Malaysian mother Afiqah Hasanah relives the startling moment she discovered a close friend breastfeeding her newborn son without consent, a breach of trust that has caused widespread outrage and sparked crucial conversations on respect for motherhood.
The story unfolds on a seemingly normal day, when Afiqah had to attend a family event and entrusted her newborn, Haider, to the care of a trusted friend. Little did she know, this decision would lead to a highly contentious situation that would send ripples of shock and sympathy through the online community.
“I was busy carrying things, and when I arrived, she asked me for Haider, so I just gave him [to her] because she was someone close to me,” Afiqah recounts. But to her dismay, she discovered her friend breastfeeding her baby boy.
A confrontation ensued between Afiqah and the friend in question, who defended her actions by stating that Haider was crying. Afiqah, understandably upset, asked, “Which mother can accept her baby being directly breastfed by someone else while the mother herself has breastmilk?”
Taking to the video platform, Afiqah shared her harrowing experience, her distress palpable as she expressed feeling betrayed and violated. “I didn’t expect that she could do such a thing. I was so stressed I felt like crying. This has destroyed my trust in people. How long will I be haunted by this?” Her teary confession echoed the sentiments of countless mothers who watched in empathetic disbelief.
In a shocking twist, Afiqah’s mother revealed that even after being confronted, the friend was caught breastfeeding Haider for a second time. Afiqah was left reeling, saying, “Now, I’m having a tough time shaking it off my mind.”
The video, quickly going viral, garnered nearly three million views and a quarter-million likes. The viewers rallied around the distressed mother, their comments brimming with support and empathy. “How can someone even do that without thinking!? It’s so frustrating to hear this,” read one comment, while another mom expressed, “New fear unlocked.”
The incident also resonated with a woman who revealed a similar experience with her sister, emphasizing that Afiqah’s story was not as isolated as one might hope. The comments were a mix of empathy, outrage, and cautionary advice, urging Afiqah to keep her child away from the friend in question.
Afiqah’s video sparked the hashtag “respect motherhood,” a rallying cry for parents to always respect boundaries when dealing with newborns. Despite the traumatic experience, Afiqah has managed to raise important awareness about the sanctity of motherhood and the necessity of trust in child care.
The incident, however, has left a lasting impact on Afiqah. She admits, “I know that breastfeeding is good as it is highly nutritious, but I’m afraid to trust people now,” a sentiment that encapsulates the emotional turmoil she continues to navigate. This tale, heartbreaking and cautionary, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of respect, trust, and boundaries in the realm of parenthood.
Source: AWM
