Breast is best, but not in here!

Breast is best . . . Emma Mitchell with her son Aaron Mitchell-Sneyd

A MOTHER was outraged when she was forced to leave a council building to breastfeed her baby.

Emma Mitchell (32) had gone to Oldham’s Civic Centre to get some information on how to become a babysitter.

But when her five-month-old baby Aaron started crying she asked the receptionist where she could breastfeed and was told it “wasn’t allowed” because it is a “multicultural centre”.

Ms Mitchell from Christine Street, Shaw, told staff she was happy to go in a corner or face the wall to breastfeed discreetly.

She said: “I was told there were no free booths I could sit in and was told to go to Spindles to feed him. I couldn’t believe they wanted me to go all the way over there just to feed him and then come back to get the information I wanted. In the end I ended up between two doors and the staff kept saying ‘don’t go through the doors because they lead to offices’.

“By then I was so uncomfortable I couldn’t give him a proper feed anyway and just left.

“I think it’s a disgrace because we’re always being told it’s better to breastfeed and then when you try this happens.”

Councillor Shoab Akhtar said Oldham Council supports the right of mothers to breastfeed their children and actively supports it due to the long-term health benefits it provides.

He said: “Unfortunately there are no breast-feeding facilities available at Access Oldham based at the Civic Centre nor are there any public toilets or baby changing facilities.

“There is no requirement to provide such facilities at Access Oldham and we are committed to make the best use of the limited space that is available to provide facilities and meeting rooms where we can deal with issues that affect local residents quickly and effectively.

“Not every building is suitable for breast-feeding and that is the case with the very busy, open-plan layout of Access Oldham.”

He added that feedback on facilities from residents is always welcome and Oldham Council will keep procedures under review.