Ashley Kaidel posts empowering image of herself breastfeeding in public

Mother posts empowering image of herself breastfeeding in public and adidas superstar defiantly glaring at a woman ‚shaming‘ her with dirty looks, as she insists women should never feel ‚alienated‘ for feeding their babies

Ashley Kaidel, 24, said a woman shook her head and gave Ashley a dirty look when she breastfed her son in a restaurantThe mother of two posted a picture of herself staring defiantly back, adding a message encouraging other woman not to feel ashamedShe noted that breastfeeding in public is protected by US laws, and added that breasts are made to sustain lifeThe Florida resident added that it’s ‚selfish‘ to expect nursing mothers to be excluded from gatherings at feeding timeBy

A mother of two who fended off dirty looks from a stranger while she breastfed her baby in a restaurant has taken to Facebook to encourage other moms not to feel ashamed.

Ashley Kaidel, 24, describes herself as a ‚bad breastfeeding (uncovered) mama‘ which is why, on November 24, she didn’t back down when another diner stared her down while she fed her son in public.

To give other mothers the courage to do the same, the Florida resident shared a photo of herself with a fierce look on her face, while her son was drinking from her breast, along with an articulate explanation of why she shouldn’t have to cover up.

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Not backing down: Ashley Kaidel, 24, shared this picture of herself staring down a fellow diner who gave her dirty looks for breastfeeding in public

In the picture, Ashley is seen sitting at a table in a restaurant. Her orange T shirt is pulled down below her left breast, and her son, cradled in her arms, is feeding.

But she is not watching him lovingly, as she might on another occasion she is staring off to the side, a determined look on her face.

‚In the picture, it appears I’m staring off into the distance,‘ she wrote on Facebook. ‚In reality, I’m staring into the eyes of a woman staring at me.

‚She is looking at me with disgust and shaking her head with judgement in an attempt to shame me and indirectly tell me without words that I am wrong and need to cover myself.‘

But Ashley didn’t feel wrong, and she didn’t want to cover herself so she decided to share her story so other moms who’ve been shamed for breastfeeding in public wouldn’t feel deterred.

‚You should not ever feel shamed, belittled, embarrassed, or wrong for feeding your baby the way nature intended,‘ Ashley wrote.

Do your thing: She said that the purpose of breasts is to feed children but added that she wasn’t saying women should breastfeed openly if they don’t feel comfortable doing so

Ashley explained that she doesn’t expect every woman with a baby to feed themuncovered but if a woman wants to do so, she should be able to without facing public shaming.

‚If a mother is more comfortable covering herself because SHE feels better doing so, then I totally support that,‘ she said but if she wants to feed openly, that’s her choice, too.

You should not ever feel shamed, belittled, embarrassed, or wrong for feeding your baby the way nature intended

She goes on to note that the US government also supports that choice. and the US Virgin Islands allow women the right to breastfeed in public.

The only exception is Idaho, which doesn’t actually forbid breastfeeding in public altogether but it doesn’t explicitly protect it, either.

But even though breastfeeding publicly is protected by law, some people still feel entitled to shame mothers doing so by giving them dirty looks, making snide comments, or complaining to management in restaurants or malls.

Ashley said that the comments she hears including the sexist charge that breasts are only for the eyes of a woman’s husband, that other children shouldn’t be exposed to them, and that breastfeeding is private are derogatory and false.

‚Breasts were made to sustain your baby’s life before they were made to bring pleasure to any other man, adidas sk woman, partner, or adidas superstar spouse,‘ she added. ‚There is nothing weird about this and there’s no difference in me feeding my baby with my breast than you feeding yourself with a spoon.‘

Moms are people, too: She added that it’s unfair to make mothers isolate themselves simply because they are feeding their children

She particularly takes issue with the objection that the sight is not meant for children’s eyes. Actually, she says, it’s important for children to learn and understand how babies are nourished.

‚Your 11 year old daughter watching me nurse may say „Mom, why is that baby sucking her boobie?“‚ Ashley wrote. ‚Your reply should only and always be „because that’s the way babies eat“. Hopefully it encourages your daughter to grow up with the goal to breastfeed and experience the incredible bond and invaluable benefits it comes with.‘

Ashley also shared the opinion that shunning mothers while they breastfeed is shameful, saying it’s ‚unfair and selfish to ask a mother and baby to exclude themselves from a table or event or gathering because you’re, for some reason, uncomfortable with how she feeds her child.

‚No person should be isolated and shunned because they’re eating, especially when you yourself are eating while ridiculing how someone else is eating. Is it not certainly easier to avert your eyes from a displeasing sight rather than suggest or demand a mother and child remove themselves from your presence? How pompous and selfish is this? Just look away. It’s simple to do so. No harm done at all.‘

Oh, Idaho: In 49 states, women who choose to breastfeed in public have legal protections; they don’t in Idaho, but it’s also not actually illegal there, either

In posting her diatribe, Ashley hopes to encourage other mothers to do what feels right to them when it comes to their babies and if that means breastfeeding in public, she wants to ensure they don’t feel ‚alienated, ridiculed, and judged‘.