Its much easier to discreetly pull up a sweater than it is to unbutton.

Then you can kind of pull your sweater or t-shirt down and cover your self.  Try practicing at home sitting in a kitchen chair (or the closest thing to the chairs in public places)

It is a little awkward at first, but you'll get the hang of it.  

with a button up shirt (unbuttoned) over it like a jacket. Then I pull down the tank, attach baby and all my other bits (like still jiggly belly) are covered up. I never could manage the rather dashing "cape" throw of a baby blanket over my shoulder like some Moms. I always felt like a cross between a matador and a magician, "First you see me, now you don't!" Shazam!

My best pal is a really good public nurser, but if we are in a store, we just take over the really large dressing room and nurse there. We scout out the lunch table behind the large potted palm etc. Modesty is not necessarily anethema to breast feeding. :) Good luck, I'll be there too in 6-8 weeks! Aiieeee!

Personally, I didn't feel comfortable breastfeeding in public until way into the second month.  It wasn't until I got to the point at home that breastfeeding was second nature and the baby was latching on with no fumbling did I feel comfortable going out.  Until then, I would feed the baby, then go out so I got a good hour and a half or two hours until it was time to nurse again.

I agree with the suggestion of an extra layer. My kids wouldn't stand for a blanket or anything covering them but a sweater or jacket to provide some coverage from the side worked great.  And I used to wear loose cotton shirts that would kind of hang down.  Between your clothes and the baby, it's not that hard to cover up.  And finding an out of the way bench or someplace quiet to sit helped until I got more comfortable.  I remember nursing in the car more than a few times.

I loved nursing tanks. But very early on I used an Ultimate Baby Wrap. Maya was comfortable ensconced in the sling and no one knew she was nursing. I was able to nurse her as I walked! Very convenient.

I will also say that I was VERY modest at first...always covered up with a sling or a receiving blanket. In time, it became second nature and while I was never immodest, I did feel comfortable nursing her wherever I needed to, and wasn't self-conscious.

Throwing a blanket over your shoulder can work well, particularly when they are so young that they can't grab it and throw it off immediately.

1.  Glance around and see if anyone is looking directly at me.

2.  Pull up my shirt and latch Milo on as fast as I can.

3.  Pull my shirt down as much as I can.

Here's how a smarter woman I saw at the mall does it.  That one is expensive, but she told me they sell them at target, and they look very easy to sew, too.  Just get her used to it now, or she won't tolerate it.

but in time it will be not such a problem.

You can try special nursing clothes, which have a slit that can be very discreet. I had a couple of dresses like that, which were helpful because you otherwise can't nurse in a dress.

I think the best combination was a knit shirt with a (jersey) knit cotton cardigan. Stretchy, gives some options for artful draping.

Choose a seat for maximum modesty. A back corner in an audience situation. A corner table, maybe with your back to the room in a restaurant. Being nestled among loved ones helps too.

You end up with the child covering your breast, so the end effect is that many people just think you're holding her, and don't realize that she's nursing.

I'm also usually pretty modest. But I also didn't like feeling cooped up in the house, and eventually wanted to go out with the baby.

I started out with the cape. Couldn't see what I was doing with that on, and didn't feel comfortable without being able to see what the baby was doing.

I tried blankets. They always fall off.

Eventually, I found those built-in bra nursing shirts the others are talking about, and those worked really well. They keep you mostly covered, while allowing the baby access ... and you can still see the baby's face/eyes.

However, to tell you the truth, by the end of my breastfeeding days, I just didn't care WHO saw me, or where I did it. I always tried to go to a restroom or discreet place, but sometimes that just isn't possible.

One day, after a frustrating couple of hours trying to get some newspaper clippings photocopied at a Kinkos' type place, the baby was starving and crying ... so I went out to the car in the parking lot, hiked up my shirt and let her go to town -- regardless of the people coming and going around us. I just DIDN'T CARE anymore. :) And no one was silly enough to say anything to me at that moment, or I would have gone off. ha!

My friends and I still giggle about the time we were at the mall, and I had been feeding the baby and she had unlatched. I didn't know it. I was still holding her, and didn't realize I was exposing myself to the entire world passing me by at the food court! LMAO! And again, no one said a word. :)

I only had one sort of rude encounter with a couple who stared openly at me and scoffed when I breastfed at a crowded restaurant. Oh, well. I wasn't exposed (that time! ha!) and figured Mia had every right to eat there as we all did.

Good luck, and go out there proudly! You are Mama, hear you roar! :)

so I am sure I was frequently "exposed" -- eh. You're right it stops bothering you after awhile.

t-shirts mostly, and I didn't nurse in public until my kids were champion eaters so they could get latched on right away. Frankly, I could hardly get out of the house with the two of them at first, so that allowed me the time to get them both really comfortable nursing before I had to do it in public.

I could just sort of hike my boob up and towards the middle, get DD close to it and she worked out the rest.  (This was after a couple of months, though)  Not particularly lovely, but it got the job done and left me with 2- count 'em 2!- free hands.

But I was more well endowed then than I am now.  Not sure this would work for an A cup.

if you're really that uncomfy, these fit nicely in a diaper bag.  And they work rather well, especially with infants.  :)

I felt the same way both times. I kind of resented it when friends would make it seem like it's just so much easier to breastfeed in public than have to bring a bottle. Said friends all have small chests! I have a large chest, and when your boob is bigger than the baby's head, you cannot help but flash something.

