Breastfeeding mother prevented from boarding bus -'choking risk' wtf???

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www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/bridgnorth/2017/08/21/i-was-angry-shocked-breastfeeding-mother-turned-away-from-bus-in-bridgnorth/

This has been in the national news as well - complete with ridiculous comments from readers ( 'she should express before going out'; 'I can't urinate in public so why should she breastfeed on a bus'; 'bus driver was right - baby could have choked' and so on).

In the past the occasional story like this turns out not to be true, but this one has a ring of truth about it.

Lets see what happens.

[Soubriquet]

How ridiculous

I've bottle fed my baby on buses. Baby hungry, baby needs feeding.

If I can bottle feed there, you can breast feed there

[BamburyFuriou3]

So she was breastfeeding a 9 week old as she was actually getting on the bus and presumably paying? I would think that was a suffocation risk with such a young baby as you do need to pay attention to the airway when little. Breastfeeding once sat down fine, but when boarding, fiddling with change, sorting other child etc, I can maybe see why the driver didn't want an Accident happening on his bus.

[BamburyFuriou3]

I'm a huge breastfeeding supporter having fed dc1 to 4.5yo, tandem fed dc1&2 and currently feeding dc3. And I feed everywhere without a cover. Also feed in slings. But when they are little you need to keep an eye on airway if not sat/lying down

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Bambury, so the answer to that is to prevent the mother from boarding at all? You can't mean that. You can't really imagine a baby is at risk of suffocation if the mother gets her purse out on a bus?

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And the driver's stated objection was choking, not suffocation...

[BamburyFuriou3]

I think the sensible thing would have been to unlatch while boarding, then relatch, but it's not the driver's position to tell her that even if he had the breastfeeding knowledge. No I don't think he was right to refuse her, just saying that maybe he didn't want a potential unsafe situation on his bus, on a very quick assessment, and so refused her entry. Not saying he is right, but not saying she was right either.

[nursy1]

Oh for goodness sake. I've breastfed getting on and off buses and trains, breastfed whilst loading dishwasher, hoovering, cooking, laying table etc etc etc. The driver was totally in the wrong. Mum is the judge of whether or not there is a risk of choking or suffocation. None of his bloody business.

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I now wonder if there is some rule about babies being strapped into pushchairs for safety and it was the fact that he was in her arms that made the driver refuse. But he did (apparently) talk about choking so maybe not.

[Birdsgottafly]

My DD (with me) got on a bus whilst feeding her 5 week old. Baby in a sling fully supported, she'd walked to the bus stop feeding.

I see more children bouncing around with lollipops and sweets on buses, which is a higher choking risk.

They also let drunk people on and don't make them sit down, which is a danger to everyone.