It had only been months since Jackie had her third child, and at that time, she felt like her relationship with her husband was in a tough spot. The couple went out that evening thinking they would have a nice relaxing dinner together with their children.
Behind Her Back
They had never imagined they would experience something like this, with their waitress doing it to them… After returning from the restroom during their dinner at a restaurant, Jackie felt her blood boiling.
Behind Her Back
The Tears Came
Their waitress had left something at their table and this made her stomach turn. Even though making a scene was the last thing on Jackie’s mind, she also couldn’t just be fine with this and do nothing.
The Tears Came
Motherhood
She knew she had to speak up. She demanded her husband let her see the thing the waitress left for him. As she read it, tears ran down Jackie’s cheeks. Jackie Johnson-Smith learned how difficult being a mother could be.
Motherhood
Stirring Up Drama
However, her experience at a local pizza place in Des Moines, Iowa topped all of the experiences she has had as a mother. For some reason, their waitress felt brave enough to slip Jackie’s husband a note while his wife was at the bathroom.
Stirring Up Drama
Not Someone To Mess With
The contents of the letter were truly unbelievable, Jackie thought when she read it. Having served in the Army for quite a while, Jackie had a tough personality and it clearly told others not to mess with her.
Not Someone To Mess With
A War Hero
Apart from serving in the army, she dedicates her life to looking after her family and being the best mom she could be. In spite of her tough persona, Jackie was still left in tears by the note their waitress had written.
A War Hero
Not So Glamorous
What could possibly make a war hero break down? Her reaction also surprised her husband. Being a mother isn’t a glamorous job; looking after your kids can make you look tired and messy most of the time.
Not So Glamorous
He Got A Lot Of Attention
Jackie did try to look nice as best as she could, but her husband was definitely good-looking. Of course, Jackie found her husband attractive and knew that other women also tend to look at him at times.
He Got A Lot Of Attention
A Blind Eye
She always tried her best to ignore this but how the waitress was looking at him that night really got under Jackie’s skin. Jackie could not pretend not to notice that there had been changes in their relationship over time.
A Blind Eye
Feeling Uncertain
She had three kids and she thought she no longer had both the physical and mental capabilities which she once had. There were times when Jackie felt unsure and even insecure in her marriage.
Feeling Uncertain
Bringing The Family Out
At those times, she would wonder whether the time was right to address it but she usually ignored these thoughts. That particular night, however, she thought there was a good reason for the insecurities she was having.
Bringing The Family Out
Life With A Newborn
A date night for Jackie and her husband, Tom, was long overdue and they knew it. However, they recently welcomed a new baby, which is why they decided to take out the whole family instead and visit their local pizza parlor.
Life With A Newborn
Needed Support
As soon as they got to the place, the newborn began fussing, so Jackie fed the baby. She did this at their table but she was aware that other people in the restaurant were staring at her. The way the waitress looked at her husband was different, though.
Needed Support
A Proud Momma
After becoming a mom, you will notice that everybody suddenly starts judging you for all the things you do. When a mom begins to lift her top up in public, everybody stares. Jackie knew this feeling quite well being a mother of three children, whom she breastfed.
A Proud Momma
All Eyes On Them
Most of the time, stares don’t upset Jackie enough to make her feel like stopping breastfeeding. The way the waitress was staring, however, was the first time Jackie experienced something like that.
All Eyes On Them
Feeling Uneasy
She knew something had to be done. Jackie was used to the stares that she got when she breastfed her baby. She had already decided not to let it bother or upset her. She could hear mumblings about her, but she simply ignored them and went on feeding her baby.
Feeling Uneasy
The Letter
Once Jackie noticed the waitress watching her intently, she felt really uneasy. Jackie thought the waitress seemed like she had never seen a woman breastfeeding before. Jackie had the feeling the waitress would do something, but she had no idea what exactly.
The Letter
A New Feeling
Jackie got up to go to the restroom, and then her husband asked for the bill. Right when Jackie started walking away, the waitress hurriedly went to their table and handed Jackie’s husband a note.
A New Feeling
How Did He React?
Reading the note, Jackie’s husband showed every reaction on his face. He didn’t realize his wife saw the whole interaction. From there, Jackie had a feeling that she had never had before. Jackie thought that after reading the note, her husband would immediately toss the note to the side.
How Did He React?
Had He Fallen In Love?
