A new viral video from YouTube star Joey Salads shows just how much people — random people — judge moms for nursing their babies in public. A few people are OK — even encouraging — with "new mom" Emily (the baby appears to be a doll) breastfeeding in places where there are other people. But others? Wow! You won't believe some of the comments and reactions people give this woman. This is truly shocking.
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Here's the video:
breastfeeding in public
Which is the most shocking to you? The woman at the bus stop who tells Emily to "go home"? The man talking on his phone who stops his conversation to shame her? The mom who tells her she shouldn't do it in public? Wow. While it's not surprising that many people aren't comfortable with public breastfeeding, it's insane that people would actually say this to someone else.
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Despite it seeming like breastfeeding is getting more pervasive (and it is), the truth is, two-thirds of moms don't meet their breastfeeding goals in terms of how long they intend to nurse their babies. Of course, there may be a host of factors that contribute to this, but surely when a mother is treated as Emily was for nursing in public, it isn't encouraging. Who would want to breastfeed under those circumstances?
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The good news is that a national dialogue has begun about breastfeeding in public (many other countries don't seem to have as big a problem as ours does). But the bad news? Many people — clearly — still aren't on board.
Hopefully moms will continue to nurse in public; hopefully the discussion, which has only just started, will continue; and hopefully people like Joey Salads will continue to conduct social experiments and post videos highlighting the harsh reality of how moms are treated when they breastfeed in public.
How a woman chooses to feed her baby is her choice and her choice only. If you're not comfortable with it, by all means, get up and walk away. But please, don't make her feel bad about what she's doing. That isn't just ridiculous — it's ignorant.