Lord, let me blend in with the wall!

St. Peter’s Basilica at Early Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia) P.S. This wasn’t the church I was at!

When my youngest was born, she made her first church appearance just a few days later. Being understandably tired, we didn’t make it to our usual Mass, but went to an 11:00 a.m. at a church I’m not as familiar with. The baby slept wonderfully through Mass until just before the end. When she began to cry, I picked her up and looked around for a private hidey-hole in which to discreetly feed her. Then I spotted a folding  chair in a dark corner, far from any people. Perfect!

A minute later, Mass was over and I soon discovered a crucial architectural structure that I had previously overlooked:

One of your headlights is out.

I was at a Bible study with my church group, which is normally all women. This one particular day, someone’s husband decided to come along and was seated across from me. I had my newborn baby with me, and when she got fussy, I excused myself to nurse her. When I returned to my seat, I noticed the man staring at my chest with a somewhat confused and bewildered expression. I was rather put off by this, but when I looked down, I understood.

Could you keep it down, please?

During Mass the baby needed to nurse. I didn’t feel comfortable doing so in front of everyone, so I went down to the basement, bringing my toddler with me. While I was nursing, my older daughter was taking advantage of the large open area and the fact that I couldn’t catch her while feeding the baby.