The one place you would never expect a mother to be shamed for breastfeeding.

How on earth can attitudes like this still exist?

Breastfeeding shaming is something we often talk about.

Women being humiliated or belittled for breastfeeding.

Women who are simply trying to feed their babies. Nothing more, nothing less.

Women who probably haven’t even given a second thought as to who it is going to affect, cause they are well, der, feeding their babies.

It has simply nothing to do with anyone else.

But yet time and time again we talk about it.

A teacher in trouble for feeding her baby in the classroom.

A mother shamed for breastfeeding on a plane, in a restaurant. On a bus.

I thought I had heard (and dismissed) it all.

Until this.

Here’s a place I bet you thought you would never get shamed for breastfeeding.

A place where you feel comfortable, at ease - and in this place a woman has now been publicly shamed for breastfeeding.

Her own home. On her own couch. In her own living room.

A mother in the UK has been singled out on Facebook by a builder who wrote that he had walked in on her breastfeeding her six-month-old son.

The builder, Will Wallace (yes that’s his name and no he doesn’t look like Mel Gibson) wrote it would have been “common sense” for the mother to “have ensured her breast was safely wrapped up” or that she should have fed the baby in a room away from him.

To make matters worse Will Wallace decided to sexualise the whole thing saying it had made his day take a “turn for the good.”

The Portsmouth News reports that after a woman named Kristy attempted to shut the builder down saying breastfeeding was natural and normal he got even more offensive.

“Well, I would agree with your statement Kirsty but the viewing happened to be in her front room far from the public eye. The misdemeanor was mainly down to the inconsiderate nature of her husband who failed to inform me before I walked in. Whether we’re celebrating something natural or something beautiful, we should celebrate breasts like we celebrate a bank holiday. The post contains no misogynistic nature whatsoever … I know what you feminists get like.”

His post soon became the target - and rightly so - of local breastfeeding groups who decided a public take down was the only course of action.

After a few more smarmy and racist comments including this:

“They should think themselves lucky a bloke named Fayed al Mohamed didn’t walk in or shit would have hit the fan. The bottom line is, take precautions with whatever you do, don’t make yourself a sitting duck. Oh, and I certainly wasn’t perving, given the saggy and disproportionate nature of the breast you’d understand why,”

He backed down.. saying the usual back peddling apology about how he didn’t meant to cause offense.

Ra Ra Ra.

It’s infuriating. Even though we all know Will Wallace is simply a narrow-minded twat who probably doesn’t deserve our time or oxygen it’s actually worth talking about.

And the reason? Because if even one new mother was ashamed of how she was feeding her baby - breast or bottle - then the narrow minded twats have won.

When I breast-fed my three kids I didn’t give a second thought about who saw me, and you know why? Because all I was doing was feeding my baby.

We all know that whether a mother chooses to breastfeed or bottle feed is completely up to her and that both are perfectly safe healthy methods of feeding a baby.

What we never want is a mother to second-guess herself when what she is doing is simply caring for her child.

Will Wallace you make us sad with your attitude. It’s time for the “shaming” to stop...these mums are doing nothing more than mothering.

What attitudes did you encounter when you were a new parent?

Want more? Try:

The breast-feeding shaming story that ends well.

This Dad got snack shamed by his daughter's teacher. 

Follow iVillage on Facebook

When you become a parent, you don't leave your brain in the delivery suite. That's why mothers with kids of all ages come to themotherish.com; because they're still interested in news about entertainment, health, current affairs and food along with an inspiring and useful stream of parenting advice and support.

Most importantly, they come because they want to hear personal stories of parenting directly from other mothers, without fear of judgement.

[iv-signup-form]