I told a mum of a newborn to go elsewhere to b/f her baby....

[MARGOsBeenPlayingWithMyNooNoo]

..as she was feeding her baby in the babychange area in M & S. I wasn't bossy or anything. There's a nice feeding room in Mothercare which isn't attached to a toilet and is calm and dark and has those lovely rocking chairs that all mum-to-bes have on their wish lists.

While I'm on the subject - I need to rant. Mothercare in Bluewater removed their nursing room in favour of a stock room.

I know that you have the right to feed anywhere but when you're new at it and need to go out, it's nice to know there are hygienic, quiet places to feed your baby.

maybe her baby was hungry and the rest of her family were in the store??
perhaps she didn't want to have to cart her crying baby across to another shop

man, i hope you were gentle with her?!

I think you will find when your baby is crying and hungry, you just want to feed them anywhere !!

I think you will find when your baby is crying and hungry, you just want to feed them anywhere !!

Oooops !

Thats quite nasty. She might have been shopping in there.

but maybe it would have been worse to take a hungry baby to another store, not ideal surroundings but better than distressing baby imo.

You told her or you just advised her?!!

Mothercare at Brent Cross have done the same.

I don't really get why you did it. Why should she haul her baby somewhere else to sit in a rocking chair. If she has just had a baby and is breastfeeding it then she has enough to deal with I think.

Did you actually tell her to go elsewhre, or did you simply recommend other, nicer places that are available for her to use in future if she would prefer?

If frmer, that really doesn't sound a very pleasant way of going about things.

I once fed ds standing up waiting to use the baby change in John Lewis as about 3 other families were already changing babies etc and he decided he wanted the rest of the feed that my bra fitting had interrupted

I'm sure she was grateful to find out that there was somewhere nicer, as you say when you are new to it you don't always know where to go and not everyone has the confidence to get their norks out in cafes. (I have a couple of friends who are not, confuses the hell out of me why they sit there trying to shush their babies until they get home when they could just feed but i know public feeding isn't for everyone)

I used to hide in a corner of the babychange in sainsbury's and barricade myself in wiith the pram when first out breastfeeding DS, because he was so frantic about it and hated any noise or distraction. It wasn't out of embarrassment or shame. I hope you said it as a friendly suggestion and in no way a criticism.

I understand where you were coming from Margo, but when mine were newborns I couldn't stand to hear them cry for milk any longer than necessary and would have fed them anywhere (and often did). I'd head the nearest place, not necessarily the nicest.

I am a feed anyywhere kind of person, but prefer a nice cafe with cup of tea.

none of your business quite frankly, where she was feeding !! agree with hulababy...it depends on the way you said/ advised/ told her

i once (bottle) fed DS sat on a display bed in Harrods.

babies get hungry and need feeding, and you cannot always get to the 'best' place

In Scotland its illegal to stop anybody from breastfeeding anywhere! Is it not in England?

I just presumed it would be the same?

I fed mine in the queue of the post office once as I couldn't be doing with queuing again after going off to find somewhere nice to sit down and had left my sling in the car.

Don't recommend it with any child over about 4 weeks though, my back was killing me!

No - I wasn't horrible. She was new to our shopping centre and didn't know about the facilities on offer at my local shopping centre.

My words were more to the effect "Did you know there is a nice feeding room in Mothercare and it's not one next to a toilet stall?"

IMO she would probably need to feed her child again on her trip (as we all know how often these newborns need to feed ) and would then know of somewhere nicer to go.

I gave her directions to where she could find it. I didn't expect her to get up and go there. I just feel sorry that b/fing mums end up in toilets to feed.

No its not illegal here. Should be though.

Sorry, I do understand what you said to the lady, I'm not saying you should be arrested or anything! Just wanted to clarify that.

Your post just made me wonder.

Oi, lay off margo, i'm sure she was v supportive

Think this thread has been deliberately worded/phrased to provoke responses.

Ok, seen update now. Your approach of recommending other nicer places sund perfectly acceptable. The title of the thread doesn't really say what you really did.

Ah cross posted, So you didn't actually tell her to go else where.

I admit it - I misled you on the title.

I am shocked that Mothercare have done the same in Brent Cross.

Isn't there anything we could do as a MN collective to bring back these rooms?