The debate of whether women should be able to breastfeed their children in public is not a new one. In fact, it has been around for quite a while. Now, it seems that there is another contender who wants to put across her point.
This young mother wanted to put her point across and has angered quite a few people in the process. Keep reading to know more about her story.
Everyone who is nursing a child is aware that the baby does not care about where they are or what time it is when they are hungry. Although some mothers feel uneasy about nursing in public, this young mother was not. In fact, she wanted to make a strong point in favor of breastfeeding in public.
Trinati breastfeeds her 17-month-old daughter and makes it a point to breastfeed her no matter where she is. This often means that she is breastfeeding her toddler in public. And while she is not shy to do so, this does not mean that people around her are always comfortable with the idea and she often gets weird looks. At times, she has also been ushered into broom closets by employees at stores who think she will be more ‘comfortable’ breastfeeding inside them.
This was of course, not the case as broom closets are not ideal for feeding your baby. This is why Trinati decided to do something about it. She made her son take a picture as she breastfed his baby sister at Costco. She said in an interview about the act, “I never shy away from providing my children with what they may need from me based on our surroundings.”
But apart from receiving judgment from strangers, she also gets questions from friends and family. They ask, “How long are you going to do ‘that’ for?” and every time she answers with “As long as she needs me to!” And usually they follow up with uncomfortable jokes how she might be breastfeeding her daughter till she is in kindergarten!
Trinati is now fed up of people sexualizing her breastfeeding and judging her for it. She said in an interview, “Really? Have you SEEN breastfeeding breasts? My nipples are very far from looking like something someone may fantasize about! Ha!
She went on, “These are basically udders right now. Get over yourself! I’m not trying to steal your man or lady with these bad girls! To me, they have become so far from feeling like a sexual part of my body. Right now they belong to my child for nourishment, both physically and emotionally.”
She wants to raise awareness about breastfeeding being something to nourish a child and in no way be something sexual.
“I don’t expect all men or those who have never breastfed to understand the ways in which mothers have the endurance to deal with nipple-pinching or straight-up acrobatics while breastfeeding,” she explained. “I have received the strangest glances and awkward giggles when people watch my 1.5-year-old standing on my lap while suckling … sometimes on one leg!”
In a bid to normalize breastfeeding in public, she had a picture of herself breastfeeding her toddler taken so she could post it and make a point.
“I had my son take that photo of us in Costco because I never want to forget (and [I want to] show my daughter in the future) the lengths we, as mothers, will go to when ensuring our kids are well looked after no matter the situation,” she said.
“My baby’s needs come waaaaaay before anyone else’s attempts to make me feel inappropriate for this sometimes-public act of nourishing and/or comforting my children,” she wrote in the caption for the Instagram post.
She wants to make sure her children know they are always her first priority, far above the judgment and comfort of others.
“Trust is a fundamental tool for developing healthy relationships and it begins with the care that we receive in childhood,” she said. “For me, breastfeeding demonstrates this to my children, and for this reason, I will never feel shame for allowing a baby of mine to do this with me in any environment.”
There is a lot to be said for both sides of the debate. What do you think about breastfeeding in public? Let us know in the comments!
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