Michael Phelps had his first child with his wife Nicole Johnson Phelps in 2016, just three months before his last Olympics in Rio. Their son Boomer was in the stands in his mother’s arms when Phelps won his last Olympic medal and made history.

In February 2018, the pair welcomed their second child, Beckett. At a charity gala for the Michael Phelps Foundation in May that year, Nicole Phelps took some time to pump breast milk for the newborn and caught a lot of heat from the public.

Nicole Phelps was criticized for pumping breast milk in public

From the event, Nicole Phelps posted a selfie to her Instagram stories with a hands-free pump peeking out of her gorgeous black sequined dress. People magazine shared that picture on Facebook, and the public harshly criticized the swimmer’s wife.

Comments called her everything from “disgusting” to “ignorant”. “This is supposed to be a formal event…having a breast pump going when someone is making a speech is just plain rude. Plan ahead and pump or go in another room. Rude,” said one of the comments.

But, at the same time, there were people happy to see breastfeeding normalized. “As a mama of two (same age as your sons), thank you!!! My career is in a male-dominated field and the countless explanations of my pumping schedule is tiresome,” another user wrote.

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The court of public opinion remained divided. But Phelps made a statement through her platform to speak out on behalf of all mothers.

Michael Phelps’ wife made a statement

Nicole Phelps shared the same picture again, this time posting it permanently on Instagram. She wrote a long message that breastfeeding is natural and should be normalized. She revealed that a couple of years ago at the Olympic stands, she even had to breastfeed Boomer in public.

“I want it to be known women don’t have to hide in a bathroom to take a moment to provide our babies with food,” she wrote. “We should be able to, without judgment nurse/pump (easier with a wireless pump) anywhere we’re comfortable… bc we all know you’re not going to “let down” if you’re not relaxed!!”

Her husband, Michael Phelps’ status as the most decorated Olympian in history provided her an even bigger platform. Another mainstream personality acknowledging the stigma around breastfeeding in public contributed a lot to the conversation.

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Nicole Phelps also revealed that she had never been away from her three-month-old son Beckett for this long. She also added a helpful tidbit of hands-free pumps being easier to use to help mothers witnessing debacle.