Breastfeeding At Church

There was nothing more challenging to me at the beginning of my journey as a mom than breastfeeding at church. I loved that the act of breastfeeding allowed me to share such a tender bond with my daughter, but the stress of breastfeeding at church gave me a lot of anxiety. While other moms seemed to magically latch their little ones quietly without anyone else noticing, my little girl liked to make a huge show about it. As if to say, “Hey guys look, BOOBIES!” Yeah, that’s fun…
Normally I didn’t mind trying to nurse in public, with or without a cover. For whatever reason, breastfeeding at church made me feel awkward as if I would be completely immodest or distracting. Looking back, I’m pretty sure I was the only one in the room who was worried about it. I’ll never forget a Sunday morning when another mom pulled out her bulky nursing pillow and proceeded to nurse her baby there in the main service. Wow! That was so empowering to me!

Many churches offer a nursing mother’s room or an office space as a private place for breastfeeding. Choosing to leave the main sanctuary during the service is a great option for many women but wasn’t for me. I found that being in service was so refreshing, especially after I learned a few tricks for making breastfeeding at church a little easier. If using a nursing mother’s room isn’t appealing to you either, here are a few tips to hopefully a smoother experience for breastfeeding at church.

1. Tank Up. This simply means offering your baby the option to eat before service begins. Most Sunday mornings, while church members were out socializing, I would sneak off to the nursing mother’s room and nurse baby girl. It really didn’t matter if had been less than an hour since her last feed, I would still offer her the “snack”.

2. Don’t Wait To Feed. A screaming baby is not easy to latch. If I waited for my daughter’s hunger cues then it was already too late (imagine trying to latch a wild cat). I often offered to nurse fifteen minutes before I knew she would be ready to eat. If you feed on demand, you may have to watch for your baby’s earliest cues of hunger. Learning baby’s hunger cues can be frustrating for new parents to figure out. www.kellymom.com offers some great tips on what to look for. I promise you will learn to recognize the signs!

3. Try a Nursing Scarf. Nursing scarves are amazing if you want to make sure EVERYTHING is covered. The best part is that baby can’t pull it off like a blanket/apron. These can be purchased almost anywhere and they look like an infinity scarf.

4. Don’t Wear Too Many Layers. I remember complaining to a friend about how I felt like I was fighting with my clothing when I fed my baby. I’ll never forget her exclaiming, “You are wearing too many layers!”. That revelation was a game changer! I always thought I had to wear a nursing bra with pads and a nursing tank under my clothes… all at once! That’s too much! Her advice was to wear either a nursing bra OR a nursing tank, not both. #GameChanger

5. Babywearing. I didn’t actually get to try this option because I didn’t have a baby carrier at the time, but many moms claim that babywearing is the fix all for breastfeeding at church. Babywearing offers modesty, easy accessibility, and is soothing for baby. I have already decided that this will be my game plan for any future babies.

Here are what other local moms have to say about breastfeeding at church:

-Camila J. (Mom of 2) “The baby’s excitement to eat will be less distracting to others if you begin nursing while the music is still playing. Also, don’t feel embarrassed! I wish more moms felt comfortable to breastfeed in church, it’s a safe place to feed your baby!”

-Kirstie E. (Mom of 6) “I am just more comfortable leaving the service and utilizing a nursing mother’s room. I don’t see a problem with moms nursing in the service, it just wasn’t the best fit for me.”

-Kara H. (Mom of 2) “Definitely invest in a comfortable nursing cover. Don’t let your possibly fussy baby deter you from nursing in the service. Baby’s cry, if that bothers someone…Oh well.”

-Elizabeth H. (Mom of 4) “Wear something that makes it easy to feed your baby. Sometimes it means giving up some really cute outfits, but it is worth it to be able to breastfeed with ease.”