This Pic of a Mom Breastfeeding on the Toilet Has Launched an Internet-Wide Hygiene Debate

…so we asked a doctor to weigh in on whether it’s really unsanitary.

An Instagram photo of a mom breastfeeding while going to the bathroom is receiving Emoji applause from one half of the Internet and a giant "no thanks" from the other.

Every parent knows this joy.

Posted by Life of Dad on Sunday, April 19, 2015

Elisha Wilson Beach posted the photo featuring her multitasking moment to the social media site where it was picked up by the parenting blog, Life of Dad. Now, Facebook commenters are split on the cleanliness of feeding your baby in the bathroom:

But just how germy it is to serve your baby some boob while going to the bathroom? Feeding your baby in a bathroom—even a public bathroom—isn't going to threaten the little guy's health, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine. That's because in order to be affected by the bacteria, he or she would have to come into direct contact with the germy surfaces—and if you're breastfeeding, your child is probably only touching you.

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"The act of going to the bathroom while feeding your baby isn't unhealthy for him [or her] because the germs from your bodily fluids aren't jumping out of the toilet," says Minkin. What's more, urine is actually sterile—so it's okay to relieve your bladder with a baby in tow, she says. And while poop carries tons of bacteria from your intestines, which can make your baby sick if you handle him after wiping, if you thoroughly wash your hands post-wipe, you should be in the clear, she says.

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Minkin says that if your baby happens to be hungry at the same moment that you have to go to the bathroom, it's okay to breastfeed at the same time. That being said, if there is someone else around who can keep an eye on your little one while you heed the call of nature, you should hand him off—especially if you've got to go number two. "I don't understand why the person taking the picture couldn't have held the baby, but sometimes these situations happen," she says. The main thing to remember here is that you really need to wash your hands before handling the baby—then everything should be fine.