To Cover or Not to Cover...while nursing, tis the question.

Rixa's post about nursing covers got me thinking about something I've become somewhat subconscious about; nursing in public, especially at Mass. It's very strange that while we lived in Texas, then Kentucky (for a short period) and then Southern California I grew more and more confident in nursing in public. I was quite comfortable with it by time my 2nd and 3rd children came along. I nursed them just about anywhere I went, and I took my babies with me nearly everywhere (including a military Ball).

However, once we moved to Virginia I started feeling more self conscious about it. When we first arrived I wasn't nursing anyone and was expecting baby #4, and we elected to attend a church that seemed very conservative and traditional. There are always many pregnant and new mommies at our church, lots of little children keep the pews energetic and lively. Mother's often nursed their babies too, but usually, the women at this church used nursing covers. I began to feel sort of peer pressured. I hadn't seen anyone nurse at church without one of these covers.

Now, I know from my early days nursing my firstborn son, that covering his head while nursing wasn't going to result in a smooth and easy session. And surprisingly enough, trying to cover up wouldn't guarantee total discretion. Usually, tossing a blanket over the babies head results in a struggle that takes away all discretion, as baby is pulling and tugging on the blanket, and my hands are distracted from holding a shirt (for quick cover) to trying to keep the blanket cover in place. I had already learned that it's best to just dress for easy  nursing access and make latching on quick and flashless. I knew how to do it without showing boob, yet for some reason I felt like I was expected to use the extra cover up since that's what everyone else was doing.

And now I'm 6 months into baby #5 and I'm finally built up enough courage to just nurse the baby in church without the ridiculous udder cover. I'm not really sure what anyone else thinks about that, but I've decided to just not ask or look around to find out. Perhaps it's true, more women need to see how it can be done, and I need to just stop being a coward about it and just nurse the baby already. I know how, and I don't need the cover, never did.

And I suppose if anyone ever bothers me about it I can tell them the story a Priest told me once, long before I had kids or was even Catholic. We were talking about his experience giving Holy Communion to a woman crawling on her knees, while nursing her baby. This image of her represented the humility with which we should come to the Lord. And anyhow, I'm pretty sure the Virgin Mary nursed the baby Jesus, so I doubt he would have a problem with me nursing my babies at Mass.