Last Tuesday, first time mom Chesca Tonson-Bitangcol, the wife of Filipino actor Joseph Bitangcol, posted a story on Facebook about her own experience as a breastfeeding mother. Her post read:
“‘Why are you doing that in public?’
‘Hindi ka ba nahihiya? Ang daming tao!’
‘Ma’am sa CR niyo na lang po ituloy ‘yan.’
And my personal favorite, ‘Don’t do that here. Makikita ng mga bata.’
These are just some of the lines breastfeeding moms hear from people around them, whether from complete strangers or even people they know (don’t know which one is worse honestly) when they feed their babies in public.
But tonight, life proved to me that though children can be very curious, they are innocent. And malice is taught and spread because of ignorance in the part of adults.
Here is my short conversation with this cute little boy:
‘Nandiyan ‘yung baby?’
‘Yes.’
‘Anong ginagawa niya?’
‘She’s drinking milk. She’s hungry eh.’
‘Bakit siya nagtatago?’
So…bakit nga ba?”
The post received a lot of support from her friends and family, especially from mothers and breast-feeding advocates.
“[Mothers] are proud makers of the world’s healthiest fast food!”
“We don’t eat our food in the CR, so why should babies do so?”
“Yung mag -susuggest sayo na sa CR mo ituloy, next time bigyan mo ng pang Vikings tapos sa CR siya maglagay ng lamesa at dun siya kumain!”
“FEEL FREE TO FEED!”
I’ve never understood the stigma against breastfeeding—it’s the most beautiful and natural thing for a mom and her child! I’m happy more and more mothers like Chesca are speaking up against breastfeeding shaming. After all, a mother should never feel embarrassed or ashamed for feeding her own baby.
What are your thoughts on this? Share them with us!