However, he got his phone instead! Jackie wondered if he had just gotten the phone number of the waitress and couldn’t believe what was happening. Jackie couldn’t help feeling that her husband wasn’t in love with her anymore and had become tired of his life together with his family.
Had He Fallen In Love?
Her Jealousy Was Showing
Her heart sank while she watched this happen, but what did Jackie do about it? Jackie got overwhelmingly angry while watching the waitress approach her husband as soon as his wife walked away.
Her Jealousy Was Showing
Demanding Answers
Jackie had a million thoughts racing through her mind. She desperately wanted to find out what was on the note. Her husband taking out his phone immediately after reading the note was the worst part!
Demanding Answers
Everything Was Suspicious
Did he really save the waitress’s number? Jackie walked back, demanded to see the note, and began crying right after. The waitress actually offered some exclusive discount on the family’s entire bill.
Everything Was Suspicious
The Center Of Problems
There was definitely something happening here. Was she flirting with Jackie’s husband while his wife was watching? The note included something about his wife opting to breastfeed in a public place.
The Center Of Problems
Getting Emotional
Jackie wasn’t new to being the center of an issue like this, so she was used to it. However, she had never experienced anyone being upfront about it. Jackie suddenly couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and they came streaming down her cheeks.
Getting Emotional
The Letter That Made Her Cry
She was very much surprised by what she was reading and wondered how someone could write something like that. Jackie was crying while she read the note. She sat down because she felt she needed to.
The Letter That Made Her Cry
Her Note Went Viral
Such a note coming her way was really unexpected, but it inspired Jackie. Jackie felt strongly about what the waitress did. Taking to social media, Jackie shared what had happened. She knew that breastfeeding in public areas was a hot topic.
Her Note Went Viral
The Note Itself
However, it still shocked her to see the responses that her Facebook post was getting. Jackie started her Facebook post with this: “I have breastfed three children… I have breastfed them in countless places both pleasant and unpleasant, discreetly and out in the open.”
The Note Itself
An Experienced Waitress
“I have gotten many looks and stares, but tonight erases any negativity I have ever received.” Bodi, the waitress, has been doing the same exact job for quite a while up until that point. She noticed how mothers who opt to breastfeed their babies in public often get stared at and talked about.
An Experienced Waitress
Circling
While giving an email interview, Jackie said, “The waitress kept walking by and I was worried she didn’t want me nursing in the restaurant.” Jackie herself was raised on formula, but breastfeeding to her was a journey that she thought of as “deeply personal with endless woes and triumphs.”
Circling
Sharing Her Emotions
“…I ate at Fong’s for the first time tonight. Having a fussy baby I nursed him for a while in the booth and eventually left the table early as to not disrupt the restaurant. The waitress gave this receipt to my husband. I was speechless and emotional,” said Jackie in her post. So, what did the note say?
Sharing Her Emotions
What Did The Note Say?
Bodi, the waitress, had no personal experience about this. However, it still angered her to see others judging women for opting to breastfeed at the table. This is the reason she wrote this on the family’s bill.
What Did The Note Say?
She Expected The Worst
“I bought one of your pizzas… Please thank your wife for breastfeeding!!” Jackie’s response was amazing. However, she did assume that her husband took note of the waitress’s phone number.
She Expected The Worst
Went Public
Nevertheless, Jackie also admits she expected the worst. Fortunately, all he wanted was to take a photo of the incredible note for himself. As for Jackie, she included a photo of the note in her Facebook post and the responses were incredible.
Went Public
Medical Support
As Jackie’s post went viral, a lot of people from the medical field also came forward in support. Many doctors and gynecologists started by making people – especially mothers – aware of the benefits of breastfeeding for both the baby and the mother. It began an entirely new discussion.
Medical Support
The Importance
There’s an important reason doctors stress on breastfeeding a child. While it’s more of a personal choice, the mother’s milk is ideal for the baby. It’s rich in nutrients and all the necessary vitamins for the baby. On top of that, it’s a source of colostrum which helps the baby fight off infections.
The Importance
Inspiring Others
By doing this, Jackie inspires women all over to be bold and courageous. Her goal is for women to fearlessly face the world and look after their kids. Lots of women bottle-feed their kids out of fear of being judged.
Inspiring Others
Raising Breastfeeding Awareness
Bodi’s note somehow started an amazing wave of notes just like this. After Bodi’s and Jackie’s efforts, the much-needed conversation about breastfeeding began to be more and more common.
