This breastfeeding mom had the funniest reaction to being told to cover up

New mom Melanie Dudley was quietly breastfeeding her 3-month-old son in the back of a restaurant when a stranger approached and asked her to “cover up.”  Dudley says she normally tries to be as discreet as possible when breastfeeding, and even had her back to the other diners. And at first, she was also using a nursing cover but, because it was very hot out, the Texas mom removed it when it became too uncomfortable for her and her son.

She then technically complied with the stranger’s request, only she didn’t cover up the body part to which the man was probably referring. In a cheeky Facebook post that has since gone viral, a friend of Dudley’s mother-in-law, Carol Lockwood, shared a photo of Dudley, who placed the nursing cover over her head as her baby happily continued to feed:

“A friend’s daughter-in-law was told to ‘cover up’ while feeding her baby, so she did!🤣 I’ve never met her, but I think she’s AWESOME!!! (Please share! With permission, I’ve made this post public — I’m SO over people shaming women for nursing!!!❤️👶,” Lockwood explained in her post.

To head off any questions, she also added: “[PS: To reduce speculation: it was a man who asked her to cover up, it was 90 degrees and extremely humid, and, no, she wasn’t in a Muslim country disrespecting traditions.🙄]”

The post has now been shared more than 200,000 times, with people from all over sounding off in support of Dudley’s funny move.

Dudley, who is also a mom to 4-year-old twins, said that breastfeeding out in public is often just easier. She doesn’t see why it’s a problem for people and, while she’s surprised by all the attention she’s attracted with the photo, she’s glad it’s bringing awareness to the stigma and judgment breastfeeding moms often face while nursing in public.

“I hope the momentum keeps growing,” she told NBC’s “Today.” “Let’s be supportive of women who want to nurse in public, with or without a cover. I mean, just do your thing. It’s not hurting anyone.”