Despite the amount of flack the media has been giving women for breastfeeding in public, nobody can argue against the fact that the practice is incredibly beneficial to a baby.

Along with antibodies that help a baby fight off viruses and bacteria, breastfeeding lowers their risk of developing asthma or allergies.

If a mother exclusively breastfeeds her baby for six months, it'll mitigate their chances of having ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and diarrhea.

And don't forget, it's also cost effective.

But while most mothers opt to breastfeed their children, a high majority prefer to do it themselves.

That's why a Florida mother was stunned to learn her infant was nourished by another woman.

"It was shocking."

After Joii Brown gave birth to her son Roman Phillips, she was informed that another woman had accidentally breastfed her newborn at the Orange Park Medical Center.

In an interview with WJXT only hours after mother and son left the hospital, Brown said that the nurses told her that they had made a mistake and "mistakes just happen."

"I was really scared," she said. "It was shocking."

Brown said that nurses took her newborn to have a circumcision, which typically takes 30 minutes to complete. After an hour and a half went by, she knew something was amiss.

"These two nurses walked in and they said that they took my child in another girl's room and they mistakenly thought that was her child and not mine and she ended up breastfeeding him for two minutes," Brown said, adding the medical staff didn't look at Roman's identifying wristband.

"I know everybody makes mistakes, but this is something I feel like is more than just a mistake because, just looking at a wristband, that's something really minor," she continued. "All you had to do was look at the wristband and see that isn't her child."

"My main concern is that it could have been something other than breast milk."

In a statement, Orange Park Medical Center told WJXT they've offered to do everything they can to help the family following its "human mistake."

"Of course the hospital will do everything we can to follow the family's wishes and support the family."

But, the statement hasn't calmed Brown's fears as she said her biggest concern over the mix-up is the possibility that the other woman's breast milk will negatively impact the health of her child.

"My main concern is that it could have been something other than breast milk," she said. "And that (it) could happen to anybody's child."

Although Brown said her son was doing well since he left the hospital, he still hadn't eaten anything since earlier in the afternoon and had been sleeping the rest of the day.

Brown and her husband won't know if their newborn had been harmed by the breast milk until he's slightly older, when tests can be done.

However, Brown said that staff couldn't tell her if the woman who breastfed Roman was on any type of medications because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The family is now consulting a lawyer.

[H/T: WJXT]

Have you ever heard of this mix-up happening before? Let us know in the comments!