After being told that she couldn't breastfeed her 7-month-old inside a Chik-fil-A restaurant, a young mother in Evans, Georgia, decided to take a stand. Samantha McIntosh knew she couldn't let let it slide after a manager told her to cover up last week, which is why she organized a "nurse in" Tuesday night at the fast food restaurant — to prove there is absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding in public.
In a Facebook post, McIntosh explained that before last week, she had never made "a huge deal" about her choice to breastfeed.
But that completely changed after January 20. In her post, which has reached more than 1,500 people in about a week, McIntosh wrote that she has always believed "fed is best."
"I support all ways of feeding our little munchkins and do not tolerate mom shaming in any form or fashion because honestly your mom decisions are your own!" she explained.
And so, she thought nothing of it when she decided to nurse her daughter in the Chick-fil-A restaurant last week, as she and her 9-year-old niece sat down to eat.
McIntosh couldn't hide her surprise when the manager of the restaurant suddenly came over to her, jacket in hand.
According to McIntosh, the manager informed her that someone had complained and told her she would "prefer if I cover up because of the other children in the restaurant," the mom recalled.Â
"Please keep in mind that I am wearing a nursing tank top under a large long sleeve shirt," she added when describing the incident.Â
The mom also confirmed that she was completely covered at the time.
"My shirt was pulled up and resting on my daughterâs cheek and my tank top was pulled down just enough for my daughter to latch," she continued, "so I happen to know that absolutely no skin was showing and we sat in a booth in the back of the restaurant."
McIntosh added that she has never been "super confident in breastfeeding," and is generally "a pretty modest person."
The entire incident, however, suddenly made her the center of attention.
At one point, McIntosh said the entire restaurant was watching -- which was understandably embarrassing.
The pressure of all those eyes on her caused the mom to make a split-second decision.Â
"I quickly unlatch and tell the manager I will finish feeding her later," she wrote in her post. "But as I sit there in this family-friendly restaurant I start to simmer. Iâll admit it. I got angry."
McIntosh wrote that even her niece was confused as to why she couldn't breastfeed, as were some of the other customers.
"The nice mother behind me that watched the entire scene play out got mad also," McIntosh wrote. "She called another manager over and began asking about policy, inclusion, and corporate contact information. That manager quickly gave her corporateâs number and ran back behind the countertop."
It didn't end there. The original manager soon came back and told the mom restaurant staff had every right to ask her to cover up.
The manager also added that she should "just leave it at that."
McIntosh insisted that she wasn't going to cause "a big scene" — particularly in front of her niece — but when the manager came back and said that to her, she couldn't let it go.
"I wasnât even causing a problem," she asserted, "and she had now not only embarrassed me once by telling me in front of half the restaurant that I needed to cover up to nurse but CAME BACK AND EMBARRASSED ME AGAIN by telling me to let it go in front of half the restaurant!!"
So, McIntosh decided to pack up and head out.
"All while trying to explain to my niece that I wasnât doing anything wrong by nursing and that some people donât see it for what it is (feeding a hungry baby)," she wrote, before adding that she was "extremely disappointed in the way Chick-fil-a management handled the situation."
She wasn't going to let it lie.
The mom returned Tuesday, after deciding to "fight back" peacefully -- with a mama-driven protest.
The fact of the matter is, McIntosh was well within her rights to nurse in the restaurant. Georgia state law offers "protection of the right of a baby to breastfeed by authorizing a mother to breast-feed in any location, public or private."
Several other mothers were willing to stand up for their right to nurse in public too, and showed up for McIntosh's nurse-in at the Mullins Crossing Chick-fil-A restaurant with their babes, WJBF reported.
One woman who spoke with the news station said she was appalled at Chik-fil-A's handling of the matter.
âThey pride themselves on their Christian beliefs and their family values," said Ashley Raskin of North Augusta. "Clearly some people disagree with publicly breastfeeding. With the way society is today itâs ridiculous because you see people with summer clothes, which is fine, but I canât sit here and discreetly breastfeed without making someone uncomfortable.â
There's good news: It looks like McIntosh's story — and the message behind her nurse-in — did not fall on deaf ears. The owner of the Mullins Crossing location has since issued a written apology to the mom, WJBF reported.Â
"[I am] sorry for the experience Ms. McIntosh had in our restaurant yesterday," owner Jason Adams wrote in the letter. "I have reached out to her to personally apologize. My goal is to provide a warm and welcoming environment for all of our guests."
Still, McIntosh had some strong words for the owner — even after his apology.
âI kind of told him that the only goal here is to encourage education," she told the station, "[to] have a better way to handle this in the future.â
