I breastfed Iyla for 18 months and was really lucky to have not encountered any negativity during that time.
Unfortunately that’s not the case for everyone.
Last week I heard about a Bristol mum, Kelly Schaecher, who had been asked to move into the corner of a cafe for breastfeeding her baby, as apparently doing so where she was sitting was ‘impolite’. After leaving the cafe she was followed by a lady in a car who hurled abuse at her out of her window, warning her not to come back and get her ‘effing tits out again’.
Luckily Kelly didn’t just go home and let this affect her, she used the powers of social media to get together a large group of breastfeeding supporters to go back to the cafe and let them know that what they did was unacceptable.
I live near Bristol and have always felt very strongly about this subject so although I’m not breastfeeding anymore I wanted to go and show my support.
Had this happened to a breastfeeding mum on the first time she fed her baby in public then it could have really affected her confidence, I know that I was very apprehensive about someone saying something to me when I fed Iyla in public for the first time. I actually stopped feeding in public altogether when she was about ten months old as I just felt too self-conscious, I rarely see mums feeding their babies in public, let alone their toddlers, even though the WHO recommends feeding for two years.
I really feel that more needs to be done to support breastfeeding women in this country, I just don’t see how something so natural can be so frowned upon.
I mean what do people think our breasts are for?!
I have said this before but again I want to clarify that this isn’t about breast versus bottle, I know that not everyone can nor chooses to breastfeed their baby and that is a choice that women can make these days, this is about women who want to breastfeed but don’t feel like they have the confidence or support to do so.
This is about women being able to do what they feel is best for their babies without being made to feel like they are doing something wrong.
The amount of women who turned up today to support Kelly was amazing. The cafe manager has apologised and has now put a ‘Breastfeeding Mothers Welcome’ sticker in his window. It is still unknown who the woman that hurled the abuse was but apparently something will be done about it.
It was a really inspiring day and I don’t think any other cafes will be upsetting a member of the Bristol Mother Suckers in a hurry!
Here are some photos…
You can also see the ITV news coverage by clicking here, it is definitely worth a watch.
and i thought you had made the title up yourself!! its just perfect for this post! such an amazing ‘moment’ to have been a part of and such a show of solidarity and support. well done for going Jess x
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LOVE it!!!! I was always terrified someone would say something to me when I breastfed in public and stopped doing it completely by about 6 months although I fed him until a year I would always go home or to the car to feed! It makes me really sad now and next time I would never let myself feel intimidated or i’ll be calling up the Bristol Mother Suckers! Fantastic!!!
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I think it’s amazing what can happen when enough people are motivated into action. I hope the cafe thoroughly regret their actions, although I feel the shouty woman was probably more in the wrong. Great that the cafe were so accommodating, though it didn’t look like they had much of a choice! One mother with a hungry baby is fearsome enough. I wonder if there is a name for a whole group of lactating mothers? If not, there should be! Fab pics. Glad the day went well for you all.
Troubles Mum recently posted..Are my twins really non-identical?
I didn’t know anything about this- well done for going and supporting breast feeding mothers. X
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Wow that’s amazing! What happened to Kelly was really out of order. Great to see the powers of social media brought plenty of supporters together to make a stance.
Omg!! Poor Kelly. I thought it was just a general pro bf protest till I read this. How awful to be abused… andby another woman. Its a great protest and I hope people sit up and take notice. Brest feeding should be valued, not shoved into a corner.
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Well done ladies!
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wow… totally amazed at how poor Kelly was treated, can’t believe people are offended by such a natural thing. So appalled I had to post the link to my facebook to share with my friends too. Go Bristol Mother Suckers… awesome protest and outcome. I would have shown full support too if I was there.
Well done Jess
The way that lady was treated is terrible, and good on her for doing something about it. And well done to everyone who showed their support. I was never challenged when feeding in public which I’m glad about, but you hear too many people who are. And receive funny looks a couple of times but fortunately that was a few months in when I felt more confident to ignore it. Someone said to me the best advice is to have your comeback planned in advance, be that to say you are within your rights to feed your child whenever and wherever or be that a rude or cheeky response. X
Lucy at Dear Beautiful Boy recently posted..the 4th of july
I was once asked to go and breastfeed my son in the toilets in restaurant because surely I’d be more comfortable there!! This was just a regular family restaurant no posh place!
I simply said to the woman that perhaps she’d be more comfortable eating in the toilets!
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Great to see you there and to support alongside you a cause that means a lot to us both!
Circus Queen recently posted..Breastfeeding in public: why do we need to see it?
It was a cracking turn out on the day for an extremely important issue.
I’ve just been catching up on all the reports & blogposts about the day & am truly happy that so many people support breast feeding.
Unfortunately there are still a few people who need to be shown the error of their ways but with people like those who attended the flash mob I’m certain it will happen.
Great post.
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