Why This Mom's Open Letter to a Stranger at Target Is Going Viral
Once you're a mom, you pretty much have no choice but to hear other people's opinions on every single decision you're making. Even strangers love to weigh in with their unsolicited advice. A mom from Gainesville, Florida, named Annie Ferguson Muscato recently had a run-in with one opinionated stranger while buying baby formula at Target and went on Facebook to share her experience in an emotional open letter that's going viral.
"You didn't need to tell me, 'breast is best' as I was buying a can of baby formula, because I already know," Muscato wrote. "I know that my husband and I excitedly took the four hour breast feeding class when I was pregnant. I know that my baby immediately did skin to skin and ate from my breast within an hour of her birth, because it was important to me. I know that we saw a lactation consultant before we took her home, and again a few weeks later. I know that we struggled at first."
Muscato went onto explain how no matter what she did, breastfeeding her daughter didn't go according to plan: "My baby began screaming after she ate. Writhing in pain. Inconsolable. I know over the last month and a half I have exclusively pumped and tried slow flow bottles of breast milk, I have tried different positions, I have seen another lactation consultant."
She said she's still pumping, but it wasn't until she tried the "hypoallergenic dairy protein free formula" that the screaming lessened. "And my baby started smiling. She started interacting. She started sleeping. And I cried. Because I thought breast was best. I thought my body failed her. I thought she wouldn't be as healthy on formula. I know you think I must not care or I'm lazy, or maybe you were genuinely trying to be helpful and thought no one had ever told me the benefits of breast feeding."
Muscato definitely isn't the only mom who's come up against various challenges that stood in the way of being able to exclusively breastfeed - and the extremely supportive reaction to her open letter proves it. One mom named Cassie Lee Gray said, "Thank you for posting. Brought me to tears. Has the same issues with my son. And I feel guilty every day for not being able to continue breastfeeding. But I know I'm doing all I can to keep him fed and healthy and that's all that matters. You should feel proud. #fedisbest." Another named Katie White wrote, "It's so frustrating to get the sideways glances at the store or in a public space when people watch you preparing a formula bottle. My kid is thriving, healthy, happy and smart. How she got there is none of your business and you don't walk in my shoes."
So far, Muscato's letter has been shared 26,571 times and has over 4,000 comments.
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