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New mom shuts down breastfeeding shaming in Kroger

Posted at 7:46 AM, Jun 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-20 12:18:36-04

COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Motherhood is full of surprises. For Jenny Nunes, one of those surprises is when her 4-month-old daughter Cora is hungry.

Inside a Columbus, Indiana Kroger, Cora started getting fussy. So Nunes went to a cafe to feed her daughter.

A man came and sat nearby and asked why she was breastfeeding without a cover. 

"She's hungry so she's gonna get fed," Nunes said. "At the end we were walking out and I said I hoped he'd had a good breakfast because she had a good breakfast."

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Family practitioner Mandy Dornfeld said this kind of encounter is happening less often than in the past.

"I loved her reaction," Dornfeld said. " I thought it was absolutely perfect. She's taking care of her baby, wasn't trying to be an exhibitionist. She was making every effort not to disturb others."

The next day, Nunes was shamed in the local paper. A reader sent in a complaint about women who breastfeed in public. 

Amanda Virostko, also a breastfeeding mom, said the backlash to the complaint was strong.

"There were tons of shares and tons of comments," she said. "It actually turned out to be a positive thing because there was an outpouring of support afterward."

Despite the public complaint, Nunes said she's not changing anything. 

"I hope he knows there's nothing wrong with it," she said. "I have a baby and I'm gonna feed her. He can move if he wants to but I'm not going to. I'm going to feed her wherever she's comfortable."