My tricks (worked especially well on the airplane):

1. Nursing Tank -- if you can get away with no bra (how is this possible?? How do the pads stay in place??), I guess that is even better. The nursing tank makes it so you don't flash any tummy -- a nice feature when you aren't built like Angelina Jolie.

2. Some type of cardigan or button down top -- can be worn open and loose for warm weather! This helped keep anyone from getting any side views.

3. Blanket -- I'd get baby used to this right away. That was my downfall. I didn't even really have to cover his head, just made sort of a fluff around it to make for more privacy.

the nursing tank.  they rock.  i liked that they give access, you can wear them under whatever you want to wear, and it covers your belly too.  i'd have rather people stared at my breast than my post-baby belly.

thing is, once abby got to be about 4 mos. old, discreet was out of the question... she was ms. on and off, look at us!, wave to passers-by.  so, nursing in public was just not comfy for me anymore... we used dressing rooms, the car, and yes, the table behind the big palm tree.  it was so easy when she was little and would nurse as long as i could tolerate, but once she became more social, it was definitely something else.  and at 8 mos., it was an acrobatic experience that i could barely feel comfortable doing in front of my own husband.

and a sling!

you can even walk around and nurse w/ the sling- it really made my life better.

if you shop and sell on ebay, you can sometimes buy your nursing clothes, wear them, then sell them and get some of or most of your money back

i did it w/ maternity clothes too- i posted ads w/ tons of photos and info, so people usually bid more than they would have for an item w/ just one pic and a few words.

w/ some of my clothes i even ended up selling the clothes for more than i paid.

anyway, nursing clothes will make your life so much easier, and some of them are so pretty you'd never guess they were made for nursing.

I'm shameless, live in Seattle and have small boobs so I don't care about exposed skin, but check this out -- http://www.bellysock.com/

It sounds goofy but working up to nursing in public is nice -- in the park with other nursing moms before you're in a place with all 70 year old conservative men, for exmple ;-)

Expressiva nursing wear.I used a lot of their stuff when I was in the US and more uncomfortable about feeding. I never cared here in Oz. And that's not because Americans ever said anything or looked at me oddly...just because people had all told me how terrible Americans were about it. How sad is that?

I third or fourth the Maya wrap and wearing a pull up knit shirt, covered by a button down shirt or cardigan.

I was never one for any blankets or capes or anything... nothing wrong w/them I just couldn't deal with all the props.  

Here's a great suggestion I've heard a few times if you are concerned about your exposure.  Sit in front of a mirror and watch yourself latch the baby on.  I bet you'll be surprised to see how little breast you actually see.  If you are still uncomfortable with the amount you are showing, practice in front of a mirror a few times so that you become comfortable.  

Like others, I think a sling can work wonders in concealing breastfeeding.  I breastfed both mine in slings and it keeps your hands free.  Once you get really good at that, you can actually nurse hands free while walking around shopping, etc. :)

Nursing clothes are great too.  Some of them can be pretty pricey.  If you are on a budget, you can take an old t-shirt of two and cut slits in them and then wear them under other shirts or sweaters.  

Best of luck, and don't hesitate to post again if you have any other questions!

One thing I did was to be intentional about wearing the easiest one-handed nursing bra I owned on days I thought I'd probably have to nurse in public.  The main flashing point is when you are latching and unlatching and unbuttoning and buttoning again.  If your bra is super easy to unhook and hook one handed (not all of mine were), it makes things much easier.  This one was not necessarily the most stylish or supportive, but in some situations those features were less important than easy.

I also found that if I was sitting on a bench, the stroller strategically positioned would provide quite a bit of coverage.

My last thing was just to realize that if I was too tense about the whole situation, DD didn't nurse nearly as easily.  So I did my best to figure out the best setup and then just tried to go for it and relax. If you are even a little bit discreet, someone usually has to really be trying hard to catch a peek.  

The rare times that I have to nurse in public the baby can tell that I am tense and responds accordingly.  As far as ease of use and modesty are concerned, I love nursing camisoles.  They go underneath normal clothes so if you lift up your shirt your belly is covered.  I bought a few from Motherwear while pg with Mary Rose but I found that Target sells them as well and I was more impressed with the quality of the ones at Target.  The other thing I liked about them is that I couuld push them aside from the top instead of unsnapping and nurse from the top with scoop necked shirts as well.  Good luck!

Lots of great suggestions here! I will definitely have to try a nursing tank. I like the idea of covering the jiggly stuff!!

I have a sling but I'm scared to death of putting her in it (she's still so small!). Maybe in a couple months or so . . .

Even at less than 2 weeks, I can tell she's getting better at latching-- less of that wild head-swinging rooting going on. This can only get easier, right?

Thanks again!!!!

One thing to add: for the first few times pick a "low risk" spot to get started.  I couldn't do it at all the first few weeks with DD because she was so floppy I needed 3 hands to latch her, and didn't then have any hands to cover myself.  Finally, when I was out for a walk and she was melting down, I went into the public library, found a corner, and gave it a shot.  No one to see me, no big deal.  Then, I tried it when I was out to dinner with a group of people I knew well, all of whom had breastfed.  No one there cared so it felt safe.  

By the end I was whipping it like a pro anyplace, anytime.  I bet this group could put together a great "craziest place you've breastfed" competition!

--R