Show Notes
This week's guest is Emma from the hugely popular Instagram account @a_mothers_tale. Emma lives in Scotland, is a mama of three boys, and is known for her real, honest, and often funny accounts of motherhood!
Emma is currently breastfeeding her youngest son and would regularly share their journey on her social media accounts. Back in September, she got the shock of her life when a video of her breastfeeding her boy on TikTok was taken down for ‘indecent exposure’ and she was blocked from the platform. Understandably, Emma is not taking this lying down and is now petitioning for change.
In this episode...
In this episode we talk about the breastfeeding video debacle on TikTok and why people's breastfeeding images and videos are so often removed from social media platforms on the basis of being unacceptable or offensive content. What do social media giants need to do to better protect and support people who choose to breastfeed? Emma talks about the power of community and how her followers are backing her to push for change and to normalise breastfeeding on social media and in public.
We also chat about Emma's recent bout of Mastitis which left her hospitalised and separated from her baby son due to Covid restrictions. We look at why this shouldn't be happening and why again, change needs to occur. Emma reflects on how amazing her Instagram community are and how they've gotten her through these tough times and encouraged her 'not to quit on a bad day'.
Emma's key talking points
Feeding all three of her boys and how this third journey is her hardest yet
Coping with recurring mastitis and the trauma of being admitted to hospital and separated from her baby
The power of a social media community to inspire and empower people to breastfeed
Uncovering the lack of continuity around the treatment of breastfeeding images and videos on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms
The need for appropriate social media guidelines to support and protect breastfeeding people.
Find out more
You can follow Emma's Instagram account here: @a_mothers_tale and you can sign her petition to Normalise Breastfeeding here.
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