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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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.
