Man Asks If He Was Wrong To Ask A Mom Who Started Breastfeeding Her Baby To Sit At Different Table

Aug 26, 2021

Welcoming a new baby into the family is one of the most life-changing and delightful events in life, but it also comes with plenty of changes and new challenges on a daily basis. Constantly needing to watch a newborn baby day and night and making sure the baby is properly fed, dressed and cared for can be overwhelming for new parents.

On top of that, parents have to find a way to change their typical routines as they adapt to having a new person in their life and tending to their child’s every want and need. Everyone’s situation is different, but it’s fair to say that each parent has their own set of struggles that they face during the very early stages of parenthood.

Due to this, most parents cannot wait to get out and enjoy a nice day. Parenting is not easy, and many mothers have the added challenge of taking care of their children as well as taking care of their own bodies. Childbirth is hard on the body, and many mothers also choose to breastfeed their children, which can also come with its own set of challenges. 

Most mothers have no problem with breastfeeding, but face difficulties when other people tend to judge them for breastfeeding in public. Even though breastfeeding is a natural and beautiful thing, a lot of people continue to be uncomfortable when they see a woman doing it without any shame. One man took to Reddit in August 2021 to ask if he was a jerk for feeling uncomfortable when a woman began to breastfeed near his table. 

The unnamed man wrote on Reddit, "I (27M) work a job that allows a very good amount of time for a lunch break. So much in fact that I’ll regularly head down to a cafe (I really don’t know ifs it a cafe but it’s about pretty small so yeah) and sit and have something while with the time I have for the break. Keep in mind, for some reason this place is almost always busy." 

He continued, "It just so happened that today a woman (early-mid 20sF?) came inside with a baby and it was so busy that it looked like there was only like 2 open seats available, 1 of which happened to be the sit across from my small table. This women asked if she can sit at the table. The other table was under the air conditioner so understandable. I said yes because what harm would it have done otherwise?" 

He then got to the main point of his story, "So a little bit goes by and her baby starts crying, so she takes a breast out and starts breastfeeding. Obviously I’m just avoiding all eye contact but it got so uncomfortable that I ended up asking if she might be able to see if she can sit at the other table. I’m just trying to sit here, drink this cup of coffee, finish reading in my portfolio and leave." 

While the woman did not have an adverse reaction and "looked sorry and really just said she couldn’t and the baby was already eating," the man said, "A few people looked at me like I was a douche and it’s been bothering me." 

He continued, "I know it’s a natural thing for baby’s and moms and that there’s nothing I can do. I wasn’t going to try and force her away so I left. Was it to [sic] far to ask if she may have sat at the other table." 

Unfortunately, most commenters told the man that he was in the wrong for asking the woman to move. The top comment states, "This woman probably got two hours of sleep last night, has a crushingly awful mix of hormones in her body, she tried to escape and do ONE adult thing for herself, only to have to feed her crying baby and then you give her a hard time?

The comment continued, "I get that not everyone grows up comfortable around bodies and nudity but bro. Breastfeeding is 0% sexual. And if it really bothered you, you should’ve moved to the less desirable spot. Everyone was looking at you weirdly because YTA. Please do better next time - she deserves empathy, which was decidedly not what you gave her."

Another person chimed in as they wrote, "Babies need to eat, that's literally the physiological purpose of breasts. She was letting her baby eat. If you had a problem with it, you should have moved. Examine your relationship to this issue, because it is a bad one."

Needless to say, almost all the comments that were directed toward the man berated him for having an issue with a woman who merely feeding her child. The man has not posted any updates since this original post. 

What do you think of this man's request? Do you think he was reasonable for asking the woman to move? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this onto your friends to ask them their opinion as well.