It's National Breastfeeding Month, and we're still reading stories about moms being discriminated against for breastfeeding. Chelsea Williams, a mom who is based in the UK, shared her story about being told to stop breastfeeding on a recent flight from Manchester, England, to Almería, Spain.
Williams and her husband were traveling with their 5-week-old newborn and 2-year-old daughter. She had learned that breastfeeding during takeoff and landing could ease some of the baby's discomfort.
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After assuring that her newborn was properly secured in her lap, she began to breastfeed. Shortly after, a member of the flight crew told her she "couldn’t feed for takeoff and landing; it wasn’t permitted," a comment that left her "on the verge of tears" and with two crying children.
When she stopped nursing, the baby began "crying quite drastically." And that was just the beginning.
"The toddler was crying. I was sweating. I was on the verge of tears. I felt like everyone’s eyes were on us," she told The Washington Post. She went on to add that the baby was "obviously in pain" in addition to being hungry and sleepy. Once the seat belt sign was off, she was able to breastfeed the baby and get her to sleep.
After the incident, Williams' husband reached out to the airline, TUI, to ask if breastfeeding would be allowed on their return flight. The airline told them, "There are no official restrictions. However, we would not recommend it because it could make other people uncomfortable."
Of course, Williams found the airline's response "absolutely shocking" and said it felt like "discrimination against breastfeeding babies and mums."
Breastfeeding in public is protected by law in the United Kingdom under the Equality Act of 2010, which prohibits anyone from treating a breastfeeding mother unfavorably. There are also laws in 49 of the 50 states in the US.
In an email to The Washington Post, Henry Heming, a spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority, said that "there are no regulatory restrictions on breastfeeding during takeoff and landings, and this is not considered to be a safety matter."
"It is unethical and immoral to deny a breastfed baby access to food, fluid, and comfort by discouraging responsive breastfeeding," UK-based lactation consultant Lyndsey Hookway told The Washington Post.
A spokesperson for TUI airline told the newspaper that the airline is "really sorry for the distress caused to Ms. Williams and her infant."
"As a family-friendly travel company, we support breastfeeding on our flights at any time," the statement read. "We are currently conducting an urgent internal investigation and will be making sure that all colleagues are retrained on our breastfeeding-friendly policy."
Williams was able to breastfeed on her next flight with no issue, but she shared that she hopes the initial incident will encourage the airline to "include a statement that breastfeeding is encouraged on board in their safety/welcome briefing on board all flights."
She also added that she hopes the airline will apologize and give her an explanation as to why the person who stopped her wasn't well versed in the airline's breastfeeding policy.
