Parenting

Mom Goes off on Stranger at Walmart for Breastfeeding 'Near' Her Boys

ParentingPublished Aug 6, 2018
By Lauren Levy
Breastfeeding in publicAleigha Jean

The only people who truly  know how difficult it is to be a new mom are those who have been through it themselves. But just because these women have a deep understanding of what fellow moms are going through doesn't mean that they have each other's backs. Especially when it comes to breastfeeding in public, many would assume that other women are the ones standing up for fellow mamas and sending support to nursing strangers they pass. But that isn't always the case and it makes their public shaming even more frustrating. 

Aleigha Jean was recently in this situation while trying to feed her 7-week-old baby girl during a quick shopping trip when a fellow mom approached. The woman wasn't coming up to her to offer praise for her multitasking skills or for an uplifting, "good job!" Instead, the stranger wanted to condemn her for having the nerve to breastfeed in public -- in front of the woman's 5-year-old and 7-year-old sons.  

Breastfeeding in public
Aleigha Jean

Aleigha shared her response to this mother's objections on Facebook and her post is going viral. "To the a**hole lady, in lack of better words, at Cobleskill Walmart who felt the need to mom shame me in front of a crowd of people today..." she wrote. "1. I was completely covered. 2. When my daughter wakes up from a three hour nap and expects to be fed I’m going to because that’s my job as a mother no matter what the circumstances or where I am."

Yes, Aleigha had a blanket with her but that doesn't mean she wanted to use it or should feel pressured into it. Especially given the muggy weather, Aleigha explained that she will never force her child to eat with a hot blanket on her head just because that's a stranger's preference. 

Breastfeeding in public
Aleigha Jean

She also addressed this mom's concerns about breastfeeding not being something her boys "need to be seeing" -- even though she says that the children weren't even present while she was nursing. "Maybe you should teach your sons how to be respectable in that situation," she wrote. "Completely in shock as to how a WOMAN let alone a MOTHER could put a woman down another for that...I shouldn’t ever have to feel ashamed for feeding my child but you ma’am should definitely be ashamed."

And just in case this woman missed it at the time, Aleigha reiterated her parting sentiment for any mom who partakes in mom shaming: "With all due respect and as I said in Walmart 🖕🏼#GoF***Yourself."

Aleigha tells CafeMom that after the woman finally left, she had to take a moment to hold back tears. That's because as a first time mom dealing with postpartum depression, a fellow mom's harsh criticism hit her but she refuses to let that stop her. "I’m trying so hard to do everything I need to do for my baby and for another woman and mother to tear me down like that, it was really hard for me to comprehend," she says. "IT IS OKAY to feed you child whenever and I hope I encourage more women to breastfeed in public because it's an amazing, beautiful thing! I will never stop especially not because of some lady who’s opinion doesn’t matter to me..."

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