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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Mother sues for £20k for being discouraged from bf while the wave machine was on

1000 replies

sizeofalentil · 02/05/2016 12:54

Daily Mirror link to the story here.

I'm totally for breastfeeding wherever and whenever, but I wouldn't want to eat my sandwiches in a swimming pool - they are so germy, like a human soup, so not sure a swimming pool with a wave machine on would be the best place to bf. Plus, obviously in this case there was the waves.

I realise that getting out of the water, especially if she had other kids, with a hungry baby would be a massive faff, but wouldn't the wave machine splash the baby and make it choke?

Serious question: AIBU to think this? Is bf in a swimming pool a done thing? Genuinely curious.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
mathanxiety · 18/05/2016 01:36

Even in the shallow end the waves can get pretty rough.

The brochure says otherwise.
It is very clear that the shallow end is a place where parents may sit and watch their small children play.
The brochure also states that there is an intermediate area where people can practice holding someone else up before heading off with them to the waves proper.

Do you think the brochure is a work of fiction?
How disappointing for people hoping their older children could ply the waves while one parent sat with the youngest members in the shallow end then.

I wonder how many people ask for their money back on the grounds that they were misled by the lies in the brochure into thinking they could sit and watch small children playing in the shallow end.

If others who had babies and small children with them in the shallow end of the pool or the intermediate area or the zone where there are bigger waves, were not offered chairs at the side of the pool, then the pool management doesn't have a leg to stand on.

LT, since you have swallowed the pool management euphemism here, and still think of this as an 'offer of a chair', then I recommend you do some homework.

You are utterly wrong about the side of the pool constituting 'the facility', Jason. (And by what stretch of your imagination is the shallow end 'out of the water'?) By your 'logic' the ladies' changing room is the facility, and the janitor's closet, and the room off the concession stand where they keep the paper towels and coffee stirring stick thingies, etc, etc, etc. The pool is the facility.
Would you pay to use the ladies' changing room and then go home? Or sit for an hour and twenty minutes settling your baby in the janitor's closet?

There are laws of statistics?
Seriously, forget about real life -- I have been on MN a long time and I have never come across this much bone headedness.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 02:31

Math i think you are bonkers, i think you are lovely b ut totally bonkers.

It is very clear that the shallow end is a place where parents may sit and watch their small children play.

Doesn't mean the waves don't cover the children. It just means it's unlikely to push them over.

If others who had babies and small children with them in the shallow end of the pool or the intermediate area or the zone where there are bigger waves

Oh yes, the imagenary "other" mothers with babies who are all holding their chidlren to their breast but not feeding. You keep mentioning these. any proof of these?

Any proof the lifegaurd didb't offer someone else a chair?

what stretch of your imagination is the shallow end 'out of the water'?)
You can clearly see how shallow it is, and that there is a gradual slope.

  • "a Math masterpeice 2016"

So yeah, it starts dry and slopes. you'd need to be totally out of the water not to be affected by the waves.

peggyundercrackers · 18/05/2016 08:04

I have been on MN a long time and I have never come across this much bone headedness.

Don't speak about yourself in public.

Trashyearrings · 18/05/2016 10:36

I'm vaguely aware of this story, but in my sleep deprived state have just read it as "...discouraged from bf while washing machine was on" I've been laughing to myself for about 5 minutes (washing machine is spinning loudly, I'm bf) sees self out

Vickyyyy · 18/05/2016 11:27

Feeding in a pool is stupid to me...the amount of germs in a pool is just insane. Add the waves and it just makes it dangerous and stupid.

How would someone view a mother who bottlefed in the middle of a swimming pool? They would think she was crazy. I don't see BFing as any different.

Whathaveilost · 18/05/2016 11:40

I am clearly out of touch with breast feeding, I'll add at this point I fully support it and breast fed mine. However I can't help but think that maybe SOMETIMES it appears that the locations that SOME people choose to feed their babies is about the mother and not about the comfort of the baby. Sure, you can suckle in a swimming pool but if it was my baby I would want it to be concentrating on having a feed without being splashed with water, possibly having a load of excited screeching children next to me as kids tend to get excited near a wave machine, being held a little bit tighter than normal because there is a iot going on.

