I was in HomeDepot on Monday looking at weed whackers and lawn mowers with my husband.We need one for the new place we are moving into.
My 4 month old son was getting cranky, obviously hungry. As per the usual, I tried to walk and get him to breast feed but I was using my new mei tai carrier, and I cannot Bf in that darn thing since my DS likes to lay sideways to feed.He doesn't like feeding sitting up facing me,so due to the awkward way my son way laying and his heaviness I had to sit to feed him.
Never one to "cover up", as I am very open about Bfing and I could care less what people think I always just walk along and feed him. This usually means people do not notice us Bfing much as I am just "shopping with a baby in my arms",and I am long gone down the isle before anyone realizes what I am doing.
In the weed whacker department off a beaten path I sat on a garden bench set up for display and happily fed my son as my husband and I discussed the horse power in gas vs rechargeable in electric whackers. I was in a one piece bathing suit due to our current heat wave and so I zippered down the front about an inch and released one breast for my sons meal.
Well, I got my first EVER negative comment from a complete stranger. A woman no less, in her mid 50's If I had to guess being kind. ( probably a formula baby and mother)
I had noticed her walk by me silently 5 minutes prior, and then as she walked back again with the flesh of my d cup right breast exposed, but my son sucking on my nipple so it was completely covered. She said " THAT IS GROSS!" to which I replied, " If you don't like it don't look", at this point my husband realized she was speaking to me,and turned to witness the rest of the interaction. She then, as she continued to walk away with her silent, straight faced husband ( speeding up his pace), said " That is ABSOLYTLEY DISgusting!!", to which I replied, "Oh bite me" in a sarcastic tone. ( not the most intelligent response, but I was momentarily taken aback by her rudeness and her audacity to deliberately walk back past me to say something, rather then find another isle to avoid me.)
Now some of you may not know but my husband is disabled and walks slowly at the best of times and uses a cane. I have never seen him move so fast, he said to me " I'll be right back" and he was off.
This is the part that makes it a great story!!. He FOLLOWED her to the paint department half way across the store and watched her talking to her husband, and walked right up to her, tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around startled he said, " I think YOU'RE Pretty disgusting!" and turned around and walked back to us to tell us what he did and kissed his breastfeeding son on the head.
He was very upset and said, " noone is going to tell my wife that feeding my son is disgusting and get away with it" so he figured that perhaps he embarrassed her enough that she'll think twice before she says something to any other Bfing mom again.
Three cheers to my breastfeeding husband ! :)
1 comment:
I know this isn't right either BUT I read this story a few days ago and for obvious reasons was upset. Then today I was on my way to take my daughter to the bathroom at WalMart and we passed a new mother with a baby (about 4 weeks old) in a car seat carrier in a stroller. She looked great from the front but as we passed her, I was horrified to see her stretching her arm as far as possible to hold a bottle of formula in the baby's mouth. Now, I have issues with formula but this bothered me not because of that but because she had absolutely no physical contact with this really little baby while feeding. I couldn't help it, as I passed by I wispered to myself outloud, "That's disgusting" and looked away.
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