Just like many places around the world, including parts of the UK and the US, Mexico is one of those places where a public breastfeeding mom is still seen as taboo by many. As of 2014, the country had one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in all of Latin America, with only about 14% of mothers breastfeeding their newborns exclusively for the first 6 months.
However, current figures from UNICEF show rates at around 30%, which is still below the world average of 41%.
After the country banned free baby formula giveaways in hospitals in 2015, it was expected that breastfeeding rates would go up over time. With more breastfeeding, there will definitely be more mothers feeding in public. Since stigma still fuels this ‘taboo' in many places around the world, there will surely be some increased tension between some mothers and those who say you should ‘cover up' or ‘do it in private'. Without a doubt, shaming women for this is never okay. Luckily, this time it was actually pretty funny.
Blanketed heads and nursing babies… what's cooler?
Melanie Dudley is a clever woman you definitely don't want to cross. While on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, she had an encounter that didn't sit well with her. She mentioned that it was 90 degrees outside, and while she was breastfeeding her baby in a restaurant, a man approached her and told her to ‘cover up' [5]. It's unclear if he was the manager or not, but she politely ‘covered up'.
Dudley's response is worthy of a motherhood medal. She simply took her baby's blanket, threw it over her head, and kept nursing. What a legend!
In an interview with News Channel 9, she shared, ‘I was on vacation in Cabo San Lucas with my whole family when a man asked me to cover myself,' said Dudley. ‘I usually try to be discreet, but we were sitting in the back of the restaurant.'
Dudley became an internet sensation when a picture of her with the blanket over her head and her baby nursing was posted on Facebook in July 2018 [6]. The post received 138,000 reactions, 40,000 comments, and 226,000 shares. The image really boosted the confidence of many nursing mothers. They don't owe anyone an explanation because their breasts aren't out for fashion.
One lady commented, ‘Great job, mom. Your baby is safe from suffocation. Breastfeed your baby naturally anytime and anywhere whenever your baby needs nourishment.'
A man commented, ‘If you don't want to see mothers breastfeeding their babies, then just look away, close your eyes, or mind your own business!'
Melanie gave that man a memorable response with just one simple action.
Shaming breastfeeding moms in public should be illegal
Even though breastfeeding in public has been legal in all 50 states since July 2018 [7], women still face shame and embarrassment for nursing their babies in public. As the saying goes, just because it's legal doesn't mean it's accepted. It usually takes a lot of time and effort for something to become normal, and it's really frustrating because breastfeeding is such a natural and important thing. If women are allowed to breastfeed in public by law, then they shouldn't be shamed or embarrassed for it. Maybe that's a bit extreme, but it would definitely make a point, right?
What's so morally and socially wrong with a mother nursing her baby in public, even if she's trying to be discreet? Some people might say it's indecent and inappropriate, but come on! All she wants to do is feed her baby. Why not start by banning people from wearing bikinis at the beach or those tiny shorts in the summer? In many restaurants, nursing mothers are shamefully taken to the bathroom to feed their kids. Gross. No one should have to eat in a bathroom, especially not an innocent child.
It's time to fully accept breastfeeding. No more taboos. Just acceptance.
- ‘Mexico City's Campaign To Encourage Breast-Feeding Backfires' NPR Carrie Kahn. Published May 26, 2014
- ‘Mexico' Unicef
- ‘Enabling women to breastfeed through better policies and programmes' World Health Organization
- ‘Mexico bans giveaways of baby formula at hospitals' BBC Published August 12, 2015.
- ‘Woman told to “cover up” while breastfeeding responds, and the photo has gone viral' CBS News Caitlin O'Kane. Published August 9, 2018.
- ‘Post by Carol Lockwood' Facebook Carol Lockwood. Published July 30, 2018.
- ‘Finally! In 2018 it's legal to breastfeed in public in all 50 states' USA Today Sonja Haller. Published July 25, 2018.