If someone offered me a chair I would have been pleased with their manners.

I guess I'm just old fashioned and not an attention seeker!

CloneMeNow · 18/05/2016 13:56

SOME people choose to feed their babies is about the mother and not about the comfort of the baby.

If a baby doesn't want to breastfeed you can't make it. If the baby gets uncomfortable feeding, it will stop.

I think people get hung up on the idea of "a feed". Breastfeeding doesn't need to be about set feed times in set places for set amounts of milk to be transferred. A breastfed baby being held close to its mother will often want to latch on - whether for food or comfort, doesn't matter (the two are probably interrelated). So wherever the mother happens to have her baby in her arms is a perfectly good place for breastfeeding. No need for people to get all worked up about where is or is not appropriate.

Don't know why people are getting hung up about waves. If it was a suitable place for a mother to hold a baby in her arms, then it was a suitable place for a baby to be breastfed. Were all mothers holding babies offered seats outside the water, or only the one who was breastfeeding?

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 14:03

Were all mothers holding babies offered seats outside the water, or only the one who was breastfeeding?

We don't know, what we do know is the waves being at the babies head height was the reason for the Lifeguard to ask about the chair. It's likely to assume the same applies to any wave related safety concern in the shallow section.

It's certainly not unusal for a life guard to ask for children getting ansious / excited by waves to calm down at the side of the pool.

Goingthedistance · 18/05/2016 14:53

This is such a nonsensical issue. Yes, it's illegal to ask a mother who is bfeeding to leave a public place. It's not illegal to offer a chair to a bfeeding mother in the same public place.

Where does the lawsuit come into it? 20k? What possible damages did the mother suffer that adds up to 20k?

Confused
mathanxiety · 18/05/2016 16:33

"A source said: 'A lifeguard saw a mum feeding her baby in the pool and thought she might be more comfortable sitting on a chair.
'The wave machine was on at the time and the waves can get pretty strong when they reach the shore end of the pool."
(From the DM article).
The 'source' is unnamed but it is clear s/he is a spokesperson for the pool, so what was said must be taken with a grain of salt as the statement comes in the context of a suit being filed, especially when the brochure states otherwise:

I am using a photo and the brochure because both present objective evidence.

If it is the case that this pool misleads customers about the gently sloping area and its suitability for small children, or about patrons being able to get used to the waves in the shallow zone before heading out to presumably choppier waters, then it is inviting catastrophe and will be sued for much more than the piddling £20k this woman is seeking as redress for the violation of her rights that occurred.

To those wondering what damage she suffered -- the violation of your rights is damage. And 'the facility' means 'the water'. A figure is attached to the damages when a suit is filed so that businesses that discriminate will learn to take their obligations seriously.

You can't lure people in with the promise of an area where toddlers can safely play while their parents watch and then put them in danger of being knocked over by waves. You can't turf out parents and toddlers when the wave machine is turned on. Where would they go? What would they do?

Here's a review of what it's like outside the pool from Netmums:
"Went after many years to a pool party and it was shocking. All around the beach area which becomes a cafe was gritty and dirty, the pool and air inside the centre was cold and the showers - 'baltic' is how i heard them described

The so called party area used to have palm trees and be very child friendly. Gone are the palm trees and all that was left were 2 tables chairs just enough for the children and no safety barrier between the water and party guests, only a metal railing. We were constantly pulling the younger children away."

So there's nothing to do with small children, it's not safely separated from the pool in the grim area where they could go to sit so you would spend your time herding them back from the water, when the wave machine gets turned on at half hour intervals.

