A woman has described how she felt humiliated after being asked to cover up while breastfeeding at Claridge’s, the luxury hotel in London.
Louise Burns, 35, who tweeted pictures of herself and her 12-week-old baby, said she was having a Christmas tea treat at the hotel with her mother and sister when her infant needed feeding.
Asked to cover up with this ridiculous shroud while #breastfeeding so not to cause offence @ClaridgesHotel today.. pic.twitter.com/Is8GWUaGag
— Lou Burns (@Andysrelation) December 1, 2014
“I started feeding her very discreetly when the waiter hurried over with a huge napkin, knelt down and said it was policy to cover up,” she told the Guardian. “My initial reaction was to burst into tears. This was my third baby. I had trouble breastfeeding the first two but this was going well. I didn’t expect to be admonished in a central London hotel.”
Burns, from Streatham, who worked in financial services, said she felt very awkward and wanted to leave, but her mother and sister had come from the Midlands for their Christmas treat at Claridge’s at some expense, something they had liked doing for the past few years. She said the waiter was polite, as was a supervisor who was very apologetic but stated that it was hotel policy for mothers to cover up while breastfeeding.
...SO much more obvious with it than without! Such a shame I can never go back.... @ClaridgesHotel #breastfeeding pic.twitter.com/1DyNQUMYL4
— Lou Burns (@Andysrelation) December 1, 2014
“By then I had calmed down, but I felt so humiliated. I was being so discreet. No one should be made to feel like that in this day and age, especially when mothers are under pressure to breastfeed.”
On its website, the NHS says: “You shouldn’t ever be made to feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public. In fact, the Equality Act 2010 has made it illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place such as a cafe, shop or public transport.”
A Claridge’s spokeswoman declined to discuss the incident, but said it did allow breastfeeding. “It is our policy never to talk about our guests,” she said.
Burns said the hotel did offer a £75 discount and the supervisor expressed the hope that she would come again. But she tweeted: “Such a shame I can never go back.”
She said she was not carrying out a big crusade, but wanted an apology. “It was a Christmas treat. No one should be made to feel like that.”
Burns, who is married to the actor Nick Burns – best known for the comic character Nathan Barley – has received many messages of support.
One tweeter wrote: “You are absolutely right. They shouldn’t have made you feed in a way you didn’t want to, it’s illegal.”
.@Andysrelation you are absolutely right.They shldn’t have made you feed in a way you didn’t want to, it’s illegal: http://t.co/HqGAfBUxK2
— Tooting Baby (@Tootingbaby) December 1, 2014
Another said: “How can the sight of mother feeding her child do anything else than make people feel good! @ClaridgesHotel apologies needed.”
Lucy Bunting said: “Under the 2010 discrimination act, asking a bf’ing mother to cover up is illegal and disgusting behaviour!!! This is clearly their policy not just a rogue member of staff! Even more unacceptable!”
