Stacey Dooley fans rushed to her support after she was criticised and given unwelcome advice by some social media users. The journalist and Strictly Come Dancing winner had taken to Instagram tell fans that she was doing her last week of work before the baby arrives.
The 35-year-old announced her pregnancy last summer and revealed that she had told boyfriend Kevin Clifton that she was expecting over Facetime from the back of a taxi, GrimsbyLive reports. The couple met when they were paired together on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, going on to win the Glitterball Trophy.
Last week, Stacey updated fans with a selfie showing her wearing a bag above her bump. She captioned the picture: "My penultimate day of work before the baby comes.
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"I haven't got a steriliser yet, but I have got this completely impractical bag for expectant mothers so DON'T WORRY, (I'm gonna be great at this clearly)," adding some laughing emojis. Some followers interpreted her words as a sign that she won't be breastfeeding - despite that not being clear from the caption - and commented with their thoughts and advice.
One person wrote: "If you’re breastfeeding you won’t need a steriliser… problem solved." And another added: "Steriliser just another way to make money out of parents. Not needed!" A third person said: "Breastfeeding doesn’t require sterilisers #normalisebreastfeeding."
The NHS advises giving babies nothing but breast mil for the first six months (26 weeks), but also offers advice to those who choose to feed their children formula. The decision whether to breastfeed or not is a personal choice.
Some mothers bottle-feed their newborn because they are not able to produce a healthy breast milk supply, and others may take certain medications or undergo medical treatment that make breastfeeding unsafe. Many new mums also choose not to breastfeed for their own reasons.
Stacey hasn't said anything to suggest whether or not she will be breastfeeding but that didn't stop some people jumping to conclusions and giving unwanted advice. But many of the TV star's fans rushed to support her in the comments, remining people not to be judgemental.
One wrote: "So much judgement. I had absolutely no [intent] of breastfeeding. I didn’t want to. And I wasn’t going to be pushed into it." Another commented: "You do you and all the best for your new arrival. You will make all the right decisions for you and your baby xxx."
A third said: "It’s fine, we’re all winging it pretending we know what we’re doing anyway. 15 years and 3 kids in and I still don’t have a clue what I’m doing." And another told Stacey she would be a "cracking mum".
One fan said sweetly: "All they need is your love, which you have so much to give."
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