Advertisement

Mum forced to breastfeed in gym toilets after first post-baby workout

The mum of a one-year-old who was asked to breastfeed her daughter in her gym’s bathroom has spoken out, prompting swift local action that included an apology from management and a nurse-in by supportive mothers.

RELATED: Mum hits back after hospital worker shames her for breastfeeding
RELATED: Celebrity mums share their intimate breastfeeding snaps

“I’ve been assured that the company intends to retrain all employees with regards to breastfeeding laws, and the front desk operator will definitely not be asking future breastfeeding moms to nurse in the restroom,” Ruha Tacey, of Athens, Alabama, tells Yahoo Beauty about the incident she found so upsetting that she canceled her gym membership at SportsFit on the spot. “The regional manager apologised to me on behalf of the company and regrets that I was made to feel unwelcome and/or ashamed.”

The trouble began on Monday, when Tacey tried hitting the gym for the first time since having her daughter. When her baby had a hard time in the childcare room, Tacey sat there and breastfed her, as she explained in a “bummed” Facebook post on Tuesday.

As if heading back to the gym wasn't hard enough, Ruha had to worry about how to feed her baby. Photo: Facebook
As if heading back to the gym wasn't hard enough, Ruha had to worry about how to feed her baby. Photo: Facebook

“She was still distressed when I tried to leave again, so we left and came back this morning,” she wrote. “When I badged into the front door, the very friendly guy at the front desk said, ‘Hey, can I talk to you about something really quick? In terms of feeding your child, when you need to do that, could you just use the restroom?’ The restroom? I asked. I have absolutely never been asked to do that, I said. ‘Well, we’re a family friendly facility, you see, and yesterday while you were feeding her a man walked by the window.’”

“I told him a man shouldn’t feel shame when he sees a woman breastfeeding," Tacey revealed in her post. "And especially if you’re family friendly, you should be super-pro breastfeeding! He said, ‘I’m not telling you not to breastfeed, I just think a little discretion is in order.’ What a shame, I said. Can I cancel my membership?”

“It’s hard enough getting to the gym and trying to work out despite a child with lots of separation anxiety," she added.

Ruha was told a man had seen her feeding her one-year-old and she needed to be more discreet. Photo: Facebook
Ruha was told a man had seen her feeding her one-year-old and she needed to be more discreet. Photo: Facebook

Beyond that, the gym employee’s request was against the law, as Alabama Code Section 22 1-13 allows for breastfeeding in any public or private location where the mother is otherwise authorised to be.

On Wednesday morning, a handful of mums joined Tacey to send a message to the gym with a “nurse-in,” she says, adding that she regrets the gym taking such a beating in the local press, when the situation was really the fault of one employee and his immediate supervisor.

Yahoo Beauty could not reach anyone at the gym by phone (which appeared to not be working properly on Wednesday) and did not receive a reply to the email sent to the company for comment.

The outraged mum organised a 'nurse in' in protest. Photo: Facebook
The outraged mum organised a 'nurse in' in protest. Photo: Facebook

Tacey, while not “100 percent satisfied,” as “the front desk operator wasn’t prepared to apologise yet,” says she’s feeling much better about the whole ordeal.

“The main message I’d like to get across to the public,” she says, “is that breastfeeding is natural, it’s normal, and it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Individuals are welcome to have their own opinions about whether a nursing mother offends them, but I would hope that they could think of the child first.”

Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.