Breastfeeding is a right of babies and mothers, and although much has been done to try to normalize it, it is common to read stories of mothers who have been attacked or embarrassed for doing so in public.
But now, something we have expected for a long time has happened. A waitress shows her support for a mother who was breastfeeding her baby in the restaurant where she works, reminding us of the importance of supporting each other.
Isabelle Ames is the mother of a 10-month-old baby named Charlotte who was having breakfast with her daughter in an Arizona restaurant. That day breakfast was particularly difficult for her because her daughter was very active and did not give her much opportunity to eat. How the baby showed signs of being hungry he started breastfeeding, something that is not always easy for him in public.
When Charlotte stopped breastfeeding, the waitress who attended her approached her, leaving her a plate and saying: "Here, this pancake is a gift for you. Here is a small note explaining why".
AdvertisingI am still teary eyed writing this hours later. While at breakfast this morning I was doing my usual thing- trying to wrangle a very active ten month old while trying to get at least one sip of my coffee. When Charlotte got hungry, I started breastfeeding her. It went okay, but lately it's been extra difficult. She has a total of 6 teeth now, and we have both been sick for a week. When she finished, my server came over and said, "this pancake is from me, to you. Here is a little note to explain why." She then began to tell me how "us mommas gotta look out for each other". Instant tears I gave this incredibly sweet stranger a hug and cried again. For those of you who don't understand why this is meaningful, I will put it into perspective. Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I have done, next to labor. No one prepares you for it, but everyone expects you to be excellent at it. You feel like a complete failure when it doesn't happen right away. For the first two weeks after Charlotte was born, I could only pump and cry because I was so broken-hearted that I couldn't get her to latch. Then for the next 4 weeks, I could only breastfeed with a nipple shield. It was better than pumping but still not the same. It was not until about 6 weeks after she was born that she latched for first time and I was able to successfully breastfeed. I cried tears of relief and ecstatic joy. Even at 10 months old, it is still hard some days, without even talking about breastfeeding. I haven't slept in days because she is sick. I am beyond exhausted. Yesterday I got so frustrated I screamed fifty curse words into a pillow. That's #momlife some days. But for a complete stranger to see me, and say "thank you". I felt like she was there on my journey the whole time, and she knew how many times I wanted to give up but I didn't. So often, before I feed Charlotte in public I get a twinge of fear. "Okay, this is the time. Someone is going to harass me. They are going to yell at me. Someone is going to tell me I can't do this here." But not today Today I got love, respect and a free pancake. Thank you to my fellow momma, Erica ❤ #normalizebreastfeeding #lovewins
A post shared by Isabelle Ames (@mrsalexanderames) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:49 am PST
The waitress's note, called Erica, said: "Thanks for breastfeeding here! Much love and respect". This moved Isabelle so much that she decided to share it on her Instagram account accompanied by the following message:
I still have watery eyes writing this hours later. While having breakfast this morning, I was doing the usual thing - trying to fight with a very active 10-month-old baby to take at least a sip of my coffee. When Charlotte got hungry, I started breastfeeding her. It was going well, but lately it has been harder. Now he has a total of 6 teeth and we have both been sick for a week. When she finished, my waitress came over and said, "Here, this pancake is a gift for you. Here is a small note explaining why." And then he began to tell her how "we moms should see each other". I cried instantly. I gave this amazing and sweet stranger a hug and cried again. For those who do not understand why this is significant, I will put them in perspective. Breastfeeding has been one of the most difficult things I have had to do, after delivery. Nobody prepares you for it, but everyone expects you to be excellent at doing it. You feel like a total failure when that doesn't happen immediately. For the first two weeks after Charlotte was born, I could only pump and cry because I felt devastated because I hadn't gotten her to have a good grip. Then, for the next 4 weeks, I could only breastfeed her with a teat cup. It was better than pumping my milk, but it still wasn't the same. It wasn't until 6 weeks after she was born that she finally managed to get a good grip for the first time and I was able to breastfeed her successfully. I cried tears of relief and immense joy. Still at 10 months of age, it's hard for me some days, even without talking about breastfeeding. I haven't slept in days because she is sick. I am more than exhausted. Yesterday I got so frustrated that I shouted 50 bad words on a pillow. This is the life of a mother some days. But the fact that a complete stranger looked at me, and said "thank you" ... I felt like she was accompanying me on my trip all this time, and that she knew how many times I wanted to quit but I didn't. Very often, before feeding Charlotte in public, I feel a little scared. "Ok, this is the day. Someone is going to harass me. They are going to yell at me. Someone is coming to tell me that I can't do this here." But not today. Today I received love, respect and a free pancake. Thanks to my fellow mother, Erica.
Isabelle explains that she wanted to share this story because of the positive experience. And it does well, since in most cases, when we read stories of mothers breastfeeding in public, many of them are bothered or even asked to leave the places.
But in addition to gestures like this help to normalize breastfeeding, also reminds us of the importance of supporting us as mothers, each other. Let this be an example of the action we should have when we see another mother who may need our help.
It is good to see that little by little we are opening the way and improving the perception of breastfeeding in public, from celebrities who speak in favor of breastfeeding in public, to initiatives in some shops, where they place signs inviting mothers who breastfeed to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while breastfeeding their babies.
