Neha Dhupia Reveals She Had To Hide Behind A Tree Once To Breast Feed Daughter Mehr, Launches Freedom To Feed Campaign

Neha Dhupia who became a mother last year has often been sharing snippets of her life as a mom. Her little one Mehr has no doubt become the centre of her universe but motherhood has certainly brought fourth its own challenges and one of them being breast feeding in public places. The actress and talk show host has now launched her own campaign where she wants to raise awareness about the freedom to breast feed.

The actress shared a beautiful video baby Mehr and herself sharing her story and her initiative ‘Freedom To Feed’. The actress also spoke about the same in an interview with Zoom Tv and explained how she once had to hide behind a tree to breast feed her daughter Mehr on set. “The stigma around the subject comes from the lack of facilities. Once when we were on an outdoor shoot, I had to go behind a tree to feed Mehr. 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.”

That was not the only awkward instance.  The actress had also shared shared a note a few days ago and revealed that she had to take her daughter to the washroom in an airplane to be able to feed her.

”It’s been 8 months since I embarked on this rollercoaster and there is no better time than now to talk about how truly grateful I am for all the joy that our little one has brought into our lives...motherhood like all else hasn’t been easy... the sleepless nights, the feeling like a food source ,the blues are all a part of this wonderful package. Its amazing how the mommy brain can do so many things at the same time and works on autopilot ...like resting the baby’s head jus right , knowing when she is done with her feed and ofcourse becoming the burping expert of the world . I breastfed ? Mehr exclusively for 6 months and still continue to do so ... It truly made me realise the value of a wonderful support system that I have and sometimes the lack of it and also the lack of facilities . Like once I was on a plane and had to feed her , and I literally had to take her to the washroom and was only hoping that the seat belt sign does nt come on before she is done ...of course I came out n apologised for using the washroom for so long... now here’s the real deal ... I honestly don’t understand the consciousness behind doing something so right n so beautiful. Im also super grateful for all the amazing people in my life for making this journey easier but the truth is I know I’m not alone in feeling that there has to be a slight shift in our mentalities, in the fact that we need more facilities for breast feeding moms with their babies or even their breast pumps ...and the only way this can happen is if we start a conversation... I want to encourage moms like you and me whether breast feeding or not , to share their story ... tag me @nehadhupia and use the hashtag #freedomtofeed ?and I promise to share story with my little world. ? ... @freedomtofeed”

As a part of the process to create awareness and understanding Neha also revealed that the next step of her initiative is to reach out to fathers and create a change in mindset. “The next step is to reach out to fathers and hear their perspective. Eventually, there needs to be a change in mindset that makes women feel free to feed when they want and how they want."