Hey FIL, would you like to borrow one of the baby's blankets to put over your head?

[Krisrich]

On Sunday, I was sitting on MY couch, in MY house, very discretely nursing my five month old DD2. FIL was seated in an armchair to my right watching soccer. After about 10 minutes of nursing, this exchange takes place.

FIL: "Hey MIL, is daughter-in-law doing what I think she is doing?"
MIL: "Yes."
FIL then turns his head waaaay over his shoulder in an exaggerated fashion.
FIL: "I will look away until you tell me she's finished."

Honestly, FIL, get a life.

[edurnemk]

What an @ss... If he's so uncomfortable he could've just left the room for a few minutes, he was't even in his house. I don't see the need to say such things. Those comments were extremely rude, IMO. I know some people are not comfortable with NIP and I understand it (although this wasn't a public place), but he can just look the other way without saying anything.

I always nursed with a cover, I'm very shy and never felt comfortable nursing uncovered, and even with a cover I got a couple of glares from FIL. Lucky for him, he never dared open his mouth. But he'd make it very obvious that he was walking away because he was uncomfortable.

[MamaMolly]

Makes me want to smack him for you. Invite him to leave the room next time. What an a$$.

[ehlana06]

To satisfy my sarcastic urge I would have said something like...

"FIL I'm sorry I'm making you so uncomfortable. I'll stop. Hopefully his screams of hunger will not interrupt your soccer game too much."

For goodness sakes it's a flipping breast. I don't understand why people get so upset. I used to run a portrait studio in a mall. I put a sign up in the store front that said "Nursing mothers are welcome" in response to a woman being asked to leave a competitor's studio because she was nursing while waiting for her appointment. It was a huge controversy.

[citymama]

Ugh! You have my sympathies. Yesterday my BIL (and father of 2 young kids himself) half jokingly said"isn't that something you should be doing in another room?" to which I asked "now why would I do that?"

[niccig]

Tell him to leave the room if you feeding YOUR child in YOUR house makes him uncomfortable. Sheesh...

I didn't realise I was so lucky with my ILs, both were nurses, and BF didn't even register on their "uncomfortable" radar. They could have both been in the delivery room, they weren't, and they still wouldn't have batted an eye. Now, my Dad was a little uncomfortable about me BF, but he got over it pretty quickly - my mum told him to get over it.

[TwinFoxes]

Tell him to leave the room if you feeding YOUR child in YOUR house makes him uncomfortable. Sheesh...



:yeahthat: Or better yet, offer to call him a cab.

[ewpmsw]

Why did he have to comment at all? He's a big boy. He can look away without permission, right?

My IL's are very uncomfortable with BFing, even though MIL just told me she breastfed DH when he was brand new. (I almost fell over when she told me that!) I'm kind of ashamed to say that I used to leave the room to BF, whether I was at their house or mine. SIL got into that habit with them with her two kids and they expect it now. With our second DC on the way, I'm not so sure I'll be as accommodating. I'm expected to go upstairs (their house or mine.) In some ways, it's a relief to have a reason to excuse myself to another room.

[infomama]

Tell him to leave the room if you feeding YOUR child in YOUR house makes him uncomfortable. Sheesh...


:yeahthat:

[deborah_r]

I've only visited my sister and brother-in-law a few times since I had kids (we live on opposite coasts) but I am very close to them, as I lived with them for my last two years of high school and some summers when I was in college. I know they are not that comfortable with BFing, but they tried to not get freaked when I did it at their house. I was staying with them, so had no choice. DS1 was about 13 months my first visit and I think my sister called out something to him, he was nursing and my BIL said "he can't talk, his mouth is full!" and laughed. I thought it was hilarious and was happy he could joke and not be freaked out. They never asked me to go to another room or anything. I think I helped normalize BFing for them, because they know me and don't think I'm totally crazy (just a little maybe, after all I do live in California now!) and so they figured BFing couldn't be that weird if I do it.

[ncat]

I always left the room to nurse when my parents or in laws were visiting.
It makes me sad that I felt more comfortable nursing in public, in front of strangers, than in front of my own family.

It was a nice way to take a break and rest, though.

[ewpmsw]

I always left the room to nurse when my parents or in laws were visiting.
It makes me sad that I felt more comfortable nursing in public, in front of strangers, than in front of my own family.

It was a nice way to take a break and rest, though.

I agree that it's sad, and feel only a little guilty saying thanks for posting, b/c I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. Some things aren't worth making into a battle, esp. when it comes to family.

[edurnemk]

I always left the room to nurse when my parents or in laws were visiting.
It makes me sad that I felt more comfortable nursing in public, in front of strangers, than in front of my own family.

It was a nice way to take a break and rest, though.

:yeahthat: I did enjoy having that "excuse" to get a little break during family visits, especially IL visits.