Mother posts picture breastfeeding toddler in public – she finally responds to all the backlash

“I don’t expect all men or those who have never breastfed to understand the ways in which mothers have the endurance to deal with nipple-pinching or straight-up acrobatics while breastfeeding,” she explained. “I have received the strangest glances and awkward giggles when people watch my 1.5-year-old standing on my lap while suckling … sometimes on one leg!”

In a bid to normalize breastfeeding in public, she had a picture of herself breastfeeding her toddler taken so she could post it and make a point.

“I had my son take that photo of us in Costco because I never want to forget (and [I want to] show my daughter in the future) the lengths we, as mothers, will go to when ensuring our kids are well looked after no matter the situation,” she said.

“My baby’s needs come waaaaaay before anyone else’s attempts to make me feel inappropriate for this sometimes-public act of nourishing and/or comforting my children,” she wrote in the caption for the Instagram post.

She wants to make sure her children know they are always her first priority, far above the judgment and comfort of others.

“Trust is a fundamental tool for developing healthy relationships and it begins with the care that we receive in childhood,” she said. “For me, breastfeeding demonstrates this to my children, and for this reason, I will never feel shame for allowing a baby of mine to do this with me in any environment.”