Breastfeeding comes easier for some women. For others, it is a tougher battle.
Some choose to breastfeed their older child and often face judgement especially in public.
Susanna Conti McDonald was one of those women -she was breastfeeding her two-year-old at a playgroup in Australia when a stranger handed her a card.
When Susanna read it she burst into tears. It said:
"You are not only providing your little one with the world's healthiest, love-infused baby food but by doing so in public, you are normalising it for other mothers who otherwise might feel too shy. Thanks to women like you, hopefully, we can look to a future where all babies can be fed anywhere, anytime, and without shame!"
Susanna took to Facebook to express her gratitude:
"Thank you, random mum, for making my day!"
On the back of the card it said "You're doing an amazing job. Keep this card for yourself to read whenever you need a boost of confidence, or pass it on to another brave mum. It might just make her day!"
The maker of the cards, Virginia Maddox, says there is too much shaming about breastfeeding in public. She is one of many who now produce the thank you cards which hope to encourage mums to continue to nurse. They are proving very popular at the moment, especially in Australia.
"Breastfeeding can be difficult to establish. If a woman is given one of these cards and it helps her to continue, then that's a good thing."
Some have taken to social media criticising the cards saying they are patronising and alienating those who choose not to breastfeed (or can't)
A recent discussion on Mummy forum, Mumsnet outlined some of the issues women had with the anonymous cards:
Runningupthathill82 says: "I would have absolutely hated it if someone did this to me. It rather flies in the face of normalising breastfeeding in public IMO. "Oh! Here! Have a card! You thought nobody was watching you feed? Well, I was! And so was everyone else. But you're doing great!"
Nerrsnerr commented: "I fed my daughter everywhere but I would have been really embarrassed to get one of these. I would have hated it and I don't need a stranger to thank me for looking after my baby."
But Ciaraella disagreed:
"Motherhood can be a lonely experience at times, and bf in public especially so at times if it's your first and struggle a bit. This has been going on for ages and I've never ever seen it as self-congratulatory or anything else negative. If anything it gave a faint warm glow or just an 'oh that's nice'. To be honest I don't think it's anyone else's business; a mum breastfeeding knows either the difficulty that's been had at some point or the worry about what others will think or pressure to 'just give a bottle' - it's a quiet message from one woman to another. It's a tiny hi five!"
What do you think about this trend? We would love to hear your thoughts.
