch, and you may still be changing a lot of nappies.

You aren’t alone! You may find that bringing lots of supplies with you helps you feel more confident. Others lean on community support, like friends or family,  to help get to that first appointment on time as suddenly everything just takes longer.

If you know your route, taking some time to visualise where you might feel comfortable feeding can help you plan your journey as well. 

Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography

Do you know your legal rights to breastfeed outside the home are protected in the UK? In England, Wales, and Scotland, the Equality Act 2010 protects your rights to feed in public. In Scotland, it’s further protected by the Breastfeeding (Scotland) Act 2010. 

Other ways to feel comfortable? Some have found breastfeeding at home in front of a mirror can help them relax to see what others see. Another strategy is dressing yourself using the one-up-one-down method, meaning wearing two tops, with the outer layer going up and the bottom layer going down to access your breast.

If you often leak on one side while feeding on the other, pressing your forearm against the leaking side helps some people to prevent it. Others will leak regardless – if that’s you, you can use breast pads or a  muslin cloth.

Muslin cloths are relatively cheap and have a  variety of uses when out with your baby – from mopping up spills, an impromptu changing mat, a temporary nursing cover if you decide you want it.

Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography

Finding More Places to Feed

Another great place to practice leaving home is going to your local breastfeeding support meeting. There, things will be informal,  with other parents and supporters there to offer a warm welcome. Pumping is more than welcome and we can help you with your questions around breastfeeding, expressing, topping up, and more. You can even reach out to the group beforehand to ask for travel recommendations, too! 

In Scotland, you may also check out the Breastfeeding Friendly Scheme, which includes businesses who sign up saying they support breastfeeding. This programme is backed by the Scottish Government and administered by local health boards.

As you get more comfortable breastfeeding, you may find that with a few nappy change supplies you’re ready to go. Some babies really thrive when leaving the house – it can be fun to explore together! How you approach leaving home with your little one may change when they’re around 6 months, the age when many babies start solid foods and become more mobile. Lots of parents look back on the early days as a time of freedom with their portable baby!

Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography

Not Feeling It is OK

If breastfeeding out of the home just isn’t for you, you can also express your milk and bottle feed as well. There’s no right or wrong way to feed your baby in a public place –  what matters most is your comfort level and meeting your baby’s needs.

If you have tried the above and still find it difficult to get out and about, do reach out for  support from your Health Visitor, GP, local support group, or mental health support organisations. For some, postnatal anxiety is something that can be debilitating but there is support available for you.

Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography

Feeding Further from Home

Many parents will eventually find themselves mapping out their first car or public transport journey whilst breastfeeding their baby.

Breastfeeding is such a convenient way to get around! Feeding on demand allows you to meet your baby’s nutritional needs whatever happens on your journey, whether that’s long delays on the train, a traffic jam on the motorway, or disrupted sleep from a time zone change.

On public transport, you should be able to get a seat if you have your baby, and especially if you need to feed! Have confidence to ask for what you and your baby needs. 

Some top tips to prepare for travelling:

• Nursing releases relaxation hormones for both you and baby, so nursing before you leave to help calm nerves, plus nursing while travelling, if safe to do so, can help you both
• If you’re considering an overnight trip, plan ahead as to what the sleeping arrangements may look like
• If you have space, bringing a pop up stool can help make sure you always have a seat ready
• If travelling by air with pumped milk, calling the airport ahead of time to find out current policies may give you peace of mind
• Plan for extra stops on your journey, and know it’s normal if your baby finds travel tricky – it’s a new experience for them, too!
• Is your baby sad on take off and landing on an aeroplane? Breastfeeding can help with that! Or if baby is buckled in a seat, offering your finger as something to suck on can help as well

However old your baby is, you may find you need to change strategies to keep them happy on longer journeys – singing songs, more breaks, walking up and down the aisles. Remember that many parents have been in the same position; you’ve got this!

To celebrate all the places you’ll feed, download this LLL Collective zine to bring with you, to colour, to share with your community. Don’t know what a zine is? Check out our library for more information.