Stacey Dooley has been "mum-shamed" by some online over a recent social media post. The former Strictly Come Dancing winner attracted criticism after an Instagram post where she joked about her preparedness for motherhood.
Stacey and her partner Kevin Clifton, whom she met on the popular BBC series, revealed they were expecting their first child in August last year. And last week, in an update for her 1.1 million Instagram followers, the investigative journalist posted a selfie of her with a crossbody bag sitting neatly above her baby bump.
The pregnant star captioned the picture: "My penultimate day of work before the baby comes. I haven't got a steriliser yet, but I have got this completely impractical bag for expectant mothers so DON'T WORRY, (I'm gonna be great at this clearly)"
The post, which was complemented with numerous laughing emojis, received a negative response from some users who interpreted the caption as the 35-year-old telling fans she doesn't intend to breastfeed when she becomes a mother. Some commenters were quick to criticise, the Mirror reported, with one writing: "If you’re breastfeeding you won’t need a steriliser… problem solved."
Another commented: "Steriliser just another way to make money out of parents. Not needed!" And a third added: "Breastfeeding doesn’t require sterilisers #normalisebreastfeeding".
The NHS recommends giving nothing but breast milk for about the first 6 months (26 weeks) of a baby's life, but also offers help and advice to parents who decide to feed their baby formula. The decision whether to breastfeed or not is a personal choice.
Some mothers may opt to bottle-feed their newborn due to not being able to produce a healthy breast milk supply, while others may take certain medications or need to undergo a medical treatment that isn't breastfeeding safe. Many also make the decision not to breastfeed for their own reasons.
Stacey has not yet revealed whether she plans to breastfeed or not when she gives birth this year, but that didn't stop many Instagram users assuming she will bottle-feed thanks to her post last week. Many of the pregnant star's fans rushed to Stacey's defence, reminding people not to judge.
"So much judgement. I had absolutely no [intent] of breastfeeding. I didn’t want to. And I wasn’t going to be pushed into it," one of Stacey's fans began with when sharing a lengthy reply to some of the critics. "You do you and all the best for your new arrival. You will make all the right decisions for you and your baby xxx."
"You’ll make a cracking mum," another added, as a third commented: "It’s fine, we’re all winging it pretending we know what we’re doing anyway. 15 years and 3 kids in and I still don’t have a clue what I’m doing."
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