Woman ‘verbally abused’ by stranger for breastfeeding her baby in public

US: An American woman Jessie Maher from Connecticut was verbally assaulted by a stranger while breastfeeding her baby in public. Jessie became “frightened” when the man shouted at her as she fed her baby daughter in a Target store.

Jessie wrote what transpired in a Facebook post which has been shared more than 80,000 times.

“He looked at me and said (very angrily), ‘Can’t you do that somewhere else? ... That’s f***ing disgusting. You are nasty’ (he said a few other things under his breath),” 

“I responded with, “I am feeding my baby, and I have the right to do it here ... walk the f*** away. leave me the f*** alone’. He responded with ‘you are f***ing disgusting ... you are f***ing disgusting ... you are f***ing disgusting ... you whore.”

Jessie who recorded the argument posted the video on Facebook .
In the video, shoppers and workers of the store came to her defense, with one woman even standing in front of her as a physical shield.

“He has no right to be doing what he’s doing,” said the woman. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of feeding your baby. This is a beautiful moment right now.”

In a follow up post, Jessie said she has received an “outpouring of love and support” since she uploaded the video.

“Loved ones, acquaintances, and complete strangers have posted, re-posted and linked to our story,” she wrote.

“I have received several hundred [Facebook] messages in support of me and my right to breastfeed. Mamas have opened up and told me their stories, they’ve said they stand by me, they understand what I went through because they too have been in public with a screaming baby.

“Some run home and deal with the screaming baby, some hide in a bathroom, some sit down and cover up with a blanket, some sit in a hot car. This is all in fear of the reactions we get, whether it is a dirty look or the extreme situation that I endured yesterday.”

Jessie says she will continue to breastfeed her baby in public.

“I choose to openly breastfeed my child when ever and where ever she happens to be hungry,” she wrote.

“I choose not to cover up because I am not ashamed of what my breasts are intended for. I stand with all mamas breastfeeding, bottle feeding, covered or not. It is hard enough being a mother, period. We need to build new mothers up not tear them down.

“Let’s be kind, let’s be gentle. Let’s normalise breastfeeding, because that is exactly what it is, normal, nothing more nothing less.”