Despite what Instagram and Pinterest might tell you, parenthood isn’t all picture-perfect moments and carefully created lunchbox options.
In the midst of all those smiling pictures of angelic children and perfect interiors, it’s helpful when a parent gets honest and shows us that we’re not alone.
That’s why mum Sarah Mills, from New South Wales, has been praised for a photo she shared of herself breastfeeding her toddler, three, in the middle of an aisle at Target.
Sarah was doing the back-to-school shop with her three children, Hendrix, 10, Monroe, seven, and Morrison, three, when she began to suffer a panic attack.
Her two older children were fighting, her youngest was being a ‘typical threenager’, and she felt entirely overwhelmed.
Needing a moment of calm to just breathe, Sarah sat down in the middle of the store.
That’s when Morrison announced that he needed feeding.
Exhausted, Sarah breastfed her son right there on the floor, while her daughter snapped a photo.
‘I’d had a really tough couple of days, and I was completely overwhelmed,’ said Sarah. ‘The kids needed school supplies and as much as I needed to just be in bed, I had no choice but to take all three out for the dreaded back to school shop.
‘We’d been to several shops, the kids kept changing their minds about what they want, the fighting was non-stop, the toddler was being a typical threenager and my heart started racing.
‘I thought to myself “here we go”. Over the years I have learnt to recognise when a massive anxiety attack is about to hit.
‘I needed a moment. I knew all three children weren’t about to stop what they were doing and put everything back so mama could go and ground herself.
‘So, in the middle of Target, I sat on the floor. I am too deep into single parenting to care about what others might think and only do what is ‘socially acceptable’
‘I sat and breathed through the techniques I’ve learnt over the years of battling anxiety.
‘Morrison came to sit with me asking for a drink, relieved he’d be sitting still for a minute I happily obliged
‘Monroe amused herself looking at sandals and Hendrix sat trying on a pair of shoes he wanted. So, I sat, I counted, I took some breaths and I centred myself.’
Sarah received some odd looks, but she was too stressed to care what people thought.
After 15 minutes she was able to get up and carry on with the shopping trip.
The mum shared her daughter’s photo of the moment on social media, where it received hundreds of likes and comments from parents thanking her for showing the reality of parenthood.
She said: ‘Later stage breastfeeding is still frowned upon unfortunately, and I’ve gotten lots of negative comments when I’ve breastfed in public.
‘It’s the most natural thing in the entire universe. It’s nasty that a lot of women are subjected to negativity because of it.
‘Sometimes, no matter where we are, we just need to stop, forget what others are thinking and do whatever it takes to get us through that moment.
‘You’re not alone. Not all of us are okay 100% of the time. It’s okay to not always keep it together, it’s okay to need a moment, it’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to sit down before you reach the point where you can’t breathe.
‘You’re not broken. You’re human. It’s okay to feel.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/04/mum-praised-sharing-moment-sat-supermarket-aisle-breastfeed-panic-attack-12180776/
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