Mum 'made to feel ashamed' after being told to breastfeed behind curtain on family day out

Christina Curtis said she was shamed by staff at a council activity centre after asking where she could feed her newborn.

The 31-year-old claims she was told to sit at the bottom of a staircase and put up "a makeshift curtain in case the sight of breastfeeding offended anyone".

Her husband Steve Curtis, 35, from Southend, Essex, who was outside the Wat Tyler Park in Pitsea, Essex, playing with their two-year-old son at the time.

He said: "When I came inside, I couldn't find her so had to ring her phone which is when I discovered she had been put aside like she was doing something wrong."

He added: "She said to me 'all I wanted to do was feed my son,' and she was left feeling ashamed for doing it.

"We were told it was for the sake of everyone else – it wasn't a nice feeling at all.

"I just can't believe that in 2019 this is still treated as a taboo thing to do and is not accepted.

"It makes us feel like we can't go out anywhere because we're constantly worried that we can't feed our own son.

"Everyone's told that breastfeeding is the best way but then you're made to feel like you're doing something wrong if it's done in public."

Basildon Council, which operates Wat Tyler Park, has since apologised to the couple.

A Basildon Council spokesperson said: "We were shocked to receive a complaint in regards to an incident in the Wat Tyler Centre which goes against the values of Basildon Council.

"We have responded directly to the complainant to apologise for this.

"We will be speaking to all staff and reminding them of our working practices regarding breastfeeding in our leisure facilities."

Last month we told how a mum claimed she was "shouted at" by staff in a busy council waiting room after she asked where she could breastfeed her son.

According to the horrified mum, the staff member leaded in close to her and Cailean and shouted: "You can't breastfeed here, not in front of people!"

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