A woman has claimed that she was told by staff at a UK Debenhams store that she couldn’t breastfeed in the store’s café.
Dezrin Ward claims she asked a staff member at the store in Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent where she could breastfeed her daughter Remi and was told to go to the baby changing room.
“I went in there and there were two toilets, a baby changing area and a chair,” she told Metro.
She said that rather than feed the baby next to a toilet, she decided to use one of the chairs outside the room.
“There were men and women walking past and it was freezing cold.
“I was sat there for quite a while and the cleaner came down to me and she said that she couldn’t believe I was feeding her there.”
Dezrin was then directed back to the café to feed the baby. She said that it would have saved her embarrassment if all staff had been aware that mothers could breastfeed in the café.
Her experience highlights that while breastfeeding is, if not frowned upon, certainly not catered for in many public spaces.
“As a mum I find Hanley quite short of breastfeeding facilities and in this day and age that is very bad,” added Dezrin.
Debenhams has apologised to her, saying it supports breastfeeding and that the incident was an isolated one.
