…And I may have looked down and realized my cover was not doing much covering. So, maybe it was a pub…and we were having brunch…and we were the only customers. But it still made me laugh.
The first morning we were of our beach vacation we walked to the “Main Street” area of town. We were trying to find someplace to eat that was not really busy but offered more than what the coffee shops would. We decided on a pub a few storefronts down from the main drag. It was Saturday morning and they had a bunch of the college football games on. There were only women working and they were all cheerful and easy going. We were seated, given menus and had our drink orders taken. The orders went apple juice, water and (some) beer that was on draft. I would have LOOOOVVEDD to order a hibiscus. We were finally on vacation, by the beach and could walk home. But, I was still nursing even though I do pump and store milk, my baby won’t take a bottle. He refuses to do anything but play with it and look up at us with a gum filled grin and milk all over his face. Or, stretch his head away from the nipple E.T. neck style, half crying with milk all over his face. Needless to say it is a work in progress. So, it was water for me. While we were looking over the menus baby boy started to get hungry. When I nurse in an establishment we usually ask an employee if it would be okay for me to breast feed there. It seems to set a nice, supportive tone and it helps minimize the chances that someone might get caught off guard. Although we were the only ones there my husband went and asked the question. The girls working were more than supportive, so I started digging for my privacy cover.
My son loves to eat, but he is to the age now that he is also very curious about the world around him and is easily distracted (which is the main reason I usually try to find a quiet place to feed him rather than out in public). So, even though he was hungry he was also hearing all the football games on, new voices as well his Dad talking next to us and his brother across the table from us. I put the cover around my neck and he assumed the position. He likes to play with the cover (yet another distraction) so I was gripping part of it to keep it tight. He had just stopped nursing but I hadn’t pulled him out or slipped my arm back into my sleeve yet. We were ordering and I was the one who was a little distracted. It was when my stepson was talking to our server about his pancakes that I looked down and realized one of my girls, the one he had been “num numming” from, was not covered at all. She was out there in all her glory. I caught myself from squealing and went ahead and redressed myself. Fortunately for EVERYONE involved my stepson was too busy ordering to notice and no other customers were around to witness it.
So, the story could go one of two directions I could get judged for not only bringing a baby into a bar but nursing him there too. Or, I could be judged for being a topless girl in a bar. Judge away if you want – or laugh, I think it is funny.