ParentingBanter.com - View Single Post - Need Advice: Breastfeeding with 3 older (13+) stepson's

**Rosalie B.**

wrote:

Anyhow, I was hoping that someone out there can offer me some advice
about breastfeeding with older children, specifically boys, around. My
husband isn't entirely supportive of it 'cause he thinks that
breastfeeding is an inconvenience. But I've been reading up and I told
him last night that I want to at least try breastfeeding because I feel
that the benefits highly outweigh the inconveniences. The only thing I
am really worried about is how to talk to the boys about it and/or if I
should consider not breastfeeding for the sake of their comfort because
I am afraid that they might feel weird about it. Of course, those of
you that have teenage boys know how they can be sometimes with sexual
type issues.

I feel like it's a natural thing though and I want to explain to them
the reasons why it's so important that I breastfeed. Of course, I
wouldn't be hanging out exposing myself everywhere but just the same I
want to be considerate of their feelings and am worried there's no real
way to balance the issue.

I bf all of my children, and even at home, I wasn't exposed very much,
especially when the kid was little. [When they got older, mine
sometimes stopped to interact (smile - play) but when they are very
little, mine concentrated on eating.] I was at a meeting one day, and
the baby needed to be fed, so I did it. Afterwards the lady sitting
next to me made some comment about that she was glad I wasn't one of
those people who bf. I didn't tell her that I'd been doing that right
next to her.

IMHO the person that is going to be the most problem is not your sons,
but your husband. If their father is on board with it, the boys
should be OK.

I did not have older boys around, but at one point my sister's
brother-in-law was TAD (Temporary Duty) down where we were, and he was
parking his boat and boat trailer in our driveway. (Dh helped him
lubricate the bearings and brakes on it.) He formed the habit of
hanging out at our house.

Now he was a young bachelor, and I didn't know him at all well. (He
was the youngest of my BIL's brothers).

We had one TV and it was in the living room. The Olympics were on (if
you want to know how long ago this was, it was the Olympics in Mexico
City), and I wanted to see them. I had three choices
- leave and bf in the bedroom and miss the Olympics
- tell him to leave (not very hospitable)
- bf in front of him.
I decided that it was my house, and I wouldn't be driven out of my own
living room, and that if he was uncomfortable with it, he could leave.
I didn't express this in words, but he basically ignored the whole
thing, so I don't know if he minded or not.

I had the advantage that this was my third child, so I was
experienced.