I knew it would be hard.
But I didn't really think about these challenges...
Connor has no problem latching on or eating and I'm very grateful for that. He's a natural with anything that has to go in his mouth!
But I never really thought about how difficult it would be to keep your life in 2-3 hour intervals. And how annoying it would be to find somewhere to feed him. I'm constantly having to plan our outings around feedings and where he can be fed. I've been Googling places that have nursing or family rooms where it might be a little more comfortable to feed him.
Our first bad experience happened last week when we went over to the Toys R Us/Babies R Us in Lombard. I planned to feed him in the family room since all the stores have a nice little room with a couch. When we walked in, I couldn't find it anywhere. Umm, they didn't have one. WTF? I thought all of them had a family room! The girl working there suggested we go in a handicapped stall in the bathroom. What do I do? Sit on the toilet for 30 minutes? So I had to feed you in the car.
Then this week we went to Northbrook Court and I kept reading about how nice the family nursing area was. When it was lunch time, I walked over to the bathrooms that were recently redone. There was a sign next to one of the stalls that said "Nursing Room." But when I went to open the door, it was locked! There's really only one stall in the whole mall? I could have to wait for awhile and that wasn't going to work. I walked around the whole area again to make sure I didn't miss another family area. I even went to the directory to make sure I was in the right place. The map showed that place and one on the entire opposite side of the mall. I could walk all the way over there and that one could be locked too. So I ended up dragging him into the Macy's juniors section while crying. I grabbed a couple shirts to make it look like I was going to try them on and ran into the big fitting room. The chair was actually pretty comfortable and it worked out pretty well. Someone walked in on us AGAIN, but they just opened the door slightly, saw the stroller, and left. When I got home, I looked at the mall map online and saw that a lot of people were talking about a large family room on the other side of the mall that we didn't make it to. Oops. Now I know for the future!
It's funny that I have to think about where to breastfeed at every place we go. I'm really shocked at how inconvenient it is for moms. I could also feed in public if I had to, but I don't really want to. It's already hard enough to hold him up while he eats so I don't need people watching me. I really hope that businesses get better about making areas for feeding to make it easier for moms...and me!
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