A mom in Australia is taking a stand against a troll who described her breastfeeding photos as “gross.”
Nadine Muller, a registered nurse and fitness blogger, occasionally posts photos that show her breastfeeding her son, 16-month-old Madden. Muller told The Huffington Post that though her breastfeeding journey began with difficulty, the experience has been one of her life’s “sweetest joys" that she celebrates with photos on Instagram. She mostly receives positive feedback, but also gets comments from people she calls “trolls.”
When one troll in particular began commenting on her most recent breastfeeding pic that she was seeking attention and that her photos were “gross,” Muller decided she had enough.
“This time I knew that something needed to be done,” she told HuffPost. “Even if it meant that just a small handful of mums felt empowered from this movement then I knew it would be worth it.”
On Sunday, the proud mom posted a slideshow of breastfeeding photos and a message for her bullies:
FACT: Mothers don’t post these images & videos purely for attention. They don’t post photos purely to make a statement. They don’t post coz [sic] they think everyone should nurse their child out in the open. They don’t post advocating that breastfeeding is the only way a baby should be fed. They post because they are #proud, to give other mums encouragement, they post so that other mums feel accepted, supported & respected.
Muller also encouraged moms to share nursing photos with the hashtag she created, #WeFeedUnited. She told HuffPost she’s felt so much support from moms sharing their pics.
“I know as a result we all felt supported, respected, we all felt the right to not have to hide, we felt encouraged and accepted and most of all we felt proud,” she said. “Forget [the series] ‘Band of Brothers,’ this was ‘Band of Mothers.’”
In her post, Muller also pointed out that it doesn’t matter how a mother feeds her child. It will always be a “beautiful act and bond.”
“I believe the pressure of breastfeeding is so overwhelming these days, we are all on our own unique journey through motherhood and however we (and our babies and our bodies) decide to nurture our children we know it is always done with great love regardless of the method,” she told HuffPost.
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