Those early months with a newborn can be quite taxing on a mum. Mums function on despite being sleep deprived, sore, emotional and often in a haze, while coming to grips with a new routine. Going out with a baby has its own set of worries which include ‘what happens if the baby does a number three?’ and will I find somewhere to breastfeed the baby?
I remember all the worries and would anxiously put a cover on while I breastfed my babies in public, hoping no one would look my way as my boob would make it’s way into my baby’s mouth.
The fear of breastfeeding in public is still a valid one, with reactions from the public not helping the issue.
One mum in the UK decided to offer a safe place for mums to breastfeed in public. Charlotte Purdie, who is a mum to 1-year-old Bobbie, opened the Milk Lounge café last month.
The café was an idea Purdie came up with as she struggled to find places to breastfeed her son in his first year of life. The 22-year-old asked her husband to take time off work so she could put a business plan together to open the café which is located in Arnold, Nottingham.
The café is specifically for nursing mothers and offers a family friendly space, for mums and dads to have a café dining experience, without having to worry about mum being asked to leave while nursing her baby. There are private areas for mums that like to feed in private as well as snacks that promote healthy milk and a lactation consultant onsite for mothers who need help and reassurance with feeding their baby.
The café is the first of its kind in the UK, and follows similar designed cafes in the U.S.
Sadly, since the opening of the café last month, Purdie has received death threats in the middle of the night. Despite the negative response from some in the community, Purdie believes in her café and hopes it offers a space of respite for mums that want to feed their babies in public.
What do you think of this café model? Have you ever been asked to cover up while feeding your baby in a café?
