Restaurants are places where people go to eat, so why shouldn’t babies be allowed to eat there too?
Jackie Johnson-Smith of Iowa didn’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be.
So, she had no qualms about feeding her baby when she and her husband went out to eat at Fong’s Pizza in Des Moines.
Fong’s is a quirky pizza parlor and tiki bar that decided to not to replace their original tenant’s Chinese restaurant decor and serves fun pies like Crab Rangoon and Corn Dog pizzas along with tiki drinks out of monkey heads.
According to Atlas Obscura, they also give you a helmet to wear when you order a “Kamikaze” drink. But Johnson-Smith wasn’t feeding her baby pizza with strange toppings or anything out of a monkey head.
She was openly breastfeeding her baby.
Unfortunately, we often hear stories about women being shamed for breastfeeding their children in public who asked to cover up or leave the establishment because breasts are involved which some people sexualize and deem inappropriate.
Women have been breastfeeding for thousands of years and some cultures would think it strange to stigmatize the act of feeding your child.
Especially since breastfeeding is considered “the best source of nourishment for infants and young children,” according to the World Health Organization.
But the folks over at Fong’s don’t mind when mothers feed their babies at their restaurant. In fact, they encourage it! Had Johnson-Smith known this, she probably wouldn’t have rushed out of the restaurant so soon.
She was breastfeeding her baby and decided to leave prematurely so she wouldn’t offend anyone in the restaurant.
But the waitstaff ended up praising the mother for making healthy choices for her baby.
They even bought her a pizza! Johnson-Smith ended up writing about her experience on Facebook in a post that ended up going viral.
“I have breastfed three children… I have breastfed them in countless of places both pleasant and unpleasant, discreetly and out in the open. I have gotten many looks and stares, but tonight erases any negativity I have ever received,”Johnson-Smith said in her Facebook post.
“I ate at Fong’s for the first time tonight. Having a fussy baby I nursed him for awhile 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. 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.”
The waitress wrote on the receipt “I bought one of your pizzas, please thank your wife for breastfeeding!”
What an amazing way to make someone feel welcome and to support a healthy, natural way of feeding children.
Johnson-Smith’s Facebook post ended up being shared more than 3,000 times. People were extremely inspired by Fongs’ act of kindness.
“Still an amazing act of kindness for something so normal, yet so shunned in our society,” one person commented on Facebook.
Some even said that Johnson-Smith’s post made them feel more comfortable about breastfeeding their own children in public.
“How neat! Why I feel embarrassed to nurse in public angers & frustrates me. Our society has created this shame & dirty feeling and its not right! It’s nice to know there are supporters out there!” one commenter said.
You can see Johnson-Smith’s original post below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
I have breastfed three children… I have breastfed them in countless of places both pleasant and unpleasant, discreetly…
Posted by Jackie Johnson-Smith onSunday, July 14, 2013
