Neha Dhupia wants to eradicate sexualisation of breastfeeding, shares pic with daughter Mehr

Actor Neha Dhupia has shared a picture of herself, breastfeeding daughter Mehr, in an attempt to eradicate the sexualisation of breastfeeding.

Actor Neha Dhupia has shared a picture of herself, breastfeeding daughter Mehr, in an attempt to normalise it. She also shared a screenshot of a woman responding to a troll who sexualised breastfeeding.

Neha Dhupia with daughter Mehr.

Neha wrote that the 'journey of a new mum is something only she can understand', and while people often speak about the happier side to motherhood, it can also be 'emotionally draining'. She wrote that she, too, had experienced negativity, and the last thing new mothers need is 'to be questioned, mocked and worst of all trolled'.

Sharing the screenshot of the Instagram exchange between a mother and a troll, she continued, "Thank you @crazylilmum for sharing this and calling this individual out. 👉 ( krrishtherocker1987 ) A mother has her choice of how and where she chooses to feed or breastfeed her child. However, time and time again we see people looking at breastfeeding mothers in a sexual manner. @freedomtofeed We work each day towards normalising the act of breastfeeding in our communities and are extremely sensitive towards new mothers and parents and as we think everyone should be. This insensitive comment is an example of why it makes it awkward for moms in our country. They must be called out. ... let’s normalise breast feeding not sexualise it."

The post was originally shared on the Freedom to Feed Instagram page, and then re-shared by Neha on her own. The actor wrote in a comment on the original post, "Just sending a big hug to all you mamas out there."

Several people responded in a positive manner to the post, which showed Neha feeding Mehr. "It is extremely important to normalise breast feeding! You are doing such a fabulous job with this initiative!" one person commented. "I feed my baby every where no matter who is checking on me," another person commented.

Neha and her husband, actor Angad Bedi, welcomed Mehr in 2018. Previously, she'd spoken about the difficulties that she had faced in finding secure spots to feed Mehr. “Once when we were on an outdoor shoot, I had to go behind a tree to feed Mehr." She told Mid-Day in 2019, "The facility of nursing rooms should be made mandatory in public spaces. Often, mums quit breastfeeding soon after giving birth because they have to go to work. I would feed Mehr on set and fortunately, everyone around was so understanding."