Mum told to stop breastfeeding at pool
WHEN Laura Whotton's 11-week-old son became hungry while her family were at John Carroll Leisure Centre in Radford she did the most natural thing in the world. She started breastfeeding him.
The 26-year-old, from Carrington, was by the side of the pool and both herself and little Joshua were wrapped in towels.
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MOTHER'S CONCERN: Laura Whotton was asked to stop breastfeeding her son Joshua by the pool at John Carroll Leisure Centre, Radford POSTPHOTO C130509DM2-8
"There was nothing on show and it looked like I was just holding my baby," said Laura.
"People in bikinis were showing more skin and breast than I was."
However, that is not how the lifeguard on duty saw things.
He told Laura she could not feed by the poolside because it was a public area. He suggested she go to a private room instead.
Laura said: "It was ridiculous because the first thing he said to me was 'are you breastfeeding?' He couldn't actually be sure I was!
"When I said 'yes', he told me I couldn't feed by the pool as there were children present.
"My four-year-old son, Thomas, who's a good swimmer, was still in the water and I didn't want to leave him on his own.
"I was feeding a baby; it's the most natural thing in the world and I was made to feel like I was doing something terrible."
Laura said she was left "extremely angry and upset" by the incident, on May 2.
"In the end he told me if I didn't go to the private room we would have to leave, so we left."
Laura and her husband, Craig, are still awaiting a response from Nottingham City Council after they sent a letter of complaint.
However, a council spokeswoman told the Evening Post breastfeeding breached its strict rule of no food and drink by the poolside.
The spokeswoman said: "The council's policy is to enable mothers to breastfeed in all council centres, including leisure centres.
"The only exception to this rule at leisure centres is in the swimming pool and surrounding area, where, in the interests of safety and hygiene, there is a policy of no food or drink. This rule also covers breastfeeding, as it would the bottle feeding of a baby, or the consumption of food or drink by a child or adult.
"The policy also identifies that should other customers have concerns or feel uncomfortable in seeing a mother breastfeeding, they would be advised to move to another area, to support the mother's right to feed their child."
Laura said: "There are no signs at the pool. They should make that policy clearer.
"It's not like breastfeeding makes a mess; it's very clean.
"We're always being told that the Government wants more young women to breastfeed and then this happens to me."
Laura, on maternity leave from her job at Argos, said she usually went to the pool at Noel Street, in Basford, but it was closed on that day.
"I've never had a problem there," she said.
Denise Pemberton, a lactation consultant and midwife in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, laughed off the council's ruling as "ridiculous."
She said it was good for other children to see a mother breastfeeding as it helped to normalise the act.
"It's what breasts were made for," she said.
National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which continues until Sunday, is calling for more support from local services so mums have the confidence to breastfeed their baby in public.
The National Childbirth Trust, which runs the campaign, declined to comment on this case.
However, spokeswoman Anne Fox said: "Support from local venues can give mums confidence and can also make a positive difference to their baby's health."
The National Childbirth Trust's breastfeeding counsellors are available 8am to 10pm seven days a week on 0300 330 0771.
69 Comments
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by Carrington Dad, Carrington,Nottingham
Saturday, May 30 2009, 12:28AM
“The rights and wrongs of this situation can be debated all day long. At the end of the day the pool attendant suggested she use a private room, I assume this is not the changing room as these are not private areas by any stretch of he imagination. that would mean the leisure centre has addressed this type of 'issue' and gone to some lengths to support the needs of breast feeding mothers. it wasn't an unreasonable request in my book and the centre has to consider the other users and that some may have taken offence. No it's a big fuss about nothing. Anyway this young girls son the 4 year old swimmer, is persistently bullying my son and other kids at Carrington Primary. There have been numerous complaints and still it carries on. It's not a wonder when you see all the stink that she's kicked up about this, I think the school is scared to death to deal with the repetitive abuse my son and others receive day in day out, in case Ms Whotton decides to contact the tabloid press with boo hoo tell tales of her anger, distress and upset and her poor little boy, this and that, blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry but, get real lady, stop moaning when you get pulled up for breaking rules and sort your thung of an infant child out before her turns into a thug of a grown up. He swears a lot too by the way!!!”
by Infant Father, Carrington, Nottingham
Saturday, May 30 2009, 12:27AM
“The rights and wrongs of this situation can be debated all day long. At the end of the day the pool attendant suggested she use a private room, I assume this is not the changing room as these are not private areas by any stretch of he imagination. that would mean the leisure centre has addressed this type of 'issue' and gone to some lengths to support the needs of breast feeding mothers. it wasn't an unreasonable request in my book and the centre has to consider the other users and that some may have taken offence. No it's a big fuss about nothing. Anyway this young girls son the 4 year old swimmer, is persistently bullying my son and other kids at Carrington Primary. There have been numerous complaints and still it carries on. It's not a wonder when you see all the stink that she's kicked up about this, I think the school is scared to death to deal with the repetitive abuse my son and others receive day in day out, in case Ms Whotton decides to contact the tabloid press with boo hoo tell tales of her anger, distress and upset and her poor little boy, this and that, blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry but, get real lady, stop moaning when you get pulled up for breaking rules and sort your thung of an infant child out before her turns into a thug of a grown up. He swears a lot too by the way!!!”
by John, Whitemoor
Monday, May 25 2009, 10:32PM
“As long as she didn't have her breasts hanging out,(sorry!) which she didn't, then there is no problem.
And to all those who are saying "pathetic bottle-fed babies" and "those who don't breast feed are selfish", who on earth are you to judge!! No-one can tell you this is right or wrong its a personal choice. My kids weren't breast fed and they are big, strong and clever!”
by Mandi, Nottingham
Monday, May 25 2009, 8:40PM
“I'd just like to say that whether or not food or drink was allowed, milk letdowns can happen randomly. Are they not to let her in the pool AT ALL? Sometimes women cannot control when their milk starts to flow out so what to do then? Ban ALL nursing mums from the pool?”
by stephane fuller, clifton,nottingham
Wednesday, May 20 2009, 2:15PM
“how utterly laugh out loud stupid this council spokesperson is to say breasfteeding equates with "food and drink" being prohibited from the side of the pool for health and safety reasons. They obviously do not have children to say something so ridiculous. Breastfeeding is natural and the best thing for babies - better than that inadequate formula,which doesn't offer proper anti-body protection. How unnatural is it to feed a baby something other than mother's milk?
Mums who breastfeed do the best for their children. Mums who don't are mostly selfish and don't try as hard as they could - about 90 per cent of mums can breastfeed.
There is more cause to exclude those mums who bottle-feed.
I am currently breast-feeding my baby girl and also breastfed my son. No-one has ever questioned me when I've fed in public and I've even fed my son while sitting in Marks and Spencer! I would have refused to leave the pool if this idiot life-guard had asked me to leave while feeding my child. The council has got egg on its face over this one.”