Woman stopped from breastfeeding her child in a (men’s) clothes shop!!

[clary]

what do you reckon to this? breastfeeding story

I think breastmilk has a sweet smell to it! Formula on the other hand makes me feel quite ill

Legislation was introduced in Scotland making it illegal to stop any woman breastfeeding anywhere. However, before it was introduced I was in Slaters - a big men's outfitters in Glasgow and they couldn't have been nicer to me. One male assistant overheard me saying to DH that I needed to feed the baby and he came over to ask if I needed a bottle heated up or if I was just looking for somewhere to sit. I did feed her in the changing room but it was a very visible changing room and the only place with a seat. So brownie points for them!

In my home town they've got a scheme whereby cafes and restaurants that support breastfeeding display a sticker in their window. If anyone tuts at you in any of these places, they are the ones asked to leave!

Think the original idea of asking a woman to feed her baby in the men's changing room is very odd. I actually used to breastfeed DD in cafes loads, but that was because I had DS with me and he could have juice and a cake while she had her milk and everyone was happy. It was so convenient. Think the weaning stage - 6 - 12 months - formula and slop was the most inconvenient.

Meant to post on here a few days back but never got round to it.

I can't understand what all the fuss is about. If the woman was offered the use of the changing room why didn't she use it? I would appreciate a modicum of privacy when breastfeeding, not that I ever minded breastfeeding in public but if I could have done it in a nice quiet place then I would have opted for that (unless it was somewhere disgusting!)

I believe we should be able to breastfeed in public wherever we want but I also believe that, like any other activity or area of life, other people's views and feelings should be considered. Breatfeeding mums aren't the only ones with rights. And yes I do think some men would be put off from shopping in the menswear shop if someone was breastfeeding in the middle of the room. That's just the way it is. And the shop has to consider its customers first and foremost.

Obviously there are two sides to every story but it sounds to me as though the couple were being slightly more unreasonable than the shop staff. Sorry if that's upset anyone but if we don't want breastfeeding mothers to be called 'militant' then perhaps we should see that sometimes a bit of give and take is called for.

Moomin - that sounds like a cracking idea - think more town should adopt that. Would love to be there when someone was told to leave!

Wordsmith - I don't give a shit if I'm called militant.

I just honestly don't see why a breastfeeding mother should have to kow-tow to our culture's inability to deal with the fact that the primary purpose of breasts, is to feed babies.

And are you kidding about men being put off by the sight of a bf mother in the "middle" of the room? D'you think they'd be happier if she was in the changing room while they were taking their trousers off? For every man who'd be unhappy about it, I'm sure there's one who'd queue up to buy his keks in that shop!

And WS if you read back on the thread the mother says she was never offered the changing room anyway - the shop are just saying that now as a cover up.

I don't think anyone's kowtowing to anything - how on earth do you assume that from my post? Try reading more carefully.

Presumably there were individual changing rooms, I'm not suggesting there was a communal one! And yes I know a lot of men would be put off by breastfeeding in the middle of the room - yes, that's their problem but they're also the shop's customers - and that's the shop's primary concern, surely!

How can you we expect other people to give and take if we view their opinions as worthless just because they differ from ours!

Jackstini - how do you know it's the shop that are 'saying that as a cover up' and not the mother?

Wordsmith, lots of men would be put off, lots of men wouldn't. Both sets of men, presumably, are the shop's customers.

This whole thing of "do it in private" "do it discreetly" - well why? Because someone might be made uncomfortable by it? Well, that is their problem, isn't it? And saying that's their problem isn't saying their opinion is worthless, it's saying that their discomfort is outweighed by the need of a child to feed and by its mother's need to be able to feed her child without being made to feel dirty, or militant, or inconsiderate, or all those other insults that are hurled at normal mothers.

I wouldn't describe myself as 'militant'.
That would suggest I'm deliberately setting out to offend or make a point when all I'm doing is feeding my baby.

I wouldn't want a man sitting in the ladies changing room even if he was in a separate cubicle (just imagine the outcry)
so I can't see why men would feel any differently about a women sitting in their changing room.

WS - I meant that's what the mother was saying, that they were trying to cover up their unnacceptable behaviour. Tbh I believe her. If they had really offered her a seat why would she refuse? And there were no customers in the store at the time. Ant the shopping centre's mother & baby room was closed.

even if the seat in the male changing room in the mens outfitters was made especially for this lady and had diamond encrusted moulded butt cheek bits - she was right to refuse to sit in the mens changing room to feed her baby. why couldnt they just offer her a chair for goodness sake

SM - of course you wouldn't describe yourself as militant, neither would I, but reading comments such as 'why should I' and 'I don't give a shit' and 'they can bugger off', I'm not surprised that some people do.

Sorry SM, you haven't used those phrases necessarily, but other posters on here have.

I've used the phrase "why should I?" I think.

And no one has yet come up with a good reason, why I should

Oh and I've used the phrase "I don't give a shit if someone calls me a militant."

And I don't. What's wrong with that?

Absolutely nothing, as long as you extend the right of having strong opinions (opposing yours) to other people.

If we admit no compromise then we'll never change anything.

Absolutely nothing, as long as you extend the right of having strong opinions (opposing yours) to other people.

If we admit no compromise then we'll never change anything.

Oops.

Oh God this thread is going round in circles. (Parp parp! )

Some bloke wanting to buy trousers has a perfect right to strongly dislike seeing a woman breastfeed. Or seeing a woman at all.

What he doesn't have the right to do, is stop her breastfeeding. Or stop her existing.

I think this has been said before, but there's loads of things we find personally distasteful. I cringe at the sight of flabby bellies at the school gate with tattoos and pierced navels. What I don't have the right to do, is a) to demand that the flabby bellies are covered up or b) be rude or unkind to the owners of the flabby bellies on the basis of my own prejudice against the said bellies.

Moomin my hometown has stickers for breastfeeding friendly places too! Although not many places have them in their windows

Lots of things I find distasteful too. Men buying trousers, for one. I mean, can't they just grow their legs really, really hairy?