Stranger Supports Breastfeeding Mom At Chipotle

It feels like, most of the time, when breastfeeding makes headlines, it’s because yet another mom was shamed for breastfeeding in public, or told to breastfeed somewhere completely inappropriate. So it’s downright refreshing to finally find a happy story about an encounter between a breastfeeding mom and a stranger — in this case, a mom was actually celebrated for breastfeeding in public, and at a Chipotle, no less! (Nothing against Chipotle, of course, but positive headlines about everyone’s favorite burrito joint have been fairly rare in the last few months, too).

On February 19, Peaceful Parenting posted a message and image from a breastfeeding mom named “Katy.” “Friends of mine were at Chipotle today and it was packed with students from a nearby college,” Katy wrote. “One girl ran over, dropped this on the table, smiled and walked out the door.” Given the way many encounters between nursing moms and strangers go, you might expect things to turn sour at this point, but, instead, they get awesome: The girl had given her a $15 Chipotle gift card with the message, “Thank you for breastfeeding in public — helping reduce the stigma for future moms like me. You rock!” A message of support and free lunch? How great is that?

“So amazing to see that what we are doing is having an impact on future generations!” Katy wrote. Thousands of people have “liked” the post, and many have chimed in with messages of support, as well as praise for the anonymous gift-card giver. For example, commenter Kylee R. Logan wrote, “It's amazing that the girl didn't need to have kids to understand that there is a stigma occurring. … She recognized how helpful public nursing is for normalization AND saw a nursing woman as an example for her future self. This is a HUGE deal.” Another, Natalie Moreland, added, “That's amazing! She's not a mom yet, but understands the importance.”