Keshia Knight Pulliam: ‘Cosby’ Star Says White Lactation Expert Avoided Contact

Keshia Knight Pulliam gave birth last month to her first child, a girl, with her estranged husband, Ed Hartwell. The former Cosby Show child actress (Rudy Huxtable) said that after delivery, a white lactation specialist refused to touch her — and even mistook her for a welfare recipient.

Keshia Knight Pulliam, 37, welcomed a healthy baby into the world on Jan. 23, 2017 and she has been gushing ever since. Keshia, like many other new moms, has been getting to know her child and has been eagerly sharing adorable pictures on Instagram of baby Ella Grace.

Lo and behold, there was a moment that challenged Keshia’s patience and nearly threw the arrival of her infant into a tailspin. The Celebrity Apprentice contestant (2015) shared a stunning story about alleged racism — of all places — in the labor and delivery room of the hospital.

Pulliam shared the incident with listeners of her podcast, Kandidly Keshia last Friday. Denise,Keshia’s mom and Shayla, Pulliam’s doula and BFF, were guests on the show.

Keshia Pulliam began the episode by giving shout-outs to all the hospital staff that had their hands in the delivery of her baby. However, Keshia singled out an unnamed lactation specialist assigned to her after the baby arrived.

Apparently, it didn’t go well. First, there was the moment the woman confused her for a person who received government subsidies due to low income and other factors. Basically, part of the woman’s job was to educate indigent patients about welfare programs, asKeshia explained.

“This old little white lady, I think she may have voted for Trump, but bless her heart. So lactation specialists, for those who don’t know, because I’m breastfeeding, are the ones who help you through the process … anything having to do with breastfeeding.”

Pulliam makes light of the situation by impersonating the woman’s accent; she reportedly spoke with a Southern drawl. Keshia thinks the woman was in her seventh decade of life.

“Of the 30-some odd things on here she says, ‘Yes, and we have some great programs that you may want to take advantage of that you may need — WIC is a great program; I don’t know if you have insurance.’ WIC is welfare. So I guess she saw this little black girl with the little baby by herself, and on the door, I didn’t realize that they’d put a faux last name, and the last name was ‘Brown.’ So I guess she saw ‘Miss Brown’ and was like, ‘She probably needs some WIC.'”

Keshia explained how she decided to step in and stop the woman, who was, by now, “fixated” on the no insurance route. It’s standard procedure for patients to be given a brochure that explains benefits for new mothers. However, Pulliam said the woman was focused only on the welfare portion of the pamphlet.

“WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and is also called the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program. WIC is a federal program designed to provide food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. The program provides a combination of nutrition education, supplemental foods, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals for health care. WIC has proven effective in preventing and improving nutrition related health problems within its population.”

“That’s when I stopped her — I said, ‘Ma’am, I have excellent insurance but thank you.'”

Shayla chimed in and took note of the LS’s strange behavior in the room. She pointed out the woman’s apprehension about wanting to help Keshia. Pulliam agreed and recalled the woman not wanting to touch her body to demonstrate proper breastfeeding.

“Like, she didn’t want to touch me. Lactation specialists … literally will, like, guide your boob, show you how to hold it, put it in the baby’s mouth. This lady was not trying to touch my little brown boobie.”

Shayla cosigned. She then requested that the hospital provide a replacement with another willing employee.

“Not at all. Or your little brown baby.”

Keshia then explained how her mother showed signs of being worried about the woman’s perceived bias and not wanting to touch her daughter.

“I was like, Mom, it’s OK. This lady, she doesn’t know any better, because if she knew better, she’d do better! But yes, the old Trump lady tried to give me the number for WIC. My thing is this: I get it, it’s about showing the services that are offered, and I probably wouldn’t have been offended had she [listed] several of the services, [not just] WIC.”

According to the Inquisitr,Keshia Knight Pulliam wed former NFL linebacker, Ed Hartwell. The couple wed in January of 2016. Keshia announced her pregnancy in July and Hartwell filed for divorce in the same month.

Report: Keshia Knight Pulliam Is Dragging Ed Hartwell Back Into Court https://t.co/IylQx4JOhd#KeishaKnightPulliam #Blazin923Macon

— MACON 92.3 (@wearemacon923) January 29, 2017

The couple’s split was public and nasty. They both accused the other of cheating. A report obtained by TMZ claims that Keshia phoned the cops on her estranged husband and accused him of trying to force a miscarriage.

In the end of her run-in with the hospital worker, Keshia Knight Pulliam laughed off the matter and said she has a penchant for being in “funny” situations.

What do you make of the woman’s odd behavior as told byKeshia?

[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]