A Toronto mother has had her account reinstated by a popular photo-sharing social media site after being shut down over the weekend due to a breastfeeding photo.
Heather Bays, who works as a maternity photographer, said her account was closed on Mother’s Day after she posted an image of herself breastfeeding her 20-month-old daughter.
Speaking with CTV News Monday, Bays said she received a number of complaints from users after uploading the photo.
The decision to post the image was about capturing a special time in her daughter’s life, Bays said.
"I posted it because my daughter is 20-months-old, so she's weaning right now," she said yesterday. "These days are very sentimental."
Following the shutdown of her account, support began to appear on social media from public breastfeeding advocates using the hashtag #saveHeatherBays.
On Tuesday, Instagram reinstated Bays’ account – less the image that they said violated their policies around nudity.
“Breastfeeding photos are allowed on Instagram, although those that also contain nudity are not,” a statement released by the company said.
“Accounts may be temporarily disabled by our automated systems, but are quickly restored upon further review,” the statement adds. “We realize this might cause a temporary inconvenience, but it is an important safeguard for our community.”
