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Breastfeeding
Ikea sends breastfeeding mom to the bathroom
AdminNYC

3995 posts

Posted by AdminNYC on Jul 28, 2009 at 12:26 AM

     

Security guards and an employee at an Ikea store in Red Hook asked a Brooklyn mom Sarah Miller to "stop doing that" when they saw her breastfeeding her baby, fully covered, at their store last Wednesday, the mom reported ona Yahoo group.

Instead, since the bathroom was occupied, she decided to take her baby out to the car. The security guards then asked to see her receipts before she left.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? What would you have done?

 




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Replies
14
yolie5y

1896 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 09:18 AM

  

  

There's no law against breastfeeding.You should be able to breastfeed where ever you are because the baby is hungry. Nothing like that has happened to me before but I would of stood right there breastfeeding my baby.



  

Sun

694 posts

by 
Sun

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 09:23 AM

  

  

This is terrible! She had every right to feed there especially if she was covered up! Nothing like this has ever happened to me...I think it is terrible for Ikea that boasts of a family friendly place to do something like this!



Sun

  

TherapistMom

2568 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 09:25 AM

  

  

Well, I smell a lawsuit right about now. That's illegal for them to tell her to leave especially if she covered up her baby. Now, while I'm uncomfortable with breastfeeding in public, I don't feel that other moms who do should be penalized for doing what is natural. Hello? It's the 21st Century and we are allowed to feed our children. Like I said, if I was this mom, I would have said thank you very much and you will be hearing from my lawyer.



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granty

3094 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 11:19 AM

  

  

Well, so glad I didn't breastfeed in IKEA.  I used to breastfeed just about anywhere.  On the train etc. Otherwise the security would be talking to me too!



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lt

597 posts

by 
lt

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 11:35 AM

  

  

 She has the legal right to breast feed her baby. The store should know better, especially these days. Honestly, I would have informed them of the law and stayed put. It's their issue not mine. 

  

Devrocka

237 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 01:48 PM

  

  

LAWSUIT!! I would raise cane over this. Women and mothers have fought very hard to get the legal rights and legislation passed to breastfeed in public with out fear of ignorance and small minds. It has not happened to me, but boy oh boy if it ever does. It just disgusts me how taboo it is to feed your child yet people can get away with being half dressed with their panties hanging out and spewing vulgarities in public with out anyone saying a word about human decency. Ohhh the irony. Unfortch this happens way too often.



Devon, Brooklyn mom & Discussion Leader

  

PROUD2BMOMOF6

3451 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 08:28 PM

  

  

Personally I feel that if a baby is hungry a mother should feed that child. Now if the mother is breast feeding she should be able to feed her child as easy as a mom with a bottle. If she was covered then I see no problem. Now I do think that if a mother has to breast feed and she is exposing her self then the store has the right to make every one feel comfortable. If 500 customers are in Ikea and 200 do not feel comfortable with the situation then the store should have asked her to cover up or move to a less busy part of the store. I have seen moms breast feeding in restaurants and have had to tell my children thousands of times to turn around and eat. They were so preocupied with what this mom was doing even when I told them it was natural they still felt a little weird (this mom was not covered).



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Nique1119

292 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 09:35 PM

  

  

I am always a little uneasy breastfeeding in public and always remain covered up.  I have never had a problem.  I'm sur[rised that in a chain like that (and a "family friendly" chain that is) would have employees behaving so ignorantly.  She has the right to breastfeed anywhere, covered or not!  I think I would sue too.  If for no other reason to get some money and then maybe Ikea management would have a little class for their employees about the rights of breastfeeding mothers!

Well said Devrocka!!!  I bet if her breasts were exposed just for the heck in some distastfully low shirt no one would have complained.  In fact, those security guards would probably been sorry to see her go.   But b/c she was breastfeeding they were uncomfortable??



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Shar

1237 posts

by 

 on Jul 28, 2009 at 10:00 PM

  

  

It seems that this mother was being very discreet and the store really blew it. And in general, I agree with DevRocka--i can't tell you how many half-dressed people I see in stores and public places spewing the F word and nobody even flinches, but a mom breastfeeding is a big deal. Crazy.

  

MarianC

1059 posts

by 

 on Jul 30, 2009 at 12:49 PM

  

  

Something similar happened to me but not in a store. When my now 7 year old was a baby I was coming from Babies'r us when the bus broke down. She was screaming like crazy because she was hungry so I decided to sit down on the last step of the front steps of one of the houses. A minute later a woman came out and told me to get out, saying that it was private property. I told her that I was feeding my baby and that wouldn't take long. She insisted and then went inside and open the front door to let her dog out. I got quite scared when I saw a big German Shepherd running toward us (although at the end the dog did not do any harm). This set me off and we began arguing, until I had to leave because my poor baby girl couldn't stop crying (still hungry, of course). It still gets me upset today when I think about it, because I don't know up to what point she was right (even after I stood up she kept insisting that I had to leave).

  

 

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