THE mother of a five-month-old baby was followed and questioned by police and security guards after she used a parents’ room at Westfield Marion to express breast milk, earlier this month.

Sharleen Salmon, who works at Marion, said she felt harassed and was embarrassed after a woman and a female cleaner at the shopping centre complained to police and centre security about her using the room during her half-hour lunch break.

The young mum, who has recently returned to work in the hair and beauty industry, to support her family, said “I was in a private area (in the parents room) behind the curtain and this cleaner just walked in on me and watched what I was doing.

“She told me the parents room was for parents and breastfeeding only - and that I wasn’t allowed to eat lunch in there.’’

Ms Salmon said she was using a standard breast pump to express milk to feed her baby daughter Justice, who was being cared for by her father.

She said the cleaner made her feel as though “I wasn’t allowed to be in there. I was doing something very personal and for her to stand there and watch me was embarrassing.’’

Ms Salmon, who expresses milk once a day, said she was followed back to work by a security guard and a police officer, who said a formal complaint had been made to centre management.

Full Story Here.

This is absolutely pathetic! What on earth is this damn world coming too??!!

I found this story at http://guardian-messenger.whereilive.com.au after reading a post in the BubHub forums I frequent.
It made me feel angry about the treatment of this young mother & makes me wonder what kind of treatment I may receive in the future if placed in this situation.

Breastfeeding is vital to sustaining life to an infant whether it’s thru immediate contact feeding or expressing milk for later use. There is so much negativity existing already about public feeding, however when a mother cannot even express in a private area without being harrassed, then socety has gone way too far out of line.

The Security and especially the Cleaner should have approached the woman with respect & credibility. I believe that Ms. Salmon has every ground to make an uproar against Westfield Marion in South Australia & the Cleaner involved. This woman should be removed from her position as she had no right in speaking to Ms. Salmon in the manner she did. Who did she think she was???? Sounds like shoot now ask questions later syndrome.

SHAME ON YOU WESTFIELD MARION!

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