I have zero judgements about anyone breastfeeding in public and as a matter of fact think it is pretty cool, however, my shy little personality is not quite so comfortable doing the same thing. Add to that the fact that I am a first time mom and not quite a confident breastfeeder yet and it causes me a fair amount of anxiety. I have noticed that private areas are not so easy to come by in public places and am not sure how to navigate things so I am comfortable. Last time we went out I was pumping due to mastitis and had some breastmilk ready to be fed in a bottle, however, the ladies suffered with no way to empty my milk supply (I got severely engorged and a clogged duct but was thankfully still on meds so no infection) the engorgement issue seems much better now as I am three weeks in but being a first time mom I'm not sure if going without pumping again will give me the same results. Suggestions for getting by? Private places? Would pumping in advance and gong without while out work better this time? Need help 
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I struggled because LO HATED to be covered. Honestly, we stayed in A LOT. But, when we did go out I would pump before and give a bottle or nurse in the car. We nursed in the car pretty often!
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When I was nursing, I found it to be more comfortable for me to go to the car. I would bring the boppy along too, and that was helpful. I know a lot of girls go to dressing rooms in stores, and I would have tried that if I wasn't close to the car.
ETA: Oh, and if you're a mall with a Nordstrom, they have a very nice nursing room that I've used before. Very clean and private with comfy chairs!
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We used a nursing cover and it worked for us. I also tried to be discreet but that isn't always possible with busy baby hands and feet! I almost never went to a special nursing area because it was too much of a hassle. I nursed in the car quite a bit too.
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To make myself more comfortable, I usually find somewhere like a dressing room so I can have some privacy. I also nurse in my car a lot! I wish I could nurse in public, but LO loves to pop off and look around at everything and kicks off any kind of blanket or cover.
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I started nursing in a carrier with a cover and that helped a lot . By 2 years old we were just doing it as needed.
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My biggest piece of advice for new moms is this: Breastfeed in public EARLY and OFTEN. It's the only way you will get more comfortable. Because, yes, BFing in public is awkward and weird and you feel like everyone is staring at you. I *promise* they are not. (I regularly go to lunch with a friend who nurses without a cover - I have never once seen anyone give her a weird or dirty look. Seriously.)
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Nursing in the car can be helpful especially if you park further back in a parking lot. I am very much for nursing in public, but my LO got so distracted it just didn't work for us.
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I think it depends how long you will be out but I agree that the car or dressing rooms are good options. Or often baby stores have special rooms- I know buy buy baby does.
It's certainly trickier at a restaurant though. Any specific situations you are thinking of?
Oh and once your supply gets more established and regulated, you won't get as engorged missing one feeding now and then. It's really in the beginning, where you are now, that it is so so uncomfortable.
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I think the more you do it, the more comfortable you get! In the early weeks we nursed in the car, dressing rooms, secluded corners or sitting areas and eventually I just started nursing where ever and got really comfortable after a couple of weeks. I have a super huge cover with awesome boning inside so it kept us both covered but wasn't all over her face.
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@septca: I agree that doing it early and often is the way to go. I'm way less squeamish about it than I thought I would be, buti had to get used to it since C nursed all the time in the beginning. It really helped that I had a weekly lunch with a new moms group so there were also a couple of us nursing at any given time. But it also helps that c is a pretty dainty eater- not a big spitter and doesn't thrash around too much.
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My first time nursing in public was on public transportation but he was about to start wailing so I knew people were going to stare at me one way or another. I'm normally a private person but you find you change a lot for your child without realizing it. I never thought I'd be sniffing butts but now I do it all the time with my LO without a second thought. =P
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I also nurse in the car a lot, but honestly I've become a little bit of a honey badger about NIP since I'm on LO no. 2. I flashed several dudes this morning, in fact. Dressing rooms are good in a pinch. Booths at restaurants help block many angles. A good nursing cover with a wire at the top helps when you are still getting the hang of it. And yes, there's no shame in pumping a bottle and bringing it with you if you're more comfortable that way.
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I live in the 'burbs and rarely have needed to breastfeed in public, but the times I have the best thing was to have her in the Ergo and wear a cardigan or button down. I loosened everything up so LO was sitting on my lap, facing me. My front was covered by her head and the Ergo, sides were totally covered by cardigan or shirt.
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I nurse a lot in the backseat of my car. My girl hates to be covered. I've nursed under the cover at the doctor's office, and in the nursing room at the mall/BBB. My Mom's group is the only place I'm really comfortable going without the cover.
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Have you tried nursing in front of a mirror just to check out how you look nursing? You might be surprised by how little skin is on show
Give it time mama, it will get easier!
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i nursed LO in a ton of random public places when she was littler (now that she is older, i just time it so we're usually at home when she needs to eat). i used a cover, scarf, did it in my car, in a corner, on a bench. even when she wasn't covered, people barely noticed what we were doing!
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I agree that the more often you do it, the more comfortable you get. It was for me.
I use a nursing cover when we're out. If I want it to be more discrete looking because nursing covers can be kind of loud in color and pattern that says "Hey! Nursing over here!!", I use one of his blankets. The A&A ones are large enough that when I fold it in half, it still provides ample coverage, but it looks like I'm just covering him up with a blanket while he sleeps.
Depending on how long you'll be out, you can pump and feed him a bottle. For me, when we're out and about, if I pumped before I left, by the time I feed him the pumped bottle, my boobs are full again and I feel engorged and uncomfortable (aka need to pump!) so I find nursing to be a better solution. Relieve myself while feeding my LO!
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I nursed in the car a few times but frankly, I just got used to nursing in public pretty quickly. I hated nursing covers because I felt like they actually draw more attention! Once you have the hang of things and your breasts aren't so engorged and your baby is a more efficient feeder, things will get easier, I promise! I also find wearing a big scarf helps, you can adjust it any way you need.
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Depending on where we are and who we are with I will nurse in the car, covered with an A&A blanket or just nurse without a cover. I'm much more comfortable with it now that LO is 3 months. She latches easily and eats quickly. The first few times were a little awkward but it gets easier and really helps preventing feeling trapped at home.
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