milk shaking

With me breastfeeding Anna six to eight times a day, there's a lot of breast baring going on in our house and the "feed machines," as they are often called now, have become a regular topic of conversation. And so, this blog post was born.

I love breastfeeding. Thankfully, Anna was good at it from the start, so aside from a few sore weeks, it's been a pleasure. Anna gets so excited when she's about to eat and smiles and giggles as she latches on. I love snuggling with her and time just disappears as she gazes up into my eyes... *sigh*

I also love that it's so convenient. I've nursed at the Houston Fine Arts Museum, the Space Center, McDonalds, in the Target, Walmart, and Gap dressing rooms, at airports, in airplanes, at friends' houses, at church, in the movie theater, etc. I cover up while I'm nursing, but that's mostly for other people's comfort than for my own. The more I nurse, the less worried I am about strangers seeing my breast.

About a week ago, I read an article by a self-proclaimed "lactivist". (Alas, I could not remember where I read it, so there's no link to it.) A Christian, stay-at-home-mom, who had never considered herself a radical, she had participated in her La Leche League, nurse-in's, and touted the benefits of breastfeeding to all her friends. Oh how I identified with her. I would LOVE to attend a nurse-in, to show my solidarity. It's the kind of protest I could really get into.

Yet, I understand when women don't feel as comfortable as I do baring it all. Between conventions of modesty and these women, the market for nursing covers has boomed. With their clever names-- Hooter Hiders, Peek-A-BooBs, Moo Moo Mama--and trendy fabrics, nearly every nursing mother I know owns one. They range in cost from $18- $70. I recently found instructions for how to make my own and did. The whole project cost about $6, and I've been toying with the idea of selling them ever since.

Sam and I brainstormed business ideas at the dinner table. I could sell them online, or at a craft fair. They could have matching burp cloths, or little pockets. The real gem of an idea though was the name. And so, in honor of solidarity and World Breastfeeding Week, I share with you...

Boob Noob!TM
"For the breastfeeding noob to cover her boobs"

Does your blanket keep falling off while you nurse in public, sharing more than you care to bare?
Try the Boob Noob!TM for nursing privacy wherever you go