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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

a mum was asked to leave local swimming pool because she was breastfeeding. Is this allowed?

201 replies

chocolateorange · 03/08/2009 15:19

just back from pool with my 2 dd. A woman and her friend were there with their babies who were about 5mo.

One of the women discreetly (wouldn't care if she wasn't tbh), began to bf. She was half in pool half out, in the very shallow end.

After about 5mins she was told to stop at once or leave. 2 men had complained, reasons given were

their children would see her breast and be offended.
their children would ask questions. wtf!
it's "disgusting"
there are germs in the water and she shouldn't do it there.

this was all echoed by the manager (a man) who then asked her to leave.

I am absolutely furious.

Can they do this?

tia

OP posts:
nappyaddict · 31/08/2009 18:16

Just wondered if you got anywhere with the councillor and MP? I think it's totally disgusting. Why would you leave the swimming pool to sit on the poolside and freeze to death. I think it would be quite hard to do it wrapped up in a towel and trying to stop it falling off all the time.

WoTmania · 31/08/2009 18:36

GAH! the children might see and ask questions?
How dreadful! you mean they would have to explain the purpose of breasts to their daughters?
Shocking. Poor men. How for them.

mathanxiety · 31/08/2009 19:07

UK women -- it's time to get together on this and fight. This is the one thing about life with young children that was fab in the US. You can bf in public anywhere even in a shop or restaurant, and regulations about food and drink don't apply to a mum who bfs at a pool or health club or wherever. You still get the odd story about very irate older men and women (the women are the worst, by far) making remarks and complaining to the manager, but American women tend to stand their ground. What would happen if a woman refused to leave when asked, assuming she wasn't too mortified to even think straight?

pigletmania · 31/08/2009 19:14

My goodness, these men are sick peverted ones here. Obviously they would not bat an eyelid at a bikini clad topless woman, or someone with their costume so low their boobs are hanging out. Jeese they think that boobs belong to them and their male fantasies.

pigletmania · 31/08/2009 19:17

What is wrong with children seeing the most normal thing a mum feeding her baby. What would they do if they went to tribes where women are nearly naked feeding their young with all and saundry on show my goodness the mentality of some people.

Pingpong · 31/08/2009 19:36

I BFed for 11 months and did in public but not in a militant way, I tried to be discreet. I was never asked to stop and I'd say my BF experience was entirely positive. I took DD swimming from 9 weeks old and always fed her about an hour beforehand and afterwards she would be starving and desperate for a feed. I would normally get us both dressed quickly then sit and feed but on a couple of occasions I had to sit in the changing room and do it before getting changed. Feeding in a wet costume is both awkward and uncomfortable.
I can't imagine ever finding the need to sit and BF poolside. I am not saying the attitude of the complaining men was correct however I am a bit surprised at the BF mum.

Iggi999 · 31/08/2009 19:56

Smac it's really not important whether any of us would have fed in that situation or not - she had a perfect right to be doing it. Isn't the law in England going to change? I could certainly see the local media/councillors/mps having an interest in this if the OP wanted to take it further. You wouldn't need the woman in question to complain even, you could do it yourself as outraged swimming pool customer.

cfc · 31/08/2009 20:02

I'd have told them to make me.

What were they gonna do? Manhandle me out of there, tit hanging out the side, screaming son attached to my hip?

Nah, call their bluff - that's what I would do.

But I'm a brassy cow, me.

heronsfly · 31/08/2009 20:32

Oooooh I love swimming pool/spots centre threads,its the only time I get shouted at and feel as if I really belong I work at at pool and as other posters have said,this subject has been raised more than once in the past,
We would never ever,ask someone to leave our centre for breast feeding,in fact our changing village is very baby/child friendly with comfy seats ect.
But I must admit we probably would ask a mum not to feed in the pool.Partly in response to requests from other swimmers,some people might find it embarassing,and also because of the health and safety gone mad issues.
Really and truly the pool is for swimming, and a young baby would be in for a very short amount of time,where would it end,a toddler with a biscuit?a teenager with a maccy Ds.

Iggi999 · 31/08/2009 20:53

It would end where it started heronsfly, with a baby being given milk. What a ridiculous "slippery slope" comment.

PuzzleRocks · 31/08/2009 20:57

I breastfed my daughter poolside this weekend. No one batted an eyelid. Perhaps there are less knuckle-draggers where I live.

heronsfly · 31/08/2009 20:59

Sorry,but in this day and age that is the sort of comment likely to be thrown at the staff,no food or drink in the pool means exactly that.

hercules1 · 31/08/2009 21:00

It is hardly the same thing. Lol at the no food and drink excuse.

lisbey · 31/08/2009 21:01

Would you expect her to gove a bottle without getting out of the pool?

All the decency arguments are rubbish, but a baby being fed is going to be sick. Surely you don't want in the swimming pool?

You wouldn't expect to see anyone else eating in the water.

hercules1 · 31/08/2009 21:05

Why would a baby being breastfed mean it was going to be sick anymore than a baby in the pool who wasnt being breastfed?

heronsfly · 31/08/2009 21:05

Please can we remember that we are actually talking about feeding in the pool,not on pool side,I would be furious to hear that anyone at our centre had been asked to stop feeding anywhere out of the pool.

hercules1 · 31/08/2009 21:06

Your argument that it's going to be sick is just as ridiculous as the decency ones.

Iggi999 · 31/08/2009 21:09

"a baby being fed is going to be sick"
Don't understand above comment. In own experience baby was never sick after feeding. Better ban all babies from pools just in case though.
Giving a baby milk is just NOT the same as any other type of food/drink. Hence why the law (where I live) supports me if I chose to breastfeed baby in middle of Debenhams, but wouldn't support me if I chose to give a child chocolate buttons in the same store. Babies who are fed on demand need to be fed on demand!

PuzzleRocks · 31/08/2009 21:10

Precisely Iggi.

lisbey · 31/08/2009 21:10

So, after feeding, a baby doesn't bring up some of it's milk? Mine always did, without fail, usually down my clean shirt - the one I put on fresh after the last feed!

hercules1 · 31/08/2009 21:11

Mine never did.

LadyStealthPolarBear · 31/08/2009 21:12

I would also be happy for a baby to be fed a bottle in the pool, although I think it's less likely as where's it going to come from?? Plus older bottle fed babies tend to not be fed on demand so much I suppose.

hercules1 · 31/08/2009 21:12

I think you'll find there are far worse bodily fluids in the pool....

IdrisTheDragon · 31/08/2009 21:12

I was at our local council run pool last week and a woman was bf in the pool. It has a beach style entry do very shallow. She was asked by an attendant to stop feeding her baby as "people might complain". No one had and I only knew she was bf as I recognised the position of the baby and then saw the attendant talking to her.

She was told she could feed by the side of the pool as long as she covered herself up with a blanket.

I spoke to her afterwards and let her know how daft I thought the attendant was being. I am going to fill in a complaints form for the pool and let them know my feelings on the matter - I am going there tomorrow so will make sure I give it in.

sally78 · 31/08/2009 21:14

Sorry but what do you do about leaky boobs in the pool

Off topic I know