Public breastfeeding is still taboo to many people in Mexico, just like in many places across the world.
In 2014, the country had one among the lowest breastfeeding rates in all of Latin America, with only about 14 percent of mothers breastfeeding their newborns exclusively for the first six months, and the current figures show rates at about 30 percent, which is still below the world average of 41 percent.
In 2015, Mexico banned free baby formula giveaways in hospitals, in order to stimulate an increase in breastfeeding rates.
However, shaming women for breastfeeding in public should never be tolerated.
Melanie Dudley, a mom of three, was on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and she explains that it was 90 degrees outside, she was in a restaurant when a man asked her to “cover up” while she was breastfeeding her baby.
In utter disbelief at that outrageous request considering the heat, she asked her husband to pass her something with which she could cover-up. And she did in a legendary way.
She continued nursing her baby, but draped her baby’s blanket overhead!
She claims it wasn't a salacious fight or anything, but she was left speechless and covered her head instead. At that point, her husband snapped a quick picture to commemorate her priceless response and sent it to his mother.
She posted it on Facebook, and it was not long when a friend asked if she could share the picture.
It went viral the moment it was uploaded on Facebook, and many people supported her reaction, saying that she shouldn’t be ashamed for feeding her baby whenever it is hungry.
The picture has 138, 000 reactions, 40,000 comments, and 226,000 shares.
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