For many mothers, breastfeeding is a process that helps them to forge a strong and healthy bond with their children.
There can be no doubt that it’s a personal and intimate endeavour, which is why mom Stephanie Hanna was left both shocked and offended after learning that a daycare worker had breastfed her son without permission.
To make matters worse, there was nothing Stephanie could do, as she learned the act is not against the law. Her story, which she shared on parental blog Café Mom, has upset a good may moms, causing no end of heated debates online.
The ordeal first started when Stephanie arrived to collect her 15-month-old son Westley from day care. There, she learned information that left her disgusted and speechless.
No sooner had Stephanie arrived at Happy Kids Pre-school & Daycare in Shingle Springs, California, than did she hear one teacher tell another how her son was “obsessed with boobs”.
Needless to say, the mom was uncomfortable, and didn’t fully understand what the teacher meant.
Abashed, the teacher tried to clarify by telling Stephanie: “Okay, I was feeding [my baby] and he [Westley] was staring at me so I was like, ‘Well, just stick it in there and see what he does.’”
Stephanie was left speechless. Was the teacher really saying she’d nursed Westley herself without any prior consent?
It turned out that Stephanie’s fears were realized. The preschool teacher and her colleague admitted they had nursed her son, and that they didn’t think there was anything strange about it.
Incredibly, the teacher then said: “He’s gonna grow up liking brown women and not know why!”
Left furious
Naturally, Stephanie’s husband was also furious when he heard the story. He called the day care’s director, only to be told there is no law against breastfeeding someone else’s child.
“The sheriff forwarded the report to the sex crimes detectives, who were also shocked and disgusted but determined there is no law against breastfeeding someone else’s child without consent,” Stephanie went on to share.
“And because my son couldn’t testify against the day care worker and day care itself, it would be my word against hers.”
Instead, the sheriff’s office suggested Stephanie and her husband should file a civil suit against the day care center, which they did.
The process has been a lengthy one, taking more than two full years. Even now, the case is ongoing, with no clear end in sight.
Now, Stephanie hopes her story will shed some light on the fact that there is no law against breastfeeding someone else’s baby in the U.S. She thinks that’s an issue, and wants others who agree to get behind her.
“We never want another family to have to go through what we have for almost two years now trying to get justice so we can start healing,” she said.
What do you think about Stephanie’s views?
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