One topic that comes up regularly in discussion in society is public breastfeeding. Most women do this since it might sometimes be unavoidable, but this tale shows how many individuals have expressed anger about the problem of covering their bodies while doing so.
One of the many beautiful experiences of becoming a mother is learning how to breastfeed her baby. It is common knowledge among moms that babies should never be kept in a tight spot, particularly when hungry.
When a baby is crying out for their mother’s breast milk, the mother must respond quickly no matter what time it is, what she is doing, or where they are because they are in a public place.
On the other hand, the topic of breastfeeding in public has been the source of a significant amount of discussion up to this point. However, there are major benefits to breastfeeding and the fact that it is necessary for both the mother and the child.
Even though it is becoming more culturally acceptable, it still attracts much more attention than bottle feeding. Unfortunately, it is not usually the “aww, sweet” type of attention.
This is the situation that a nursing mother found herself in 2018, which caused her story to go viral. An unknown person contacted the mother as she was breastfeeding her little boy in a public place and requested that she “cover-up.” However, the woman’s reaction to the comments spoken by the stranger made her story much more interesting to listen to.
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
Dudley’s deal with the Stanger
Melanie Libson Dudley, a new mother from Texas, stated that breastfeeding was an activity she tried to carry out secretly. Although she was breastfeeding her three-month-old son in a remote spot of the restaurant, she kept her back turned to the other diners.
In addition, Dudley was wearing a nursing cover at the time, but she took it off because it was so hot outside. After reflecting on what happened, the mother of three said as much to Yahoo Lifestyle.
“I was on vacation in Cabo San Lucas with my entire family, and a man asked me to cover myself.” I’m usually discreet, but we were seated in the back of the restaurant.”
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
“I did have the cover on, but it was so hot. It was like 95 degrees, and my little boy was sweating. I said, ‘you know what? I’m on vacation; I’m taking this off,'” she further told Today. According to Dudley, after taking off the nursing cover, a male stranger walked up to her and asked her to “cover-up.”
The mother of three admitted that she was “stunned,” and immediately, she had an unusual reaction to the words spoken by the stranger. After Dudley had begged her husband for the nursing cover and gotten it in her hands, she wrapped it around her head to hide her head.
“I just put it over my head. I don’t know why. It wasn’t like a salacious fight or anything. That was just my response. “I had no words, so I thought, I’ll just cover my head instead,” the woman explained.
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
The incident has woken up social media.
After covering her head, Dudley’s husband photographed the hilarious occasion. That photo was eventually uploaded to Facebook on July 30, 2018, by Carol Lockwood, a friend of his mother’s. This is what Lockwood wrote as the photo’s caption:
“A friend’s daughter-in-law was told to ‘cover up’ while feeding her baby, so she did. I’ve never met her, but I think she’s AWESOME!!! (Please Share! With permission, I’ve made this post public — I’m SO over people shaming women for nursing!!!”
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
Lockwood further revealed that the unidentified person was a male and added that Dudley was not in a Muslim country, thereby breaking the customs of that religion. Following the publication of the post by the Facebook user, it was shared over 224 thousand times and had over 136 thousand reactions. Many users on the website went to the comments section to share their comments on the recent event.
Reaction of netizens
A user wrote: “If you want to breastfeed in public, do it. If you don’t like that, don’t do it, and don’t look at others who do. I’m sure your sensibilities can withstand a few seconds’ glances at a woman breastfeeding her baby without permanent psychological injury before looking away.”
“I think she is brilliant. If someone needs to cover, try a pretty handkerchief pinned to your top to lightly cover the baby’s head. That way, you don’t get too hot. I think those breastfeeding covers are over the top,” another user said.
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
A third respondent noted: “OMG, I FREAKING LOVE that woman! No woman should be shamed for nursing their babies! I’ve seen moms doing that in public, and I have never thought it sexual or shameful. It is the most amazing and loving contact from mother to son/daughter. GOOD FOR HER!!! .”
On the other hand, several responders approved of Dudley breastfeeding in public, as well as her answer to it.
“I believe breastfeeding is a beautiful thing. However, I also believe there should be a level of modesty. Sorry, I’m old-fashioned,” a Facebook user replied.
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
Another netizen explained: “I don’t know why her entire breast has to be on display. Feeding your baby doesn’t excuse decency or having respect for other humans.”
“I find it incredibly disrespectful for a woman to pop out her breast and feed her baby in public. What is a shame is that so many people have lost the sense that some things should be left intimate and private,” a third user confessed.
FB.com/Melanie Libson Dudley
Dudley’s views on the Google posting
After the article went viral, Dudley stated that she believed it did so because public breastfeeding was an issue that many women felt strongly about and were sick of being a topic of conversation.
Dudley had high hopes that mothers would emphasize what was best for themselves and their children during the next month, National Breastfeeding Month, after the incident. The mother of three understood the wider message to support nursing mothers, regardless of whether or not they decided to cover their breasts.
Dudley is just one of several women who have faced backlash for nursing in public. In 2017, Nicole Blackman was faced with a similar situation when a female stranger came to her and requested that she cover up as she was breastfeeding her son.
Blackman provided an original response, just like Dudley did. The same thing happened to Avery Lane four months earlier when she was breastfeeding her child, and someone asked her to cover herself with a towel.
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