Ashley Kaidel, a 24-year-old mom from Florida, who was shamed and gawked for breastfeeding her little baby in public has hit back at gawkers and made headlines worldwide. Kaidel posted a photo of her in a restaurant, breastfeeding her son. She appears to be staring back at someone while her baby seems quite relaxed and enjoying the meal. Kaidel posted the photo in support of every mother who is shamed, stared at and asked to cover up for nursing their little ones in public.

“[T]he reason I post these types pictures is for the mother that tried breastfeeding uncovered once and she got shamed, she got stared and pointed at, she got nasty comments, she got asked to leave the room, she got asked to cover up,” Kaidel posted.

Kaidel has urged mothers to feel more confident when breastfeeding in public as it’s completely natural and protected under federal law, reports News.com.au.

“Breasts were made to sustain your baby’s life before they were made to bring pleasure to any other man, woman, partner or spouse. Their sole purpose is to make food and dispense it straight into a baby’s mouth,” Kaidel pointed out.

According to Yahoo! News, Kaidel also explains in the photo she posted that children should also see breastfeeding taking place and need to appreciate, comprehend and acknowledge that it is the best choice for a mother and her baby.

While support has flown in from every part of the globe, some have still criticized her for deliberately trying to make a point to gawkers. Some have said that mothers should cover while breastfeeding as a respect to the people around.

Kaidel’s comment on bottles and formula are a trend has not gone down well with everybody. Cherry Marie Turner wrote a comment appreciating her effort to silence gawkers but at the same time she criticized her for her “trend” comment as there are many mothers who are unable to breastfeed due to complications and are left with no other choice but to resort to bottle and formula-feeding, reports Huffington Post. Read Kaidel's photo caption here.

Elle Magazine Australia ran an exclusive campaign advocating breastfeeding in public in June. The magazine cover of the June issue featured supermodel Nicole Trunfio who is seen feeding her son Zion.

“As a model I can say I use my body for that. I use it to sell products: clothing, lingerie. But we need to find that balance as a culture,” Trunfio told the magazine in an interview.

Share your views on breastfeeding in public and whether you are in support of Ashley Kaidel.

Contact the writer of this story at feedback@ibtimes.com.au or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES