It is not easy being a mother, especially when so many people have opinions on what motherhood should look like and what a mother should be doing.
This woman chose to feed her baby in public but unfortunately, some people were offended by her actions. This is what happened next…
Young mom Ashley Kaidel refers to herself as a ‘lactivist‘ for her stance of public breastfeeding. She made a post about her experience feeding her child in public that sparked debate.
“Earlier today I posted this picture of my son and I breastfeeding uncovered in a public restaurant,” she wrote in her Facebook post that went viral.
She went on, “In the picture, it appears I’m staring off into the distance. In reality, I’m staring into the eyes of a woman staring at me. She is looking at me with disgust and shaking her head with judgment in an attempt to shame me and indirectly tell me without words that I am wrong and need to cover myself.
“Let me make my reasoning clear on why I post pictures of my son and I publicly breastfeeding uncovered,” she added. “I don’t mean to say ‘Everyone should breastfeed without a cover. Show the world your boobs!’ If a mother is more comfortable covering herself because SHE feels better doing so, then I totally support that.”
Kaidel went on to say that she posted this to encourage other mothers to not feel ashamed for feeding their babies in public. She wrote, “Number one, breastfeeding mothers are protected under law to breastfeed any way, any how, and any where they’re allowed to be in all circumstances otherwise. Number two, you should not ever feel shamed, belittled, embarrassed or wrong for feeding your baby the way nature intended.”
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She wrote that her posts were to shed light on this topic and change minds, “I do this for the person that has the mentality ‘Boobs are to be covered. They’re for your husband’s eyes only. They’re intimate. It’s a personal/private thing to feed your baby. Cover up out of respect. My kids don’t need to see that. Walk out of the room,’ and any other derogatory, close minded comments and sentiments alike.”
Kaidel said that women’s breasts are sexualized too much and their primary purpose is to feed babies. She wrote, “There is nothing weird about this and there’s no difference in me feeding my baby with my breast than you feeding yourself with a spoon.”
She also talked about how shunning women to another room as the breastfeed is not inclusive and isolating to the mother. She wrote,“Secondly, it is exponentially unfair and selfish to ask a mother and baby to exclude themselves from a table or event or gathering because you’re for some reason uncomfortable with how she feeds her child. No person should be isolated and shunned because they’re eating, especially when you yourself are eating while ridiculing how someone else is eating.”
She also had a response for the think of the children’s argument saying that it should be normalized in front of kids as well so they do not think it is some mysterious and ‘wrong’ thing to be doing.
She further added, “So again, I don’t post this for attention,” she concluded. “I don’t post this because I think everyone should nurse uncovered. I post this to give mamas encouragement. And to encourage others to make breastfeeding mothers feel accepted and supported; not alienated, ridiculed and judged.”
Ashley Kaidel clearly feels very strongly about this! What do you think of her stance on public breastfeeding? Let us know in the comments!
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