The Bachelor star Snezana Wood says she was ‘mum shamed’ over breastfeeding
Snezana Wood and her husband Sam are parents to three gorgeous girls. Charlie is seven months old, Willow is two and Eve, Snez’s daughter from her previous relationship, is fourteen.
“It’s stressful enough … “
The couple met on The Bachelor during Sam’s season and their profile has been on the rise ever since.
Snez is now the ambassador for Huggies’ new Be Comfortable in Your Skin campaign which aims to fight parent shaming and encourage more compassion for others’ parenting choices.
“It’s stressful enough as a parent – without the added pressure of people telling you you’re not doing it right,” Snez told 7News.
“I think it’s really important to discuss parent shaming because a lot of people are affected in different ways.”
While seasoned parents may be a tiny bit more used to the barrage of judgement having kids brings, first-time parents are more vulnerable to this sort of negative chatter.
“Mums who have newborns can take things to heart, questioning if they’re doing it right, when you have people telling you what you’re doing as a parent is wrong,” Snez confirms, noting it’s important to give these sort of snarky remarks some context.
“Sometimes these comments come from people who themselves are insecure at what they’re doing as parents or you know, out of jealousy.”
Boob-shamed
She’s reveals she’s had her fair share of parent-shaming, with strangers even questioning her decision to breastfeed.
“You get a reaction when you post a photo on Instagram. There’s always some little thing. People ask, ‘How long do you breastfeed?’” the mum-of-three explained.
“I breastfed Eve for two years and I copped it,” Snez continued. “I was frowned upon for doing that.”
A growing problem
Snez is not alone. Huggies surveyed a bunch of parents and found that parent-shaming is a huge issue. They discovered:
- 71 percent of Australian mums and dads say parent-shaming is worse than ever and on the rise.
- 57 percent of first-time parents experienced shaming and its side-effects at least once a month.
- 52 percent of parents felt shamed by others who questioned or critiqued their parenting.
