Sudbury breastfeeding mom sent to change room

A nursing mother says shes upset after she was told she could not breastfeed her baby at a pool in Hanmer in Greater Sudbury.

Kristin Laface said she was atthe public pool withher family when she needed to feed her baby.

She said she wanted to breastfeed near the window by the pool, so she could stay close to the rest of her family.

That is when a staff member approached her, Laface said.She said shewas shocked by what she was told.

"She said, 'you can't breastfeed here.' And I said, 'why not?' And she told me that it was city policy and that I would have to go into the change room."

Laface said she was embarrassed and did go into the change room but now wishes she had stood her ground.

She was told by the pool manager that the reason why she wasn't allowed to breastfeed in that area is because women are required to wear a top in the pool.

Cindy Dent, the city's manager of recreation, has since apologized to Laface. She said the city supports breastfeeding and that Laface has the legal right to feed her baby wherever she wants.

"We have already begun a process to further educate staff on a woman's right to breastfeed in all locations of our municipal recreation facilities, including pool decks," said Dent.