A nursing mother says she was left feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed after being told she wasn’t allowed to breastfeed her baby in or on the deck of a pool at a Nova Scotia military base.
The 14 Wing Greenwood Aquatics PSP in Greenwood, N.S., has since publicly apologized for what happened to Kelsey Hutchinson, vowing to change its policies to allow breastfeeding at the outdoor pool and anywhere on the base.
Hutchinson, 30, said she was with her husband and three children — ages six months, three and four — last Wednesday when baby Violet became hungry.
“So I stood up in the water and was nursing her. And then at that point we saw the lifeguard go talk to another lifeguard, come back and he said, ‘You can’t do that here,'” Hutchinson told CBC News in an interview.
Hutchinson said she was taken aback, but agreed to get out of the pool and started to nurse her baby on the deck, so she could be near her family.
The lifeguard then told her she wasn’t allowed to nurse there either, and would have to go to the washroom or leave the property.
In Canada, breastfeeding mothers have the right to nurse their babies in public, something Hutchinson and her husband tried to explain to the lifeguard.
“When it was clear that there wasn’t going to be a resolution, I told him he was welcome to get a manager. And so at that point, the manager came over and started the conversation with, ‘I heard you have problems with my staff,'” said Hutchinson.
She said the manager asked if she would be willing to breastfeed over by a fence and she said no. She was then told by the manager that she was being rude and hostile, Hutchinson said.
“I’m not being rude. I’m just simply saying I have to feed my baby and I’m going to feed my baby,” said Hutchinson, adding that the conversation was drawing attention from other swimmers and she felt embarrassed and overwhelmed, but also protective of her right to breastfeed.
“It’s an interesting thing when women stand up for their rights and are referred to as rude and hostile when that wasn’t the case.”
The facility’s apology
Hutchinson said she eventually asked the manager if she was being told to leave. The manager said she was not, and the conversation ended there. Tearful and upset, her family decided to leave anyway.
The next morning, the mother posted her story to Facebook, where it was widely shared.
Later that day, 14 Wing Greenwood PSP made its own Facebook post apologizing for what happened, saying it recognizes the “dignity and respect” of all people, and seeks to foster an inclusive environment.
It also said it had consulted the Lifesaving Society’s position statement on breastfeeding in aquatic facilities, as well as various provincial guidelines.
“While the paper identifies the risk of breastfeeding in the water, it does state that owners/operators shall allow patrons to breastfeed anywhere, and at any time within aquatic facilities,” the post said.
“Moving forward, PSP will adopt these best practices and allow individuals to breastfeed in the water as well as on the pool deck. This occurrence will be used to further educate our aquatic staff at all bases/wings accordingly.”
The society’s position statement says the risks of breastfeeding in water include accidental submersion or swallowing of water.
It says if a breastfeeding infant vomits in water, it should be treated at “pool fouling” and cleaned up as per protocols, but also notes that evidence indicates the composition of breast milk spit up is not a health concern.
“Women should not be asked to leave, move or cover up when feeding their child,” the statement reads.
“Change rooms and washrooms should not be promoted as breastfeeding rooms, as they are uncomfortable and make breastfeeding awkward.”
Lt.-Col. Alexandre Gignac, acting commander for 14 Wing Greenwood, said the base “proudly supports a mother’s right to breastfeed in all locations around the wing.”
“All PSP staff have been educated on these best practices and individuals are welcome to breastfeed in and around all of our facilities,” Gignac said in a statement to CBC News.
“Bringing attention to systemic issues helps improve institutions by highlighting areas of reform, fostering accountability, and driving meaningful changes.”
Hutchinson said she only received a direct apology from 14 Wing Greenwood Aquatics PSP after this story was published. She was contacted Tuesday afternoon by management, who apologized for her experience and thanked her for bringing the issue to light.
Hutchinson also said it was discouraging that the facility’s original statement highlighted there are risks to breastfeeding in a pool.
“Do I think it was a perfect response or a thorough response? No. I think there was some deflection for sure,” she said.
Breastfeeding should not be political: advocate
Carrie Clem, a leader with La Leche League Canada’s Berwick chapter, said it’s unfair Hutchinson had to “be political” in order to assert her right to nurse, something not everyone would have done in that situation.
She said it shows that more progress needs to be made to break down the stigma of breastfeeding in public spaces, particularly in rural Nova Scotia.
“We’re all encouraged to breastfeed through public health initiatives, which is wonderful. But then we go out into the community and not all of us feel like being a political advocate in order to feed our babies,” she said in an interview.
“And so I think lots of folks end up staying home more than they might choose to…. Your baby might need to nurse while you’re out and about, but then that makes you feel vulnerable.”
Clem said if people are put in a situation like Hutchinson was and don’t feel comfortable speaking up, they can reach out to a support organization like La Leche that can advocate and help address the issue on their behalf.
Hutchinson said she did not expect to receive such a strong response to her story on social media, and believes the policy changes may not have happened if it weren’t for the public outcry.
“Without support from people, it would just be one lady on Facebook talking about a bad thing that happened,” she said.
“So I’m really grateful that the community came together on this…. It’s baffling that it happened, but at least changes will come from it.”