Woman Accuses Her Sister Of 'Violating Their Relationship' After She Nursed Her Infant Without Permission
Her sister made her feel bad about not being able to nurse her baby.
Alex Vog, fizkes / Shutterstock A woman revealed that her sister acted inappropriately and ruined their relationship after making a decision involving her children without receiving permission first.
Posting to the subreddit "r/amiwrong" — an online forum where people can share situations or scenarios to seek opinions on whether they were ethically wrong for their reactions — she revealed that after welcoming twin daughters with her husband, her sister crossed a line that made her quite angry.
She accused her sister of violating their relationship after she nursed one of her daughters without permission.
In her Reddit post, she explained that her younger sister, Lucy, has always wanted to be a mother but due to complications with conceiving hasn't been able to. When she fell pregnant with her twin daughters, Clara and Lana, the woman noticed that Lucy was very supportive of the pregnancy after initially thinking she'd be a bit jealous.
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"I had a hard birth and that coupled with my health issues means that I’ve decided to not breastfeed and just formula feed," she admitted, noting that when Clara was born, she had been having some immune system issues, but now both of her girls are healthy and at a good weight.
Now, her girls are both four months old and she recently had a family gathering with her parents, husband, and some of their friends, and, of course, her younger sister was also in attendance. During the party, Lucy had excused herself to use the bathroom but was gone for quite some time, so she decided to go look for her.
"I hear talking coming from the twins' nursery. I figured that she was having a snuggle with Clara so I [headed] into the room and thought I was going to be sick, or hit her or I don’t know what," she recalled. Sitting in a rocking chair in the room was her sister trying to nurse Clara.
"Clara looked confused and didn’t know what to do with it as she’s never been breastfed. I started to shout at her asking what the hell did she think she was doing with my baby," she continued. Her sister attempted to calm her down and explained that she should be grateful since she was acting in the best interest of the baby.
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Lucy even tried accusing her sister of failing her daughters by not being able to breastfeed them, and since she was on fertility medication and was starting to lactate, she assumed her older sister would be happy that she was feeding her niece.
"She said I was being unreasonable, that [she] and Clara have formed a bond over this, and that it was cruel to take her away from her," she claimed her sister said, which made her feel as if that had happened once before.
It's common for mothers to choose not to breastfeed their babies due to various circumstances.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's estimated about 5-10% of women are physiologically unable to breastfeed, many more say that they’re either not making enough or there’s something nutritionally lacking with their milk that keeps the baby from thriving.
More than 80% of new mothers start out attempting to breastfeed. Yet after three months, a typical amount of time U.S. women take for maternity leave, less than half are still exclusively breastfeeding — and only a quarter do so for the first six months before starting to supplement with formula or switch entirely.
Mothers should never be shamed or blamed for not being able to nurse their babies. There are numerous reasons why a mother may face challenges or be unable to breastfeed, and it's essential to approach this topic with empathy and understanding.
Breastfeeding is also a decision that should be made by the mother based on her personal choices, comfort, and individual circumstances. Breastfeeding without permission, as this woman's sister did, disregards the mother's autonomy and violates her right to make decisions regarding her body and her baby's nourishment.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.