Nursing

[maighdeanmhara]

On our 12/01 cruise, I will still be nursing my (by then) almost 7-month old. Has anyone done this? Is it ok to nurse in the public areas (with a cover) or should I return to my cabin? What about in port?

[Essiesmom]

Go to the upper right corner and in Search this forum, type in breast feeding. You will get a ton of threads that deal with this. EM

[cb at sea]

Of course it's ok! It's even more ok in other countries than in the US....we are so uptight!

 

As a nursing mother, you know how to be discreet....99% of folks won't have a clue that you're nursing at all.

[maighdeanmhara]

Actually, I did the search and didn't see much. Maybe I didn't look closely enough at them, I just skimmed the titles.

 

Thank you! I normally nurse in public but for some reason I was more concerned about annoying people on the ship.

 

 

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[alliecatn1]

There is zero reason not to nurse where you are. Good for you, mama! I used a cover until my son was 9 or 10 months old then stopped using the cover (DS sweats a ton while nursing and it was summertime, I wasn't going to make him hot and miserable for somebody else's comfort!). It took me a long time to perfect my discreet nursing without a cover and have the confidence to do so, but nobody ever sees anything when I nurse now. Be sure you and your kiddo are comfortable with your choice but in the end that's all that matters :-) BTW, have you heard of undercover mamas? They're my nursing lifesaver. Such a brilliant, simple idea that makes NIP much easier. The only skin anybody sees is my arms! Lol. Enjoy your trip!

[dealic]

I am still nursing my 18 month old and will be in 3 weeks on our cruise. I don't use a cover. Of course, at 19 months, less will occur in public simply because she nurses less. But if need be, I will. Like if we are on an excursion and she needs a nap and can't settle. In fact, I kept her nursing this long because of the cruise. That way if she gets sick or has trouble sleeping, I have a surefire treatment.

 

I say nurse wherever you need to and don't worry :) No need to spend the whole cruise in your room (unless you want to).

[Lerin]

Of course you can nurse, your baby needs to eat! :)

 

Our first cruise was the day after my son turned 6 months at which point he hadn't had a single piece of solid food. I nursed him just as I had at home, which of course, he expected.

If anyone had an issue, they kept it to them self. Which is good, because if they had said anything out loud my husband would've made their issue much bigger! :D

 

If someone has a problem, then that's what it is: their problem.

They can go complain about their beliefs that 7-month-olds should starve if they so desire.

 

Have a fun cruise, there is something quite special about babies on cruises. Cherish the moment.

[khm1]

On our 12/01 cruise, I will still be nursing my (by then) almost 7-month old. Has anyone done this? Is it ok to nurse in the public areas (with a cover) or should I return to my cabin? What about in port?

 

Where are you cruising to? You will notice that in the Caribbean, the locals are very accepting of BF. I went to St. Thomas for a week when DD was 6 months old. No one so much as batted an eye when I nursed her. As a matter of fact, I was nursing with a cover on the beach once. A local lady came up to me and asked me why I was covering the baby when it was so hot. I told her that I was trying to be discreet. She scoffed and said "There's no need for that, now!" I received many comments from locals of how she must be breasted since she looked so healthy. After that, I just nursed wherever and whenever and no one seemed to care. Formula is extremely expensive there. I am not sure if that is an incentive for more women to BF there or if it is a cultural thing.

 

I cruised with DD when she was 12 months. She was still actively nursing. We mostly nursed in the cabin since she didn't nurse as often AT&T hat age. However, I did nurse her in port and on the ship in public a few times. No one said anything to me. I was always discreet, but a crying baby is more of a distraction than a nursing one!

 

Go and nurse your baby discreetly when and where you need to. If anyone has a problem, it is their problem, not yours.

[bliss_fully_happy]

I have nursed two different babies on 5 or 6 cruises. There is always a discreet corner. Or a room / disco that is not in use.

 

I really never had an issue finding a nice quiet corner. Minus distractions so that they settle down and eat.

 

 

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[EugeneD]

Where are you cruising to? You will notice that in the Caribbean, the locals are very accepting of BF. I went to St. Thomas for a week when DD was 6 months old. No one so much as batted an eye when I nursed her. As a matter of fact, I was nursing with a cover on the beach once. A local lady came up to me and asked me why I was covering the baby when it was so hot. I told her that I was trying to be discreet. She scoffed and said "There's no need for that, now!" I received many comments from locals of how she must be breasted since she looked so healthy. After that, I just nursed wherever and whenever and no one seemed to care. Formula is extremely expensive there. I am not sure if that is an incentive for more women to BF there or if it is a cultural thing.

 

I cruised with DD when she was 12 months. She was still actively nursing. We mostly nursed in the cabin since she didn't nurse as often AT&T hat age. However, I did nurse her in port and on the ship in public a few times. No one said anything to me. I was always discreet, but a crying baby is more of a distraction than a nursing one!

 

Go and nurse your baby discreetly when and where you need to. If anyone has a problem, it is their problem, not yours.

