Holiday Park Issues Apology To Mum Told To Stop Breastfeeding In The Pool Because It Was 'Unhygienic'

Mum Who Was Told Breastfeeding In The Pool Was 'Unhygienic' Receives Apology
|

A holiday park has issued an apology to a mother who was asked to stop breastfeeding her son in the swimming pool.

Holly Mayes, 21, was in the pool at Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire when her four-month-old son Vincent began crying because he was hungry.

The new mum took herself into the corner of the swimming pool to breastfeed, but was soon told by a female lifeguard to remove herself from the pool, because others were feeling "uncomfortable" and it was "unhygienic".

A spokesperson for Billing Aquadrome said in a statement: "As a family holiday park we keenly welcome new mothers and we fully support women breastfeeding in public places, in line with current legislation.

"We will investigate the incident and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Open Image Modal

The spokesperson continued: "Mums have every right to feed their babies when they need to do so and our operating practices are to encourage breastfeeding in a safe and comfortable environment for both the mother and child.

"In this case, as there were a number of other users in the pool, swimming, playing and splashing, the lady involved was invited by a female lifeguard to move to the side of the pool, or to the changing rooms.

"At no stage was she asked to refrain from breastfeeding her baby in public."

Open Image Modal

Legally, women have the right to breastfeed in public places unless there are health and safety reasons to stop.

Speaking to ITV News when describing the incident, Mayes said: "I felt like I was being made [to feel] I was doing something wrong and I felt ashamed."

Mayes was told by the lifeguard that breastfeeding in the pool was "unhygienic", however she said her son was high enough above the water that he wouldn't drink any chlorine.

She told The Northampton Chronicle: "I was so shocked. I explained that I had every right to feed in a public place and she [the lifeguard] said that, if that was the case, then she was very sorry and I should talk to a manager.

"I did that and he apologised profusely and offered my free entry to the pool for a year."

Since the incident happened, a breastfeeding group in Northamptonshire has defended Mayes.

Esther Stimpson, Co-chair, Northamptonshire Breastfeeding Alliance, told ITV: "With regards to the hygiene aspect, breast milk really is the last thing we should be worrying about in a swimming pool.

"Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers will be lactating anyway and could leak milk into the pool at any time.

"Babies can be sick at any time, not just if they're breast-fed, so for us it's not a concern. The baby was being comforted and reassured and being fed at the same time."

Breastfeeding Photos
(01 of17)
Open Image Modal
Ashlee Wells Jacksons' "4th Trimester Bodies Project" embraces the changes brought to women’s bodies by motherhood. Above, is a photo of herself and her baby.

Says Jackson: "I see beautiful, inspiring, real women on a daily basis who struggle with their body image because they don’t feel they measure up with who the media tells them to be... So much more needs to be done in our society to embrace body positivity and normalize breastfeeding."
(credit:Ashlee Wells Jackson )
(02 of17)
Open Image Modal
In the September 2014 issue of Glamour magazine, actress Olivia Wilde said: "Breastfeeding is the most natural thing. I don’t know, now it feels like Otis should always be on my breast."
(03 of17)
Open Image Modal
(04 of17)
Open Image Modal
Photographer Jade Beall takes portraits, like this one, that celebrate moms' bodies for her project, "A Beautiful Body."
via A Beautiful Body Book Project
(credit:Jade Beall)
(05 of17)
Open Image Modal
In 2012, singer P!nk shared this gorgeous photo of herself nursing baby Willow Sage on Instagram and Twitter. (credit:Pink/Instagram)
(06 of17)
Open Image Modal
(07 of17)
Open Image Modal
In 2014, singer Gwen Stefani posted a beautiful Instagram photo of herself feeding her son Apollo in Switzerland. (credit:Gwen Stefani/Instagram)
(08 of17)
Open Image Modal
Russian model Natalia Vodianova debuted her son Maxim to the world with this stunning breastfeeding photo in June 2014. (credit:Natalia Vodianova/Instagram)
(09 of17)
Open Image Modal
This photo is from Vanessa Simmons' Normalize Breastfeeding campaign. Says Simmons: "If [women] read other stories, then it becomes more normal like, 'Oh, I'm going through that exact same thing.' Or, 'My baby's screaming their head off at six weeks and I can't figure out why,'... Sharing those stories enables women to be able to connect." Read more about Normalize Breastfeeding here.
(11 of17)
Open Image Modal
This photo is from Leilani Rogers' Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project. Read more about it here.
(12 of17)
Open Image Modal
This image is also from Leilani Rogers' Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project. Read more about it here.
(13 of17)
Open Image Modal
This picture is from HuffPost blogger Jillayna Adamson' "Breastfeeding is Beautiful" series. See more images, and read about it here.
(14 of17)
Open Image Modal
(15 of17)
Open Image Modal
HuffPost blogger Jamie Davis Smith wrote about her difficulty breastfeeding her first child, and what the experience was like. Read her blog post here.
(17 of17)
Open Image Modal
In a blog post where this image was featured, author Mama Bean writes, "We are continually sold The Ideal; the picture-perfect, fully-clothed, fully made-up portrait of Motherhood... And yet in the real world, motherhood takes a far more literal shape; a far more physical form. It may well be slim, trim and toned... just as it may be rounded, softened and stretched. And yet, this second and more common reality is hidden and censored by default, as if motherhood is somehow something to shelter from."

Read the full post here.
(credit:Paulina Splechta Photography)