A mum who shared a photo of her toddler playing at breastfeeding a doll, was stunned when it was shared by a woman who called it "the nastiest shit" she'd ever seen.
The mum shared screenshots of the post on Facebook group Breastfeeding Mama Talk, as she was overwhelmed by the "mix of emotions" she felt after receiving criticism for allowing her daughter to "lift up her shirt" and pretend to breastfeed.
"The breastfeeding shaming starts before they even start really breastfeeding!" the exasperated mother wrote.
"I'm not bashing how anyone else parents and maybe it is the wording that gets to me, the parts saying "it's the nastiest shit of their life" and "I need punched in the damn face" but I am shocked," the mum continued.
She explained that she is still breastfeeding her two-year-old daughter Charlotte and she formula fed her son Bentley, who is now five.
"I am open to both, both are equally wonderful," she wrote. "I would love to know how it is 'the nastiest shit of her life'
"Breastfeeding is something that is natural and is normal. A baby putting a bottle to its dolls mouth, they are feeding their baby doll, correct? There's no difference.
"I do not feel the need to correct Charlotte because breastfeeding is wrong? She said her baby wanted to eat, so she fed her. Charlotte says she wants to eat, in public or not, I nurse.
"Charlotte also pretends to do her makeup, my son pretends to work on his vehicles and fix things from watching his father. Isn't that how it is? Your child mimicking normal daily behavior?
"I was just so taken back. I then questioned am I wrong? How can I or why should I tell her this is wrong when it is what she knows?"
The post was met with a flood of comments from parents wanting to reassure the mum that she shouldn't tell her daughter her game was "wrong".
Within 16 hours of being shared on Tuesday 5 July, the post was liked more than 1,00 times and received nearly 400 comments, with many mums and dads sharing photos of their own children playing at breastfeeding.