 

 

 

Completely agree. While there are still plenty of breastfeeding controversies on land, cruises (maybe due to more mixed international contingency, or the Caribbean destination, or simply the fact that everyone is just having a good time), it's not as big a deal. My wife nursed during dinner if needed, and our dining companions on the other end of the long table really could not see much or care much, and I recall, preferred that to the alternative (baby fussing =)

[celle]

Breast feeding is the easiest way to travel with a baby. Well done, OP, for continuing to nurse your baby.

While I see no reason for you not to nurse your baby anywhere it is convenient, you may encounter the occasional person who chooses to be offended by it. For that reason alone (so that you are not hassled), you may find it easier to nurse in a quiet corner. You may also find that your baby is distracted by all that is going on around you, and may feed better where it is peaceful and quiet. Otherwise, nurse wherever you like. It's the best thing for your baby.

 

I nursed all three of my children until they were about a year old - each one weaned himself/herself around that time. I will never forget the kindness of a stranger who lent me her scarf, so that I could nurse my baby on a crowded train. It was in Australia while we were on holiday and I had not anticipated that my son would need extra fluids because of the very hot weather (I learned to also carry water for him after that). He woke up and started crying for a drink. I was wearing a sun dress and feeding him with discretion would have been almost impossible. This lovely woman saw my dilemma and offered me her scarf. Problem solved - peaceful baby once again!

[katiedidthat]

I say go and just nurse like you would at home. I know that my son nurses best when it is quiet so I will go back to my room, but honestly, if you can nurse in public- go for it! I'm just glad that on a cruise ship I'm never really that far from my room so I don't have to carry a diaper bag and stress over being away through a feeding.

I would be far more comfortable nursing in public in the Bahamas than here in the US, sad though that may be.

[Huxley'sCruisers]

I am still nursing my 18 month old and will be in 3 weeks on our cruise. I don't use a cover. Of course, at 19 months, less will occur in public simply because she nurses less. But if need be, I will. Like if we are on an excursion and she needs a nap and can't settle. In fact, I kept her nursing this long because of the cruise. That way if she gets sick or has trouble sleeping, I have a surefire treatment.

 

I say nurse wherever you need to and don't worry :) No need to spend the whole cruise in your room (unless you want to).

Me too! My daughter will turn 18 months on our cruise starting next week and I am still nursing just to get through the trip, hoping it will help soothe her in unfamiliar areas. At home we pretty much only nurse first thing in the morning and before bed, but on the trip I will nurse if she needs to settle down for a nap or something. Do what you need to do and don't worry about other people. If they have a problem that's just what it is - their problem.

[maighdeanmhara]

Thanks everyone! I was certainly hoping it wouldn't be a problem to nurse in public, as I also have a 2 year old who will not be happy to have to go back to the room every time his brother needs to eat (still every 2 hours!).

 

So, since we're on that subject, any tips to help him stretch out his feedings? I would love it if he would sleep a 4 hour stretch at night. Being the Mom-Zombie on a cruise does not sound fun.

 

 

 

 

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[celle]

Maybe start him on a few solids? I know that the recommendation nowadays is to withhold solids for longer, but 5 months or 15 pounds in weight is reasonable. It often depends on your baby's behaviour - bigger babies need more, sooner.

[katiedidthat]

I found that I could get 4-6 hours at night if I fed my son every hour from 6pm until his bedtime and, after about 6 months old I stopped offering every 2 hours and he wouldn't "ask" until closer to 3-3.5 hours. I guess he had just gotten used to me offering to feed him more often and didn't actually need it.

[khm1]

Thanks everyone! I was certainly hoping it wouldn't be a problem to nurse in public, as I also have a 2 year old who will not be happy to have to go back to the room every time his brother needs to eat (still every 2 hours!).

 

So, since we're on that subject, any tips to help him stretch out his feedings? I would love it if he would sleep a 4 hour stretch at night. Being the Mom-Zombie on a cruise does not sound fun.

 

 

 

 

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I had 2 kids that slept all night by 4 months. My third woke every 2-3 hours until she was 15 months! I parented them all the same way and they were all big babies. DD was just not a good sleeper until she was about 3. I dealt with it by co-sleeping for her whole first year ( something I used to be very against). My advice is to just roll with the punches. They are only little for such a short time. Starting solids may help, but my DD would not take solids until nearly 8 months. She is now 6 and is a good eater and sleeper, so there is hope! Have a great cruise!

[Athankfulheart]

I had 2 kids that slept all night by 4 months. My third woke every 2-3 hours until she was 15 months! I parented them all the same way and they were all big babies. DD was just not a good sleeper until she was about 3. I dealt with it by co-sleeping for her whole first year ( something I used to be very against). My advice is to just roll with the punches. They are only little for such a short time. Starting solids may help, but my DD would not take solids until nearly 8 months. She is now 6 and is a good eater and sleeper, so there is hope! Have a great cruise!

 

 

I agree. Roll with it. Its such a brief time when you look back on it.

[luvsviola]

I nurse anywhere. IMO, find a quiet-ish place and feed the hungry baby. By 7 months, my kiddos were all easily distracted, so I found a quiet corner to make it easier. Remember--you won't see these people ever again anyway!

 

 

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[BuffyIndy113]

Well , id hope you could nurse , aka feed, your baby any Part of the ship you like !! Natural and a necessity !!