Raising Breastfeeding Awareness
All She Wants
Jackie, along with breastfeeding moms all over the world, was sick of being stared at even though they are just feeding their children naturally. Bodi proved that some people support mothers like Jackie.
All She Wants
Amazing Responses
While not everyone is comfortable about bringing up the topic of breastfeeding, there is progress, and that is enough for Jackie. Even though breastfeeding is totally normal and natural, moms doing it in public rarely get positive feedback.
Amazing Responses
Hope
In the same email interview, Jackie spoke about how she hoped that breastfeeding women will be more accepted. Also, she wanted fellow mothers to one day be able to be worry-free when nursing a baby in public. “We’re often misunderstood. Do we think breastfeeding is best? Of course we do, but it isn’t a ‘we’re better than you’ thing, it’s very much an equality thing,” she wrote.
Hope
Not Inferior
“I would never want to make a woman feel inferior or uncomfortable about her parenting choices. It is our right and our choice, yet we’re always scrutinized for it. Society has made breasts sexual and people cannot cope with normalizing them,” Jackie continued.
Not Inferior
Deeply Staring
Bodi later commented, “I noticed [Jackie] nursing and was so thrilled she did it!” “…I tried not to stare because I didn’t want to seem creepy or make her feel uncomfortable, but I felt like doing jumping jacks!”
Deeply Staring
Sticking Up For Other Women
The waitress was watching Jackie so intently because of this! “After dealing with people’s reactions for so long, it was like the universe was giving me a pat on the back. I was too stunned to go back inside and thank the waitress,” said Jackie.
Sticking Up For Other Women
Amazing Feeling
Jackie visited the pizza place again to personally thank Bodi once more. “Although I don’t need a pat on the back for feeding my child, it sure felt amazing. It is amazing how we women can make each other feel when we empower each other.”
Amazing Feeling
Unbreakable Family
Ever since their interaction with Bodi, Jackie and Tom’s relationship got better than ever. In addition, Jackie was making massive strides on social media as she continues to break the silence about mothers choosing to breastfeed in public.
Unbreakable Family
A Long Way
We are sure Bodi had never thought that her little act of kindness would become a big thing for Jackie and her family. People all over the globe were even affected by her kindness thanks to social media!
A Long Way
Persecuted
There are, unfortunately, many examples of women being persecuted for feeding their babies in public. However, one of the most famous examples is from 2006. Emily Gillette was on a Delta Airlines flight, traveling with her one-year-old daughter. Soon, she realized her baby was hungry.
Persecuted
Hiding
Emily did everything in her power to hide the fact that she was breastfeeding on the plane. She hoped she would be able to feed her daughter in peace. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. She was kicked off the plane! You’d be surprised, but Emily isn’t the only mother who’s been kicked out by a major corporation for breastfeeding.
Hiding
Target
Back in 2016, a woman from Texas got kicked out of a Target fitting room for breastfeeding her three-month-old baby. This was done despite the fact that she removed herself from the other customers first. The mother was told she shouldn’t have taken a hungry baby away from the house and that she wasn’t allowed to breastfeed in the fitting room.
Target
Outraged
The young mother was both embarrassed and outraged at the fact that she couldn’t feed her baby – even behind closed doors. It’s safe to say that there still is a taboo around breastfeeding in public. In 2012, TIME Magazine decided to take a stand. They released a controversial issue with an even more controversial cover.
Outraged
The Cover
The cover of the magazine features a picture of a young mother who was breastfeeding her three-year-old son. It didn’t take long for the cover to spark outrage all over the world. Many people deemed the cover disgusting.
The Cover
No Wonder
As a result of that scandal, it’s not surprising that Jackie was uncomfortable breastfeeding in public. While taboos like these still exist, how are young mothers meant to feel confident about their parenting skills?
No Wonder
American Laws
Almost all of the American states have laws that allow breastfeeding mothers to nurse their kids in public. In fact, breastfeeding mothers from Virginia and South Dakota are also exempted from nudity and indecency laws.
American Laws
Fair Labor Standards Act
In Idaho, an act was enacted – the Fair Labor Standards Act, aka the FLSA. This gives mothers the right to breastfeed anywhere. In addition, the act offers workplace protection for breastfeeding workers. However, there are no state-level breastfeeding laws just yet.
Fair Labor Standards Act
The British Equality Act
In 2010, the British Equality Act was enacted. It legislates against discrimination towards breastfeeding mothers. This includes declining to provide service, providing service on different terms, and providing low-quality services.
The British Equality Act