Here's another one, this time referencing the slide and lax safety standards, but like the previous one mentioning how cold it is out of the water:
"Went today pool water and poolside freezing - people were actually blue with cold. Loads of kids shivering - almost unbearable. Hardly any floats -The slide is now frankly a health hazard -go down it without a newly intoduced mat and you will hurt yourself on the badly finished joins on the way down on the slide -use a mat and you will hurtle down at literally about 30mph. As they let small children on with a Parent ( this happened to me) the child then ends up under you in the water. Luckily my boy can swim and managed to extricate himself but a smaller child can and is likely to drown unless they change their policy fast and warn people. This is not the slide it was -far too fast and dangerous. My lo used to go on that slide on his own My little lad shocked and upset and has no wish to return so I spent £7 odd and was in there about half an hour in total. Changing rooms and lockers are improved but sadly feel very disappointed by the place as we used to love it there. I did point out risk about slide to reception but how much notice they will take is unclear -I would be very wary of allowing a small child or non swimmer on that slide."

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:40

Yes math, you are right. It's a massive conspiracy and Mumsnet as a whole are all involved in the cover up, The pool staff, the people here who have breastfed there, the Daily Mail, the daily mirror, Your bathroom Mirror...

Witnesses at the pool, People who have been to the pool, other breastfeeding mums, the mumsnet staff, the whole of the internet, the random people commenting on the daily mirror artical, Me and Laurel and hardy.

We are all in on it. You are right.

WELL done!
Clap clap clap

Three cheers for Math HIP HIP!

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:41

Oh and people from other pools, I forgot them, they are in on it too.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:42

and people from Netmums, and people from the Kent.

And also twitter planted all this womans horrible posts and bulling to fool us.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:43

you can see in your own photos the waves come right up to the lower end of the pool...

But i fully understand how these have been doctored by the "pool suits" (Ie. Men in black) in an attempt to make themselves look better.

Sparklingbrook · 18/05/2016 16:44

This thread has become very very strange hasn't it? Confused

NeedACleverNN · 18/05/2016 16:44

It was always strange tbf sparkling Grin

Vickyyyy · 18/05/2016 16:46

I cannot get my head around why you would do that to start with. I breastfed my son and just can't imagine deciding to do so IN a public pool and especially during the wave machine time. I would have done so on the side of the pool in a chair such as what was offered to this lady though. And yes, there would be an issue if I was asked to move from there for whatever reason.

Yeah I know everyones different. But a swimming pool is just filled with chemicals and basically...other peoples pee. Not the kind of stuff I would want my baby accidentally ingesting tbh Hmm

These kind of stories..I would not be shocked to see in a few months time someone complaining as they had been asked to evacuate during a fire and they were feeding at the time and the evacuation disturbed the feed.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:46

and when this womans case doeswn't make it to court, the court, it'sa not because it's silly, oh no.
It's becuase the court system is in on it, the whole world is run by people who hate breastsd and want them removed from women.

You know why, do you want to know why?
so our reliance on cows increases.

It all makes sense.

Sparklingbrook · 18/05/2016 16:47

True Need. Grin It has reached new depths though.

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:47

In fact i wouldn't be suprised if the pool lesuire trust is owned by cravendale.

squoosh · 18/05/2016 16:49

Who knew there was so much to be said on the subject of wave machines?

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 16:49

The 'source' is unnamed but it is clear s/he is a spokesperson for the pool, so what was said must be taken with a grain of salt as the statement comes in the context of a suit being filed, especially when the brochure states otherwise:

OR in short: Oh fuck, that makes sense and isn't discrimination at all, i better ignore the fuck out of it.

Vickyyyy · 18/05/2016 16:49

In fact i wouldn't be suprised if the pool lesuire trust is owned by cravendale.

--

Genuine LOL Grin

NeedACleverNN · 18/05/2016 16:55

Well I guess your right sparkling
It's now a conspiracy!

damn I've been outed

Jasonandyawegunorts · 18/05/2016 17:04

The 'source"

Mother sues for £20k for being discouraged from bf while the wave machine was on
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