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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:
LadyStealthPolarBear · 03/09/2009 17:58

'If I ff in a swimming pool I would be ordered straight out.'
I don't agree with that either - think the law should be equal on bf and ff in this case

juuule · 03/09/2009 18:00

I think abra1d brought the thread back on track.

juuule · 03/09/2009 18:02

As I said before - I don't think a ban on food and drink in the pool is unreasonable.

It's not that difficult to feed a baby before you go somewhere. Unless I had unusual babies. I just don't understand the need to feed in the pool.

Iggi999 · 03/09/2009 18:03

Ok, so who has ever been ordered out of a pool (or elsewhere) for ff a small baby? This is a false debate, in my opinion. The law (where there is one) protects BOTH bf and ff, as has been stated previously.

juuule · 03/09/2009 18:05

I've never seen anyone ff or bf a baby in a swimming pool let alone seen them ordered out for doing it.

LadyStealthPolarBear · 03/09/2009 18:07

Iggi is that law in place though?

Iggi999 · 03/09/2009 18:11

It is in Scotland, has been for a few years. I'm sure it is under consideration in England, don't know the proper term for that.

mathanxiety · 03/09/2009 18:31

Here's how you avoid the embarrassment or discomfort of seeing a woman bf: you turn around and look the other way. The problem with people who object is that they don't see their objection as an embarrassment to themselves. Clearly public education is sorely needed on this topic. Nobody bfeeds in public because of a desire to be an exhibitionist. The vast majority of women who bf in public do so only because they feel they have no other choice and need to be where they are to do it.

brettgirl2 · 04/09/2009 08:17

Juule I think that is partly the problem here. I doubt it was a situation that the probably part time young life guard had ever encountered.

I also think that the comparison with Australia is interesting because we are talking about slightly different situations. In the UK we tend to take a baby into a public swimming baths for half an hour then leave. It is rare that we sit around there for hours, and as a result in general it is fitted in around feeds.

foxytocin · 04/09/2009 08:36

"By abra1d on Thu 03-Sep-09 17:55:29
'If I ff in a swimming pool I would be ordered straight out.'

And if I drank a Coke, so would I. That's what it's about, for me. "

This sort of thinking comes from the impression that feeding a baby formula is generally about transferring food from A to B. FF babies are more likely to be on a feeding schedule so therefore not 'expected' to be hungry and mothers have their methods of keeping a baby quiet instead of offering a feed.

And about feeding Coke to a grown up about 'something extra' which is not needed at all and therefore can wait.

Nutrition is only one aspect of breastfeeding. Babies who are breastfed and their mothers view breastfeeding as a source of comfort and reassurance. A ff mum will not be able to quickly whip out a warm bottle of formula if her baby is getting a bit cold but she is hoping to extend her in the pool for another 5 or 10 mins so the toddler can stay in a while longer, for example. While a quick breastfeed in the pool may have the effect of warming up the baby (with the food and the closeness) and offering reassurance so as to keep her from crying till the toddler can be convinced to go.

brettgirl2 · 04/09/2009 08:58

So it's ok to bf in public but not ff. . I doubt bfing a wet baby will warm him/her up. It also isn't true that ff babies stick to a feeding schedule - that's just what it says on the packet and my dd definitely didn't read this part. Some do and some don't.

I agree about the coke though, in no way is that about food.

foxytocin · 04/09/2009 10:04

Which part of my post made you draw the conclusion that I said it is ok to bf in public but not to ff, brettgirl?

And where do I say that ff babies stick to a schedule.

And yes, bfing can warm up a baby. it is about the skin to skin contact which breastfeeding allows in the pool or outside the pool. It is not the ideal situation to get them or keep them warm but it mitigates the effects of cooling down in a pool. As I said, if you (plural, not 'you' singular) don't know much about breastfeeding yourself, the subtleties about breastfeeding will not occur to you - - and that is not trying to be cute or smug. It is the reality for everyone about just about everything generally know about from an observer's point of view, or even from an amateur's POV but may not know about in depth.

dorisbonkers · 04/09/2009 10:34

Can I just say as a pool breastfeeder that yes it did warm my little baby up.

We had an outdoor pool in Singapore but I spent more than 1/2 down there but even though it's hot there it can get chilly for a small baby in the shade. So instead of shuffling across wet marble to go upstairs to the 9th floor into an airon flat to feed/comfort/warm her up, I elected to stay downstairs in the pool and give her a quick blast. Everyone happy that way.

I accept that this subtlety may elude a non-breastfeeder.

Rindercella · 04/09/2009 11:22

I have been taking DD swimming since she was about 4 months old. I have never b/f her poolside, but one thing stands out from what the instructor used to tell me: if DD was ever really upset & screamed until we had to get out of the pool, the instructor recommended skin to skin contact as the best way to warm her up. So it was always a dash into the changing room, stip off her wet suit, strip off the top part of my costume & get her as close to me as possible (quite often giving her a b/f at the same time).

