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DES MOINES, Iowa — A nursing mom was left "speechless and emotional" after a server at an Iowa restaurant bought her a pizza to "thank" her for breastfeeding.
Jackie Johnson-Smith and her husband decided to try out Fongs Pizza for the first time last weekend. When her baby grew fussy, Johnson-Smith tried nursing him at the table before walking out to avoid disturbing other customers.
But the stress quickly melted away when her husband handed her the receipt from their meal. On it, their waitress had written a note that read, "I bought one of your pizzas. Please thank your wife for breastfeeding!"
Johnson-Smith shared a picture of the note on Facebook. The post has been shared over 2,500 times in the past four days and generated dozens of "likes" and comments.
"Although I don't need a pat on the back for feeding my child, it sure felt amazing," she wrote. "It is amazing how we as women can make each other feel when we empower each other."
The waitress — Bodi Kinney — said her actions were motivated by a need to band together as women and mothers.
"It's kind of a taboo and society kind of frowns upon it," she told Iowa news station KCCI. "We need to come together and support each other when it comes to nursing our children."
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This uplifting tale comes on the heels of several high-profile stories where mothers were ridiculed for breastfeeding in public.
An Indiana mother received a public apology from American Airlines in April after one of its flight attendants "humiliated" her for trying to use her pre-approved electric breast pump on a flight. And earlier this month, the New York Post told the story of a Belgian diplomat's wife who was asked to nurse her child in the bathroom of a New York country club where she was eating lunch. When the couple expressed frustration, a police officer allegedly compared them to "terrorists."
Johnson-Smith said though she's been the recipient of many negative looks and stares over the course of breastfeeding three children, her experience at Fongs blasted those bad memories out of the water.
"Tonight erases any negativity I have ever received," she said.
