The debate over whether or not women should be allowed to breastfeed in public is not new. In actuality, it has been around for a while. Now, it seems, another candidate is trying to present her case.
In the process of trying to prove her point, this young mother has angered many people. Read on to find out more about her story.
As any parent who is breastfeeding a child knows, when a baby is hungry, they don’t care where they are or what time it is. Although some mothers feel uncomfortable nursing in public, this young mother did not. In fact, she wanted to present a strong argument for breastfeeding in public.
Everywhere Trinati goes, she makes it a point to nurse her 17-month-old child. In public, this often means she is nursing her toddler.
She doesn’t think twice about it, but because people aren’t usually comfortable with the idea, she often gets odd stares. Additionally, store employees have occasionally taken her into broom closets because they think it will make her feel more “comfortable” breastfeeding there.
This was obviously incorrect, as broom closets aren’t the ideal locations for feeding a baby. It was for this reason that Trinati decided to act. She made her son take a picture at Costco as he was nursing his younger sister. In an interview about the behavior, she said, “I never shy away from providing my children what they may need from me based on our surroundings.”
She receives criticism from strangers as well as questions from friends and family. They ask, “How long are you going to do ‘that’?” She also constantly says, “As long as she needs me to!” in response. Awkward remarks about her possibly nursing her daughter until kindergarten are usually their next course of action!
Trinati is now fed up with people sexualizing and criticizing her nursing. She said in an interview, “Really? Have you ever seen a mother nursing? My nipples don’t look like anything a person might imagine! Ha!
“At the moment, these are essentially udders,” she added. Get over yourself! I’m not trying to take your man or lady with these shady gals! I no longer consider them to be a sexual part of my body. My child currently owns them for emotional and physical support.
She wants more people to realize that breastfeeding is a way to nourish a child and is not sexual in any way.
She explained that she didn’t expect all males or those who had never nursed to understand how nursing can cause women to perform gymnastics or nipple-pinching. “I get the strangest looks and uneasy giggles when people see my 1.5-year-old standing on my lap and sucking—sometimes on one leg!”
In an attempt to normalize breastfeeding in public, she had a picture of herself nursing her child taken so she could share it and spread awareness.
“I wanted to demonstrate to my daughter that mothers will do whatever it takes to ensure their children are cared for, so I had my son take that photo of us at Costco,” she continued.
“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 as the description for the Instagram picture.
She wants her children to understand that they always come first, regardless of what other people think or how comfortable they are.
“Building healthy relationships begins with the care we receive as children, and trust is a fundamental tool for that,” she said. “I believe that breastfeeding teaches my children this, so I will never feel bad about allowing my baby to do this with me in any situation.”
There is much to say on both sides of the debate. What are your thoughts about nursing in public? Let us know in the comments section below!
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