Despite motherhood being a very unique and personal experience for every woman, there seems to be an extreme amount of judgment surrounding certain decisions women make with their children and their bodies, in particular their decision to breastfeed or bottle-feed their babies. Well, one woman decided to stop shamers in their tracks before they could even get started by hanging a sign that deemed her hospital delivery room a “no breastfeeding zone.”
- Meghan Koziel is a breast cancer survivor. After finding a lump when she was only 25, Meghan, who’s now 31, was eventually diagnosed with “ge 2B invasive ductal carcinoma ER/PR+ HER2-, 3 lymph node involvement and later found to have PALB2 mutation,” she explained in a recent Instagram post. After being unable to tolerate other treatments, she eventually underwent a double mastectomy with 33 rounds of radiation. In other words, the fact that she was able to survive that and then start a family is a miracle.
- She gave birth to their first child in 2018. Meghan and her husband John were thrilled to become parents to their daughter Kendra in 2018, but Meghan knew that once she gave birth, the questions would immediately start about why she wasn’t breastfeeding. Not wanting to deal with any drama, she thought of posting the sign, an idea she and her sister came up with together after Meghan spoke to other moms who had found themselves in similarly awkward positions before.
- The sign lets doctors, nurses, and anyone else who enters the room know what’s up. The poem that appears on the sign reads “Thought breastfeeding is a very special task / Please be aware before you ask / Our miracle baby will be formula fed / And it will not affect her future ahead.” There’s an added note that Meghan is a survivor, which is incredible!
- She’s even offered to print the sign for other expecting moms. Not wanting any other woman to go through being questioned and judged for her decision, Meghan has encouraged any other expectant moms who might find use with the sign to message her so that they can have a printable version for their own hospital rooms. How amazing is that?
- Meghan has since given birth to another beautiful baby girl named Kenzie. She considers Kendra and Kenzie her miracle babies and their beautiful family is so wonderful to see. Meghan is an inspiration to so many people and has helped other moms just like her from al around the world feel a little stronger in themselves and a little less alone.
