The American Academy of Pediatrics advises mothers should breastfeed their children solely for the first six months or so, then to continue while gradually introducing other meals for at least a year. Additionally, it is now legal to breastfeed in public in all 50 states as of 2018, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still frowned upon in various communities around the nation. Here is the complete story on the drama surrounding the “breastfeeding shaming” incident between two unfamiliar ladies in the park. Read to know what happened and what you think of this situation.
Source: Reddit
OK, so my kids (F3 and M2) had their flu vaccine scheduled in the middle of a pre-school session, so me & husband decided not to take them in for it, & just have a nice day all together instead. So we went to the flu clinic then the park.
We had been there for 35 minutes, there were probably 4 other toddlers there with their grownups. I was pushing my 3yo on the swing, and my partner was playing with our 2yo on the little bouncers. We were all having a good time, me & the girl are chatting/giggling, & daddy is laughing with the boy.
So then, a woman comes in with her kid that looks older, probs 6/7. They wander for a bit, her son seems kind of stroppy & huffy, & is complaining. So then she sits down on the benches in the middle of the park within eyeline of everyone else at the park, and starts to breastfeed him! I made eye contact with my husband, and he widened his eyes and kind of nodded in her direction, and then I kind of grimaced back to him. She didn’t see this.
However my daughter ‘Molly’, who is very chatty/speaks quite loudly, immediately says to me “Mummy, why has that lady got her booby out?”, to which I reply “I think… she is giving the boy some booby milk”. We then have a conversation that went something like this:
Molly : Is that like when Jane (SIL) feeds booby milk to baby Harry (cousin)?
Me : yeah
Molly : but that boy isn’t a baby. He’s a big boy, like Ruby (older cousin)
Me : yeah, I know
Molly : Why would he drink booby milk from a mummy if he is a big boy?
Me : Honestly, I dont know why.
Molly : its a silly thing for big children to do isn’t it
Me : mhh
Molly : he could have food instead, like broccoli or eggs or jelly
Me (seeing an opportunity to get out of this convo) : or cake. Do you like cake? You’ve got a treat cake for having your vaccination, and a smoothie in the car. Shall we go home soon?
We then got off the swing, had a play on the slide, said goodbye to the park & went over to the car, & clipped them in. While I was getting their snacks out of the back, the breastfeeding woman came over without her kid & said “I’m disgusted about how you have shamed me for naturally feeding my child” & that I should teach my daughter that breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, & I obviously don’t care for their emotional/physical wellbeing, and that they need breastmilk instead of their “toxic” cake and smoothy. She had obviously heard the uncomfortable conversation I had with my daughter, which I thought I handled well!
I was speechless for a second, but then said to her that if she really cared for her kid then she wouldn’t leave him standing in a busy car park on his own, and that she should “wind her f***ing neck in”. Her son was just standing in front of her car alone, on the road. I then slammed my boot, got in the car and told my husband to drive!
When I told my husband, he said I was a bit of an a**h**e, but honestly I dont think I was (except swearing). What are your opinions?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
