Facebook turns on breastfeeding mom: She was drinking whiskey when booted from restaurant

A Virginia woman who complained that a restaurant kicked her out for breastfeeding on their patio has seen her support campaign go awry when restaurant staff revealed that she was drinking.

According to WTKR Channel 3, Crystal McCullough took to Facebook to complain that a manager at Big Woody's Bar and Grill in Chesapeake asked her to leave because she was openly breastfeeding her baby on the restaurant's patio.

Initially, comments on her Facebook screed against the restaurant were favorable, but then restaurant staffers pointed out that other customers had complained to management because McCullough was drinking a beer and a shot of the cinnamon whiskey Fireball while she fed her baby.

“Women have breastfed in here numerous times with no issues whatsoever. It was about the drinks being in front of her and people seeing that she had partaken in the drink,” said Jeff Leroy, a co-owner of Big Woody’s.

McCullough described the awkward scene to WTKR, "Everybody was staring at me, like, the wait staff and the customers and I couldn't tell if they were against me or for me. No one said anything, but it wasn't a very good feeling at all."

“I had a beer and a shot of Fireball in front of me, but that was for after I was done, and I said I had one sip of beer, and I’m not planning on the rest until after I’m done nursing,” she said. “This is such a powerful topic, there are so many health benefits of breastfeeding, for the mother and the baby.”

Experts disagree over whether it's safe for mothers to drink and breast feed. The Mayo Clinic website, said WTKR, says, "Breastfeeding and alcohol don’t mix well. There’s no level of alcohol in breast milk that’s considered safe for a baby to drink. Research suggests that breastfed babies who are exposed to one drink a day might have impaired motor development.”

Whereas the American Academy of Pediatrics says that alcohol does not enter breast milk as readily as other drugs and that moderate drinking is safe for breastfeeding mothers.

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[image of Crystal McCullough via screencap]