Carnoustie mum Jamie-Leigh Jones says she was “heartbroken” after being shamed for breastfeeding her infant daughter outdoors.
The new mum was left devastated by a recent confrontation that took place as she was feeding 14-week-old Willow in public.
She was happily breastfeeding her daughter on a bench at the seafront when she was told by a passer-by that she shouldn’t be doing it in public.
The remarks left Jamie-Leigh shocked and speechless.
Breastfeeding and bottle feeding are protected by law and Scottish Government guidance which means any person should be able to feed a child when required and in the most appropriate place for them, without the fear of interruption or criticism.
Jamie-Leigh had been out for a walk with Willow when the incident occurred.
She said: “Willow started to get a bit cranky half way through our walk as she’s teething, so I stopped at a bench and started to breastfeed her.
“I had a blanket over my shoulder so you couldn’t see anything but it was obvious what I was doing.
“It was a sunny day and busy. I saw two women in their mid-50s out of the corner of my eye.
“They walked up to near where I was sitting. Although I’d had disapproving looks before, I could tell when one of the ladies turned around something more was coming.
“She said to me ‘you should really have more respect for yourself and shouldn’t be doing that in public’.
“I felt heartbroken — my stomach dropped and I felt a rush of adrenaline, I didn’t know what to say or what to do.
“I got really upset so I went home as I didn’t want to continue being out.”
After getting her confidence knocked, Jamie-Leigh reached out for online support on the Breast Buddies Dundee Facebook group.
She said: “When I got home, I was feeling really deflated.
“It had taken so much time for me to build the confidence to go out and breastfeed and this really set me back.
“So I reached out to the Breast Buddies group – I needed a safe place to share my experience and I needed to have my spirits lifted – and that’s what they did.”
The response Jamie-Leigh received on the group was overwhelming, with many other mums commenting and offering support within hours.
And the boost gave her the confidence to go back out and try breastfeeding in public again.
‘Those attitudes still exist’
Breast Buddies is run by Home Start Dundee and offers a range of support to breastfeeding mums through online antenatal classes, phone support and a Facebook community.
Cara Jamieson of Breast Buddies Dundee, said although the reaction Jamie-Leigh received isn’t common place, incidents like this can damage confidence.
She said: “It’s not something we’re hearing a lot of thankfully, but it is really hard when a mum is doing their absolute best — particularly in the early days — working hard to make breastfeeding work.
“It really rocked her, thankfully this kind of thing is rare, but unfortunately those attitudes do still exist.”
‘Coming together to support their own’
Cara added having peer support is vital to mums and she was encouraged to see the positive reaction online.
“It was amazing watching the post go up. Within an hour there were 30 comments with more now.
“There were lovely, supportive words from mums breastfeeding to let her know they were there for her and she was doing the right thing.
“Building this community really facilitates women to support women. Mums in the group are wonderful and this was a perfect example of the community coming together to support its own.”
Information on the law protecting breastfeeding is available from the Scottish Government website.