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How do I ask a friend to stop sending baby photos?

242 replies

Onesidedfriendship · 23/06/2026 13:10

I have been friends with someone for around 20 years, we are the same age but I had my children a little earlier so mine are now almost teens. Friend has recently had first child. We have always got along really well and her and her husband are very close to my children but I always remained quite respectful of the relationship and continued to talk about other things, went out without children for meals, spa days etc. I would occasionally send photos (if a big event at school or if child was wearing/using a gift they had bought) but again didn’t overload with pictures of kids. Now friend has had child the relationship has totally changed, she only messages me if it’s something related to the child or spam me with pictures. Can be up to 10 pictures a day on some days. If I message her about something else, she will reply but then will turn the conversation back to the baby and send more photos. I’m just finding it all a bit exhausting. Additionally, I had very bad feeding journeys with my children and didn’t breastfeed either which I always found quite upsetting. I have no problem with breastfeeding/bottle feeding and have always remained mute on the topic with other family/friends as quite frankly it is none of my business! But now this friend has also taken to sending me quite graphic photos of her breastfeeding her baby and I’ve just hit my threshold limit, it’s dragging up old triggers and quite frankly want it to stop. I’ve tried the ignore tactic or change the subject but she continues to do it. I have to tell her as it’s really affecting our friendship but don’t quote know how to do it. Am I being unreasonable for wanting friendship to go back to the way it was or at the very least stop the graphic photos?!

OP posts:
MyDeftDuck · 24/06/2026 09:40

The friend sounds like one of those females who’s the first to ever have a baby………..makes you wonder where we all came from!!!

Eggs2022 · 24/06/2026 09:47

Guys not everyone wants to see pictures of their friends boobs with a baby hanging off them, it’s nothing to do with being anti breastfeeding and you know it 🫠 tiny hands clinging on to flesh and little teeth visible around a nipple, there is nothing wrong with not wanting to see that over a bloody WhatsApp convo

Hellohelga · 24/06/2026 09:56

You don’t have to look at them though. Check her chat once a day at tea time and say ah so cute in reply. Job done.

Rozendantz · 24/06/2026 09:56

You have my sympathies OP, I have friend like this, only it's far worse because she's a young grandmother!!! I get photos sent constantly of her grandchild (who I've never met and am never likely to due to where they live). My strategy is now to give an occasional heart or thumbs up (definitely not to all of them in case it encourages her to send more) and then delete....

ilovemybluesharpie · 24/06/2026 09:59

You are going to have to be very blunt and tell her to stop sending photos on a daily basis and to never send any of her breastfeeding again because your DH saw them. They could also end up in anyones hands if you lost your phone or got hacked.

If she continues after that, she is ignoring your boundaries and you can block her.

This is causing you stress, you have to let her know.

TheBlueKoala · 24/06/2026 10:05

Onesidedfriendship · 23/06/2026 18:08

She has this already, I’d say there is about 600 photos a month on average. And she’s sending me the ones she’s put on there, inc the boob ones so I have the potential to see them all twice 😂

What if you completely ignore all messages with photos? And only reward non photo messages with a reply. Or start sending photos of your dc every day.

Iwanttobeafraser · 24/06/2026 10:10

A jokey comment like, "Mary, I discovered today that I have ore photos of Baby Aurelia than my own children on my phone!! You're making me look bad - let's limit this to one a week! :) "

Whettlettuce · 24/06/2026 10:11

The type of friendship you had is long gone. This is who she is now and will continue to be like this. While I get where shes coming from as she's in the pfb stage still at 8 months, it would drive me crackers and I would have to mention it . I don't know how you'll go about it though because it will come across as mean/ jealous perhaps. But i couldn't deal with it all

SleepingStandingUp · 24/06/2026 10:18

The breast feeding photos, I'd say exactly what happened so can she please not send them as you're also don't want your young children seeing her hf naked

Bookbears · 24/06/2026 10:18

Penguin92 · 24/06/2026 07:44

What do you reply to her? Especially the breastfeeding photos? Side note: it’s not possible for breastfeeding to be graphic.

I don’t think she was referring to the actual breastfeeding as being graphic. Just that fact that she is being sent pictures of this ladies bare breasts and nipples.

monkey666lynn · 24/06/2026 10:19

Ha ha yeah that'd be great!

FaceIt · 24/06/2026 10:20

It’s not normal rational behaviour.
It could be sleep deprivation.

I would leave a very large time gaps responding to her and say you are so sorry blah blah blah with work etc etc., you can’t always get to messages.

Therefore you have kindly pre-warned her, and you’re not ghosting her.

