It's really interesting, I've posted this on here, netmums.com, babyandbump.com, naturalmamas.co.uk, and here is the only site that doesn't think a nurse-in is appropriate! BFing mums all over the country are thinking about having their own Debenhams nurse in from the other forums!
Regardless, there is no way they can laugh us off, because, they have broken the law. I do think the public need to get used to seeing breastfeeding mamas though!
At any rate, I have handed a letter of complaint into the store for the store manager, and sent a copy to the Debenhams head office. If anyone is interested, this is what I wrote:
Dear Sir or Madam,
As a long standing customer of Debenhams, I am very disappointed to have reason to bring a serious complaint to your attention.
On the afternoon of Saturday, 8th October 2011, I was shopping with a friend in the Oxford branch of Debenhams. I was in the shoe shop, Dune, while my friend was trying on boots, when my 4 week old baby required feeding. My baby was born 6 weeks prematurely, and requires very regular breastfeeding with no delays, so I sat out of the way on a couch and discreetly breastfed him.
After some time, I was approached by the manager of Dune, who asked me to stop breastfeeding. She stated that it was not appropriate for me to be breastfeeding my baby in a public place. I explained to her that I would not stop feeding him, as my right to breastfeed in public was protected by law, and she was committing an offence by asking me to stop. I also requested details for making a written complaint. This manager refused to give me the details, and insisted that I did need to stop feeding him or move somewhere else, and that her manager was going to be coming to speak to me about it.
I continued to feed my son, and a few members of the public who had overheard the conversation expressed their disgust that I had been asked to stop breastfeeding.
I was then approached by another member of staff, who identified herself as the floor manager. She told me that because a room was provided on the top floor for breastfeeding, it was not appropriate for me to be feeding in this public place. I explained to her that the room provided is also a nappy changing space, with a nappy bin in, and is often strong smelling and an unpleasant space to be. Regardless of this - provision of this service for mothers who wish to use it does not negate my right to breastfeed in public. She said that if the room on the top floor was not satisfactory, she would find me somewhere else to feed my baby, but that it was not appropriate for me to be breastfeeding sat in my current location. She maintained this opinion, despite my explaining to her that I was completely comfortable feeding there, and pointing out that if I was bottle feeding my baby she would not be treating me in this unfavourable way. She did not dispute this. I reiterated that I was not going to be moving until my baby had finished feeding, and asked again for details to make a written complaint. This address was provided, along with the name 'supervisor', which I can only assume was either her name, or that of the original manager ? it is not clear which.
I am sure you are already aware that my right to breastfeed in public is protected under the Equality Act (2010), and also under the Sex Discrimination Act (1975). I feel that both sexual and maternity discrimination have taken place. I have been offended and upset by this incident, and my confidence in publicly breastfeeding my baby has been undermined.
I have notified and sought support from several mothering and breastfeeding groups in the area, and some nationally via online networking. As a result you may be contacted by other mothers, who are also very offended and let down by the behaviour of Debenhams in regards to this issue. I have been encouraged to notify national and local press about this incident, although I am still undecided as to whether I should do this.
I have identified some steps that you could take to start to resolve this issue. The first would be to issue a written apology to myself, and additionally to all the other mothers who are now nervous to breastfeed in your stores. Furthermore, you could re-educate the managers and other staff in your stores on the law regarding breastfeeding. It would be beneficial to make certain that all those in positions of authority are extremely clear that mothers are protected by law while breastfeeding in public places, and that challenging breastfeeding mothers leaves Debenhams open to proceedings being brought against them in the civil courts.
I look forward to receiving your prompt response,