Breastfeeding in a swimming pool

[Winegal]

A story has come out about a woman been told that she can't breastfeed IN a public pool. AIBU to think that's actually fair enough?

I think women should be allowed to breastfeed wherever they need/want to. We have a massive issue in this country with women feeling uncomfortable breastfeeding in public and I agree that needs to stop but IN a pool? This isn't pleasant is it? The water is meant to be clean and if there is milk in the water isn't that a bit...off?!

Fully expecting to be flamed here but really interested to see what people think about it.

I'd be too worried about baby throwing it up and then being that parent that caused the pool to close to be cleaned!

She should not have been breastfeeding in the pool, the child was hardly a young baby, he was 18 months old. She could have got out, and fed in a family changing room, or in the cafe. What if the child had vomited in the pool after the feed, it would need to be drained and cleaned. Also, the nasties that are in the pool, I would not like to feed in such unclean area.

I agree, the child was old enough to wait for a feed, not a young baby. Most of his food will be normal food, not milk, if it was that urgent as you would a bottle feeding parent, you would get out the pool and feed.

Totally with you. I am hugely supportive of breastfeeding. Less so of a pool being drained to rid it of milk/vomit. Sit on the side with a towel round you or even better, time your swimming around feeding. Feeding in a pool is not ok

Much rather swim in milk than pee. I nearly always catch something after swimming in local pool. I know nothing about the child in question so I won’t pronounce on how urgently it needed to be fed. Bfing is fine, anywhere a baby is allowed to be.

This is just a silly story about someone that wants to make a point irrespective of it’s ridiculousness. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

“Time your swimming around feeding”. Breastfeeding doesn’t usually work like that. My dc were always ravenous after swimming, I think it was just the sight of me changing and the proximity of being carried in the water close to them! I fed in changing rooms as I knew there’d be judgemental types about.

What if the child had vomitted after being fed on the side?

Do people really want a rule where babies/toddlers can't enter a swimming pool within a certain time frame of being fed?

I think it was in case the baby was sick. They would have to close the pool and clean it

TBH, if it's not acceptable to tell a woman that she has to go feed her baby in a public loo (because it's not a reasonable place to feed a child), I don't see why it's necessary to feed a baby in a public pool. Presumably no-one else has their meals there? If the child was sick, would they evacuate & drain or clean the pool? She could, presumably, have sat at the side of the pool, it's not like she could continue swimming while she was feeding the child, & would have been in the way of other swimmers, who might not see them, & could injure the child.

In the pool no, sat by the side yes.

The only time either of my BF babies vomited in a swimming pool was a good hour after their last feed. She had swallowed a big mouthful of pool water and air and it made her sick without warning.

It’s not an old story it’s another one that happened this week.

I wouldn’t have fed in a swimming pool. I agree with you OP

This story was in the Daily Fail this week. Why do they pick up every breastfeeding story? What's the agenda?
Like most people, I mainly thought it was odd because the baby was 18 months. Even if it was a young baby, it isn't as if she was trapped in the pool with nowhere to go. The side? The cafe? A changing room or waiting area. Leisure centres are full of seating. Strange choice to stay in the water and then seek media coverage.

I don't think it was fine to feed a toddler in a pool just because it was breast feeding. If the child had wanted crisps or a biscuit no mother would have given a child a biscuit to a child in a pool, surely.
The other thing I don't like about this story is that the mother was in the pool. Her whole body would have been wet with chlorine treated water and all the other nasties mentioned by PPs. I would not dip my cutlery or plate in pool water before a meal and I would not like a child to have his/her mouth round anything which had been dipped in pool water.
I have never been a breast feeder just to get that out there. The mum should have a bit of sense presumably having been breastfeeding for about18 months.

Totally unacceptable. I would also think it unacceptable for a child (or adult) to have a bottle/cup of milk/juice/water or a snack in the pool too.

There is a time and a place to eat/drink and in the pool isn't it.

My son is 4 and when we swim we are in for 30-45 mins max as it gets cold. That's not too long for an 18 month old to wait - she should have fed the baby before and then could have fed in the changing room after if necessary.

TSSDNCOP

Yes!!!

But if you feed in the pool, your breasts aren't in the water, so what's the difference between that and sitting on the side and getting straight back in?

I couldn't care less about milk in the water - there's all sorts in there. But I don't think it makes her right. The issue isn't breastfeeding, it's food and drink in the pool itself. If they allowed breastfeeding, they would have to allow bottles. If they allowed bottles, why not sandwiches? It's a simple enough rule - sit on the side and feed. Absolutely fair enough.

He was a little grumpy she thought a feed would settle him fucks sake let the kid have some feelings without trying to soothe every five minutes

But the boobs aren't in the water, so what difference does sitting on the side make?

Surely a very slippery thing to attempt ?

As a general rule no food in swimming pools. Breast milk included. There us no reason not to leave the pool and find somewhere suitable to feed you child. You wouldn't give you child a bottle of formula in the pool, you would take them out to do it. Breastfeeding is no different.

You would not be allowed to bottle feed in the pool, the same should be for breastfeeding, it is still feeding.

It's not like having food in the pool at all. How ridiculous. When I was breastfeeding pretty much every time I went swimming I'd let down in the pool. Pretty sure my milk didn't clog up the filters!