By Alyce Collins
THIS DISNEY fanatic was SHAMED for breastfeeding in public after a Disney World photographer REFUSED to take her picture while she was nursing her toddler.
Business owner and blogger Natalee Jorge-Martin (28) from Miami, USA, wants to reduce the stigma around breastfeeding in public and encourage more mothers to feel comfortable nursing their children wherever they are.
Before Natalee welcomed her daughter, Delilah (15 months) in 2017, she had admired other women who nursed their children in public, regarding them as strong and powerful.
Natalee and her husband, Rogelio, have both always loved Disney and in particular, Disney World, so they try to visit there a few times every year. However, during one trip in 2017 a professional photographer at the resort refused to take a photograph of the family of three until Natalee had finished nursing.
Natalee is hoping to dispel any objections to breastfeeding in public which stems from womenâs bodies being sexualised and not seen for their natural, nurturing capabilities.
âI knew I was going to nurse from the start, even before we decided to have a baby,â said Natalee.
âItâs completely normal in my family and something we donât even think about. My mother breastfed me and my two brothers for almost two years each.
âFor most women, a proper breastfeeding relationship is difficult to establish because there are a lot of different factors involved in getting it right.
âYou have to learn how to latch your baby on properly, how to listen and watch for hunger cues and youâll stress and stress about your milk production until youâre blue in the face.
âFor me, establishing a breastfeeding relationship was nearly impossible and I went through hell and back to successfully nurse Delilah. I couldnât produce milk for the first week of my babyâs life.
âBreastmilk is the best first food for a baby. Itâs the most nutritional food created, and I wanted my daughter to benefit from that.
âBreastfeeding is difficult, frustrating and so, so demanding, but itâs also the most beautiful and magical thing youâll ever do in your life.
âIâve always seen women who breastfed in public as strong, powerful and wonderful mothers. Itâs perfectly normal to be nervous to nurse in public because I was at first too.
âThe problem is that women have been sexualised for years and our society oppresses us and wants our breasts on display only to fulfil sexual fantasies, not the way that they were intended, which is to feed babies.
âBecause of this, you might feel like youâre doing something wrong when really all youâre doing is what your body is meant to do. Feeding your child is a basic human need that is essential to their survival.
âAlthough you may feel nervous, you should do it anyway, even if youâre covered up. The more people see a woman proudly nursing in public, the quicker it will be normalised.
âIâve had plenty of nasty looks directed my way for nursing in public before. One time, when we were at Disney World, a photographer refused to take my photo until I was finished breastfeeding.
âThe photographer plainly said, âyou have to cover up or take the baby off for the pictureâ and refused to take the picture.
âI was so confused, I honestly couldnât believe what was happening and I was completely frozen. I couldnât even react.
âMost of Disney World is completely breastfeeding friendly. You can nurse anywhere in the park and not be asked to cover up or leave â not by cast members at least.
âIf youâre offended by breastfeeding, youâre probably staring too hard. Itâs literally just a mother feeding a child, thereâs nothing to be up in arms about.â
Natalee wants to change the sexualisation of womenâs breasts in order to improve societyâs acceptance of nursing in public.
Through sharing her own experiences and thoughts on her blog, Nat The Natural Mom, Natalee is trying to create a community for mothers to embrace nursing and share their personal experiences with one another.
âWomen are strong, and we are powerful. We bring life into this world and many of us sustain that life for months after birth just our breasts,â said Natalee.
âWe need to start reclaiming our power and our bodies because we are made of magic.â
You can see more of Nataleeâs mothering style by visiting her Instagram, @natthenaturalmom or visit her blog, natthenaturalmom.com where she shares lots of personal stories and pictures.