Outrage As Facebook Removes Photo Of Mum Breastfeeding Premature Baby

Outrage As Facebook Removes Photo Of Mum Breastfeeding Premature Baby
SWNS

A mum has forced Facebook to review its nudity policy after the social network removed photos of her breastfeeding her premature baby.

When Emma Bond's daughter Carene was born 12 weeks early - weighing just 2lb 2oz - on October 3, Emma and her partner Ashley Kitchen were warned that she might not survive more than three days.

So when Carene breastfed for the first time on Sunday October 26, Emma was over the moon and decided to share photos of the occasion on Facebook.

Her privacy settings meant the pictures were only visible to people she had approved as her friends.

So the 24-year-old mum was shocked when she received a message from Facebook saying that they had removed one of her pictures, which showed Carene latching on, because someone had anonymously reported it for containing nudity.

SWNS

"Premature babies are prone to bleeds on the brain and she had a bleed on her lungs also," explains Emma, who also has a two-year-old son called Luca. "She was born with an infection, she had a lot going on.

"We don't know the outcome of the brain damage but she is able to move and open her eyes and look around and feed which we were told would be unexpected.

"The original photo was only viewable by my friends and family who have followed my story. Everyone was aware it was touch and go so I was sharing the special moment with people to show them how far she had come.

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It was a magical moment and to have it removed the same day for breaching nudity policies was really rubbing salts in the wounds.

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Emma shared her story and the photo with a pro-breastfeeding group - and it quickly went viral gaining 166,000 likes and 22, 000 shares.

But when other mums tried to share it on Facebook on Monday October 27, they found their links were also deleted.

After a public outcry, Facebook has not only republished Emma's photo, but has also assured her that it is revisiting its policy on pictures of nursing mothers and women who have had a mastectomy.

A spokesperson for Facebook said breastfeeding photos have never been against the firm's Community Standards, but nipples had to be covered or concealed.

In a message to Emma, Facebook said: "The image that you shared was removed in error - it has now been republished.

"The policy has been updated, Facebook modified the way it reviews reports of nudity to better examine the context of the photo or image.

"As a result of this, photos that show a nursing mothers' other breast will be allowed even if it is fully exposed, as will mastectomy photos showing a fully exposed other breast."

Emma and Ashley are still travelling to the Princess Royal Hospital in Shropshire every day to see baby Carene.

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