A MOTHER of three has been forced to leave a public pool in tears after staff insisted she stop breastfeeding her 11-month-old baby.
Liana Webster took her young family to the Bribie Island Aquatic Centre on Saturday afternoon in an attempt to escape the summer heat,
With her children Kylan, 6, and Jayda, 5, happily playing in the pool while she cooled her feet in the water, Ms Webster thought nothing of breastfeeding her 11-month-old daughter Rori.
"A staff member came up to me and told me I wasn't allowed to feed there, that I had to refrain from feeding out in the open,'' Ms Webster said.
"I said I was sure it was illegal to tell me to do that but she said it was a grey area...and had to insist I didn't feed there.''
The staff member offered alternatives to Ms Webster, including going to a changeroom or moving to the corner of the centre and covering her baby with a towel while she breastfed.
"I don't need to stick a blanket on her head, especially when she would never accept a blanket and she just pushes it off. I'm not going to make her uncomfortable in the heat by doing that,'' Ms Webster said.
But after a short argument, the 26-year-old mother left with her children in tears of embarrassment and humiliation.
"I felt like I was humiliated and made to feel I was doing something inappropriate,'' she said.
"I felt like she was very condescending at times...I just needed to feed my baby.''
In Queensland, breastfeeding is protected by law and discrimination on the basis of breastfeeding is illegal in all areas of public life.
On her way out Ms Webster requested a refund as her family's visit had been cut short but was refused.
"I don't understand it, I've seen another mum breastfeeding near the pool who kept splashing her baby with water to keep it cool but no one ever said anything to her."
Ms Webster has now filed a complaint with the Moreton Bay Regional Council and the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland.
"I don't want this to make me any less awkward about it but at the time it made me feel like I had something to be ashamed about,'' she said.
A Moreton Bay Regional Council spokesperson said staff at the Bribie Island Aquatic Leisure Centre had received a complaint about a mother breastfeeding in the pool from another family also in the pool.
Staff informed the breastfeeding mother about the family's concerns.
"The staff member was concerned about the comfort of the breastfeeding mum and offered her access to the centre's mothers' room or alternatively a chair for the convenience of both mum and baby,'' the council statement says.
"Moreton Bay Regional Council regrets any distress caused to the mother or her family and staff have been made aware of the relevant legislation in this area.''
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