a_mothers_tale/tiktok
A mom documenting her breastfeeding journey was in for a surprise when a video she shared on TikTok went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Emma, who goes by @a_mothers_tale on the platform, shared a video earlier this month featuring her son that said, “Week 1 of weaning got us like…” In the video, Emma’s 2-year-old son pulls at her sweater as she sits on the couch and starts trying to put his head under her sweater as she wraps him up in a hug.
“First rule or wean club: NEVER sit down!!!” she wrote in the caption.
The video amassed over two million views, but from critics who felt that Emma had waited too long to wean her son from breastfeeding rather than moms who related to the experience.
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Emma addressed the backlash in a video the next day, noting her “jaw was literally on the floor” from “the hate I have woken up to this morning.”
“Can we just start by alienating the fact that he’s two? Two. Two is literally age, the minimum age that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until,” she shared.
“In fact, in some cultures they’ll continue feeding until 7,” she noted, adding, “that’s what milk teeth are for.”
“I’ve been called disgusting, I’ve been told I’m wrong, that I have serious issues. I actually had someone message me and tell me that I should be locked up.”
“If you have issues with that video and you’re sexualizing the relationship between a mother and a 2-year-old child, I’m not the one with the issues, love,” she concluded.
“You do you mama! But its 2022 let’s educate ourselves & NORMALISE natural term breastfeeding,” Emma captioned the video in response to critics.
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