AlexisAlexis · 24/06/2026 10:31

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TheOldestTreeInTheWood · 24/06/2026 10:32

VictoriousPunge · 23/06/2026 15:36

There's a field full of cows graphically breastfeeding their calves outside my window a few weeks back. Shocking!

Maybe we should all start walking round naked. I mean, the cows do it …,

Only on MN would so many women pretend they believe sending photos of yourself topless (breastfeeding or not) to your friends is perfectly normal and that OP is unreasonable to be fed up 😂

AlexisAlexis · 24/06/2026 10:33

Onesidedfriendship · 23/06/2026 14:47

when I actually looked through my camera roll I was amazed, it was more than my own kids and taking up substantial storage!!

You know you don’t have to save them?

mcmooberry · 24/06/2026 10:37

I couldn't tolerate this at all, have muted lots of friends on FB who turbopost their children. I would literally stop reacting and lock the chat. The only exception to my advice is if she doesn't have any living parents or siblings who might be interested in her baby and you are the only person she has to share her pictures with?

Eggs2022 · 24/06/2026 10:39

Penguin92 · 24/06/2026 07:44

What do you reply to her? Especially the breastfeeding photos? Side note: it’s not possible for breastfeeding to be graphic.

Side note: it is possible and you know full well she meant graphic as in everything exposed, full on feeding pictures with a baby hanging off her nipples as opposed to a picture of a baby snuggled against her chest feeding, not graphic as in graphic violence 🙄 I for one don’t need to see anyone else’s boobs in any context unless it’s just to check for a lump or ask for advice on the baby’s latch etc which this very obviously isn’t

JuliettaCaeser · 24/06/2026 10:43

It would be a kindness to tell new parents that no one is particularly interested except possibly granny. The occasional particularly momentous pic fine. That’s enough.

ChaToilLeam · 24/06/2026 10:45

Just put her on permanent mute, check messages once a day, say "how cute" and don't save to your phone. She has PFB fever, hopefully she will emerge one day.

I think it would be fair to ask for a stop to the BF pics, on account of them making your DH blush! (And there is such a thing as Too Much Information).

Blondiebeachbabe · 24/06/2026 10:49

Ew, I would not want to see breastfeeding pics. I did breastfeed my own kids, but there's something about seeing a babies milky mouth next to a boob that makes me feel a bit queasy. And if she's stripped to the waist, you're seeing one bare boob, aren't you?

My friend did this, and whenever I tell people they don't believe me, but she would remove her whole top and bra, and sit breastfeeding her baby, no matter where she was, so pubs, restaurants etc, in front of all the men. Before she had kids she would talk about her large breasts a lot, she definitely saw them as her best feature, so once she had a baby it was a great excuse to show them off. It was SO uncomfortable.

LindorDoubleChoc · 24/06/2026 11:01

Come on! She's your friend of 20 years! Can't you send back a "You know you're spamming me with pictures of darling baby right now, don't you? 😂He/she is adorable but I don't need 10 pictures a day, much as I love you both ❤❤"

Harry12345 · 24/06/2026 11:02

I had kids really young and didn’t want to be boring by talking about them all the time with friends, my kids are older now and when my friends were all having kids later it’s all they would talk about and it’s less interesting when you are not in that stage anymore and didn’t bombard then with the same, I totally get it and I’d defo not want to see someone’s breastfeeding or bottle feeding pics

feistyoneyouare · 24/06/2026 11:03

Blondiebeachbabe · 24/06/2026 10:49

Ew, I would not want to see breastfeeding pics. I did breastfeed my own kids, but there's something about seeing a babies milky mouth next to a boob that makes me feel a bit queasy. And if she's stripped to the waist, you're seeing one bare boob, aren't you?

My friend did this, and whenever I tell people they don't believe me, but she would remove her whole top and bra, and sit breastfeeding her baby, no matter where she was, so pubs, restaurants etc, in front of all the men. Before she had kids she would talk about her large breasts a lot, she definitely saw them as her best feature, so once she had a baby it was a great excuse to show them off. It was SO uncomfortable.

Ugh, how gross. Not the act of breastfeeding itself, but done like that it sounds sexualised.

MrsJeanLuc · 24/06/2026 11:04

Onesidedfriendship · 23/06/2026 14:47

when I actually looked through my camera roll I was amazed, it was more than my own kids and taking up substantial storage!!

Is she sending them on Whatsapp? If so you can go to the "storage and data" settings and turn off the "media auto download". This means that you see a fuzzy version of the picture in the message and you can choose whether you want to download it or not.

BettyJoanPerske · 24/06/2026 11:05

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Found the oversharer. Nobody wants to see your tits, love. Nor is everyone as obsessed with your newborn as you are.