Whether moms are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, nourishing a little one takes a ton of time and energy in and of itself. And if a mother is nursing, she obviously has specific to-dos to contend with: figuring out the baby's latch, pumping milk, storing milk, dealing with leaking breasts, possibly fighting mastitis, and oh yeah, figuring out how to respond appropriately when being shamed for simply trying to feed her child.
Sadly, headlines about mothers who face backlash for breastfeeding their little ones, either in public or just in front of someone with a strong opinion, are all too common.
Eye-roll- and sometimes even anger-inducing conflicts along these lines have played out time and again for celebrities, social influencers, and moms all across the country. It seems like closed-minded people are everywhere and just waiting to give moms a hard time for nursing their little ones.
Thankfully, the more these real-life trolls come out of the woodwork, the more breastfeeding mamas fire back with responses that make the whole internet burst out into spontaneous applause. Here, 15 times nursing moms perfectly put their haters in their place after being shamed for breastfeeding.
"A Badass Breastfeeding (Uncovered) Mama"
Back in 2015, a mom named Ashley Kaidel took to Facebook to reveal that a woman out at a restaurant was regarding her "with disgust and shaking her head with judgement" as she nursed her child. Her response: "Breasts were made to sustain your baby's life before they were made to bring pleasure to any other man, woman, partner or spouse. Their sole purpose is to make food and dispense it straight into a baby's mouth. 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 signed it: "A badass breastfeeding (uncovered) mama."
"I don't eat in the bathroom, I'm not feeding my child in there!"
When a breastfeeding mom in the popular Breastfeeding Mama Talk Facebook group had to contend with this shame-y wedding invitation, she fired back, "No way in hell I will leave and nurse her in the bathroom (no matter how 'nice' they make it!) I don't eat in the bathroom I'm not feeding my child in there!"
The Disneyland Mama
Brittni Medina and her family made headlines after heading to Disneyland around the holidays. Medina breastfed her son in the park, while waiting in line for holiday photos, and ended up being passive-aggressively shamed by a couple of park-going women nearby. Instead of firing back with words, she took a brilliant action: "I scooted so they could be in the frame to get a picture. I didn't know my husband actually got them so good — mid-complaining!” she told CafeMom at the time. "I love it because it shows I’m happy and proud to feed my baby even in a crowd! He's happy, my husband and I were happy. It's sad how people get so bothered!"
"I know my rights and will always crusade for justice."
In the midst of her sister's wedding photo shoot at the Cleveland History Center, a mom named Emily Locke took a time-out to nurse her 9-month-old. She was told by a staff member that she couldn't do it in an open area.
"I was pretty shocked," Locke later wrote of the incident on Facebook. "I think I responded with a blank stare, considering the place was nearly empty and the only innocent children around were my children, and also, I was nursing a child not walking around topless. She stared at me for a moment and said 'I guess there is nothing I can do then.' I said 'I guess not' and she walked away while I finished nursing my son." Ultimately, the Center apologized and Locke accepted.
"Cover your own damn head!"
A Georgia mom named Kymmie Snyder was at a hospital nursing her son, who has Cystic Fibrosis, when she was approached by an employee who covered his head with a towel. "When I snatched it off she tried to tell me that I 'had to cover his head' and myself if I wanted to remain in the hospital," Snyder wrote on Facebook of the moment. "I asked her if she knew what she was doing was illegal? She then tries to tell me it is "hospital rules." WHAT THE HELL KIND OF HOSPITAL HAS EVER HAD THAT RULE!? LOL. So, Mrs. LEONA WILLIAMS of Candler Hospital- idk who you thought you were approaching this morning but I am certainly the wrongggg one.! Cover your own damn head if you have a problem with my son eating."
Preach, mama.
"I know I'm doing the right thing."
A mom named Sarah Watwood's baby had to undergo skull surgery due to a diagnosis of sagittal craniosynostosis, a condition where the plates in her skull fused too early. Following the operation, she nursed her L.O. and was met with criticism.
"Maybe it was a lack of education on the subject that led [the commenter] to say what she did or simply a lack of support," Sarah wrote to the Breastfeeding Mama Talk Facebook page. "Either way, I know I'm doing the right thing. I know I'm providing [my daughter] exactly the comfort and nourishment she needs to grow and heal. Just as I did with her three big sisters, I will continue to nurse my sweet girl, despite the comments, harsh words, or judgments."
The Up in the Air Incident
Kristen Hilderman, a Vancouver mom, was on her way home with her family after vacationing in Costa Rica. She was breastfeeding her 5-month-old son on board a United Airlines flight when a flight attendant demanded that she cover up, going so far as to throw a blanket at her. Hilderman took to Twitter to share the heinous details, which certainly wasn't a boon for United's PR.
Moms United
Mothers near Melbourne, Australia banded together to fire back at a shopping mall that had shamed a local mom for breastfeeding in the food court.
"If you don't like this pic, just unfollow me."
Model Sarah Stage, known for maintaining a six-pack while pregnant with her two L.O.s, took to Instagram to respond to commenters who had reported her breastfeeding photos. The proud mom wrote, "If you don't like this pic, just unfollow me. No need to hate on a beautiful moment with my son."
"I just hope more moms realize that it is okay to stick up for themselves."
A mom named Cierra Robison gave birth to twin girls six weeks early, which meant they spent some time in the NICU. And during that time, Robison got into a tense conversation with a NICU nurse who asked her why she wanted to breastfeed. "I was completely dumbfounded. I asked her, 'Why WOULDN'T I breastfeed?'" Robison explained to PopSugar. "She then proceeded to tell me how only 8 percent of African-American women breastfeed and how there's a negative stigma due to wet nursing during slavery."
In an Instagram post on the Black Women Do Breastfeed page, she wrote, "She was trying to talk me into supplementing formula since they were 6 weeks early, I politely declined her advice. As a result, my babies were 4 lb 5 oz and 4 lb 7 oz when leaving the hospital but a month later they are both 6 lb 8 oz off of nothing but breastmilk."
Robison later told CafeMom: "I just hope more moms realize that it is okay to stick up for themselves and to follow that maternal instinct. Oh, and of course to normalize breastfeeding."
"This is my body and my page."
Actress Christian Serratos took to Instagram to share a breastfeeding selfie and to put shamers on her page in their place, writing, "This is my body and my page. So I will post what I want, when I want. Those who disapprove can suck my left tit. #workingmom #chill."
Shamed for Nursing Over a Year
An anonymous mom took to Breastfeeding Mama Talk to share that she's heard every criticism under the sun for nursing her toddler: "Everything from, 'She's almost 2 years old, she don't need it anymore,' 'You're not setting a good example for her,' 'She will be picked on,' 'If I was you, I would tell her big girls don't do that — they eat real food,' (which, she does — all kinds of foods)."
But this is the bottom-line for her: "I'm going to give my girl whatever makes her happy and feel good. Plus. I love the bond it brings & that I am the only person who can give her that."
Harassed at Heathrow
A mom named Sophie McBain was flying to New York from London's Heathrow Airport when she was shamed by airport employees for pumping in a private bathroom. She took to Twitter to explain what happened, writing, "This wasn’t about one staff member. It’s a systemic problem. No thought has been given to breastfeeding travelers, we have no space to pump/BF in private & staff have clearly received no training."
The Museum Debacle
Last year, Twitter user @vaguechera was nursing her son at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London when she "flashed a nanosecond of nipple" in the courtyard. She was told to cover up by a museum employee. Her response? Tweet out photos of breasts and nipples from the art around the museum, proving the hypocrisy of the moment. Bravo!