This sounds awful - taking a poor screaming baby swimming She adores swimming now and begs to go as often as possible

I would have of course done that poolside, but I didn't really fancy stipping my cossie completely off in front of all the proud Dads watching their LOs 'swim'

Being offended at b/fing mothers, wherever they may be feeding their child, is the ishoo of the offendee, not the person who is breastfeeding. Hopefully the law will soon change in England to ensure that mothers are better protected.

juuule · 04/09/2009 11:30

Doris - that subtlety eludes me as a bfeeder of several children.

dorisbonkers · 04/09/2009 11:46

ooooooh! juuule (holds handbag up to chin)

maybe you've not lived somewhere with a pool

brettgirl2 · 04/09/2009 11:48

Doris where has anyone suggested that you should bf in an apartment? I am making the point that where it is ok to bf it is also ok to ff.

Is it in fact mainly inaccurate (or at all helpful) to label people as ff or bf'ers when in fact for various reasons the vast majority of mothers have in fact done both. It is also rather patronising to assume that just because you are not bfing you wouldn't know that cuddling your baby helps to warm them up .

The cold point came from that it seems like common sense to me to wrap a baby (whether bf or not) in a towel when they are wet and out of the water. If this is not needed then I stand corrected, but I would personally do this if I was still bfing.

bellissima · 04/09/2009 11:57

No problem with breast feeding in public (think story about being told to stop in doctor's waiting room appalling), no problem about exposure of boob to breast feed in public (think about how many exposed on a French beach - would these blokes be complaining there?), but slight problem about the 'in the water' business. Does a baby really want mouth contact with a chlorine soaked breast? And yes there are a lot of germs that escape the chlorine (I'm afraid I got ringworm from a public pool once, ugh, and doc said very common) - so frankly think it's not a good idea in that particular place.

Oblomov · 04/09/2009 12:12

I don't think I would really like to see someone sat in the shallow end bf'ing, to be honest. I think she should have got out.
The matter was handled insensitively and she could have been asked to leave/escorted to a much more comfortable place, but no actually I don't think it is o.k. to bf'd when half in and half out of the water.
Its not he fact she bf in public that is the problem. I enjoyed bf'ing in public. But actually in the pool. No I am sorry, I do not think that is o.k.

Maria2007 · 04/09/2009 12:49

Very interesting thread.

I think if it were me swimming in that pool I wouldn't have given the bf mum a second thought (or maybe I would have felt momentarily jealous since I'm not bf my boy any longer ) But, having said that, if it were me, it simply wouldn't have occured to me to bf in the pool. For many reasons: baby might get cold. I might get cold. Also, I'm a bit shy & used to prefer- if I could avoid it- not to feed in public. I'm definitely not saying women shouldn't feed in public, of course they should, I'm just saying I was shy & avoided it. Bf IN the pool rather than NEXT to it seems a bit strange to me- just something that wouldn't occur to me to do. Not because of what others would think, just because of how I would feel.

I think the main question though is something else: why was this woman asked to leave? Because people didn't want to see her bf? (which most posters are implying here). Or because anyone with anything to eat / drink would be ordered out? (as may have been the case). If we always insist- as we do- that breast milk is nothing more or less than food for the baby, and if all food is not allowed IN the pool, then presumably bf shouldn't be allowed in the pool for that reason only. My own DS used to posset a lot during feeding. Also, sometimes there was leaking. I really don't like the idea of swimming in breastmilk tbh (obviously I also don't like swimming in urine etc but I choose to forget that possibility ).

Hope that makes sense?

Maria2007 · 04/09/2009 12:50

(meant to say, used to prefer not to feed in public )

Maria2007 · 04/09/2009 12:55

Just wanted to add that if she was asked to leave because some people were offended, then that's not a good enough reason. She should be allowed to stay, of course, if it was just that bf was causing offense. I don't think bigotted opinions should be given consideration. If someone's shy about watching bf, then they can turn away.

abra1d · 04/09/2009 14:30

'I really don't like the idea of swimming in breastmilk tbh (obviously I also don't like swimming in urine etc but I choose to forget that possibility ).'

Nor do I. I think some of the patronising comments about people not 'understanding' about bf are hilariously patronising. However did they think those of us who are older managed to bf our babies and take them swimming? Both mine were bf for eight months or so and had regular swimming trips, sometimes with a toddler sibling as well.

Maria2007 · 04/09/2009 14:58

I suppose understanding about bf is one thing. Being willing to swim in (drops of) breastmilk is another .

...I also wouldn't like to be swimming in water where breadcrumbs floated about, or any other food or drink- including formula- I say this before anyone flames me for singling breastmilk out.

I just want to be sure the water where I swim is as clear as possible. Call me squeamish if you must.

dorisbonkers · 04/09/2009 17:56

I do think that's fair enough, not wanting extraneous fluids in a swimming pool, but maybe I'm a rare case but nary a drop of milk has ever escaped me or my daughter's gob from about 8 weeks when it all bedded down, so I felt comfortable doing it and also felt considerate as I wasn't leaking into the pool.

But yeah, maybe some babies posset a lot and some women leak.

I've hardly ever seen my milk (led to all sorts of freakouts about supply, I can tell you)