It has become common for lactating moms to post selfies of themselves while breastfeeding their babies. However, a breastfeeding mom's selfie posted on Facebook has become a viral sensation because it shows her breastfeeding someone else's baby.
The breastfeeding mom, Meg Nagle owns a blog called The Milk Meg and is also a member of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE), BabyCenter reports. It turns out that the baby she is breastfeeding in the viral selfie is actually her sister's child.
Nagle's sister was out for work when the selfie was taken. The controversial mom also revealed that she breastfed her baby nephew after he repeatedly refused bottle feeding. "I could see he was tired so I popped him on the boob and voila, he was asleep in minutes," Nagle noted.
#breastmilk it does a body good. pic.twitter.com/JgyMwYvHuu
— Meg Nagle, IBCLC (@themilkmeg) September 10, 2015
Nagle's viral breastfeeding mom selfie has gained both support and opposition from many Facebook users. "Over 560 people commented and while the majority seemed to be women sharing personal stories of breastfeeding other people's children, there were also quite a few people who expressed less positive opinions," BabyCenter explains.
Through all the criticisms...yes we will! #themilkmeg #keeponboobin #brelfie #breastfeeding pic.twitter.com/uoZmrHVo69 — Meg Nagle, IBCLC (@themilkmeg) June 23, 2015
Some of the opposition are arguing that a baby should only be breastfed by her own mother. However, many Facebook users also commented that it would be beneficial to have someone trustworthy to breastfeed a baby if the biological mother is unavailable.
Experts say that if a mother is planning to have someone breastfeed their baby, she should be screened for infections and diseases first. "Even if you have a good friend who wants to donate milk, you can't guarantee that it's free of infections, like HIV," American Academy of Pediatrics spokesperson Ari Brown told Parenting.com.
