"He Wants a Refund Because I'm Breastfeeding My Baby": A Thematic Analysis of Maternal Stigma for Breastfeeding in Public

Breastfeeding in public continues to be controversial in the United States and other developed countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia. This study conducted a thematic analysis of online comments posted in response to a news story describing an incident involving public breastfeeding to assess strategies people used to communicate and manage stigma, as well as reasons people use to justify stigma. Stigma was communicated by negative attributions and use of faulty analogies equating breastfeeding with illegal body exposure. A predominant theme characterized the nursing mother as a disrespectful exhibitionist. Other themes included equating breastfeeding with objectification and descriptions of nonverbal disapproval toward breastfeeding in public while downplaying any health benefits of breastfeeding. Attempts to manage stigma in online comments were met with resistance and opposition. Results suggest that in spite of laws protecting public breastfeeding and campaigns promoting breastfeeding, prevalent attitudes continue to stigmatize mothers for breastfeeding in public.