A Toronto woman who organized a daytime wine festival for new mothers has found herself caught in a firestorm over the pervasiveness of alcohol at a time when heavy drinking is on the rise among women.

The weekday event, dubbed “A Very Mommy Wine Festival,” was meant to give new moms a chance to get together and have fun without the judgment and “mommy-shaming” they consistently face, organizer Alana Kayfetz said.

The 33-year-old, who has a 1-year-old son, argues the backlash is simply another facet of the pressure placed on mothers.

“If this was a man’s beer fest where babies were welcome, it would be celebrated, it would be revered,” Kayfetz said. “We would say, ‘Oh that’s so cute, look at those dads guzzling beer and holding their babies.’ No one would question it.”

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