A mother-of-four is planning a public protest after she was banned from breastfeeding her baby at a swimming pool.
Natasha Barnett, 29, from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, was told by a lifeguard at Middleton Pool that she could not breastfeed her five-month-old daughter Olive because it was 'classed as eating and drinking'.
Ms Barnett - who has been taking her children to the Newport Pagnell pool for nine years - said she then had to take her other children out of the pool so she could go to the changing rooms and breastfeed.
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Natasha Barnett, 29, from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, was told she was not allowed to breastfeed her daughter Olive, five months, at the Middleton Pool in her home town
She told MailOnline she was sitting on a bench on the poolside, about 2ft away from where her children were playing in the water, when she asked the lifeguard whether she could feed Olive 'discreetly'.
She said: 'I do not know why, but I asked the lifeguard if I could feed Olive. I said I would cover it up with a towel. When he said no, I was in shock.
'I could not believe what I was hearing. I was in too much shock to get angry - I just got really upset and started welling up.
'It's 2014 and yet people still have an issue with breastfeeding in a public place.'
Ms Barnett was with her son Dominic, four, who was sat on the pool steps, her nine-year-old daughter Millie and one of Millie's friends when the incident took place.
She told MKWeb that she had to get the children out of
the pool and take them to the changing room so she could continue to feed
Olive.
A spokesman for the pool said it was fully supportive of brastfeeding but that it was 'inappropriate' to do so where any food and drink is prohibited
Ms Barnett was sat on a bench at the side of the pool as her children swam when she asked the lifeguard if she could discreetly feed her baby
She told the website: 'I felt humiliated. It has knocked
my confidence and I don’t feel comfortable breastfeeding in other public areas now.'
Writing a complaint on the pool's Facebook site, Ms Barnett said she was so shocked that she cried.
She received dozens of messages of support from other mothers. She said she now plans to return to the pool so she could hold a protest over the issue.
She said: 'It is mainly other mothers on different websites that are encouraging me to stage the protest. It is obviously an issue which is very important to a lot of people.'
Places for People Leisure, which runs the pool, said it was 'fully supportive' of breastfeeding within the facilities, but said the lifeguard had wanted to ensure the safety of her son Dominic.
Picture left: Ms Barnett holding her daughter Olive, with partner Daniel Robinson, 33, left, four-year-old son Dominic, pictured front, six-year-old Theo, second from front, and nine -year-old Millie, middle. Pictured right: Ms Barnett with Olive, five months
The spokesman added that breastfeeding is 'inappropriate' in the pool, in a spa or areas where any food and drink is
prohibited.
After the furore, general manager Sean O'Connor wrote on the pool's Facebook wall: 'Myself and all of my team are fully supportive of breastfeeding within our facility, including poolside (not in the pool), and as we attract a such a large number of families from the local area breastfeeding is a common and regular occurrence.
'We have been in contact with Natasha and after explaining our reasons behind suggesting she breastfed out of the pool hall were purely down to our concerns for the health and safety of her other young child who required adult supervision in the pool, Natasha accepted that our actions were a sensible and practical solution for ensuring the baby could be fed, both mother and baby would be comfortable and the slightly older child remained safe under mum’s supervision.'
HOW THE EQUALITY ACT AIMED TO PROTECT BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS
The Equality Act 2010 made it illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place such as a cafe, shop or public transport
It states that a business cannot discriminate against mothers who are breastfeeding a child of any age.
In Government guidelines, companies are advised to make sure women they are providing a service to 'are allowed to breast feed on your premises if they want to'.
It also advises that staff are trained to understand the rights of breast feeding mothers.
Under the Act 2010, discriminating against someone because they are with a breastfeeding mother is also prohibited.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2719700/Mother-banned-breastfeeding-five-month-old-daughter-swimming-pool-against-no-food-drink-rules.html#ixzz39pBevWIB
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