Mother-of-four slams Airline after air steward told her to stop breastfeeding her one-year-old son during takeoff at Gatwick – leaving her in tears
A mother-of-four has hit out at Airline after she was ordered to stop breastfeeding her baby on one of their planes and had to pry the infant off her mid-feed.
Kelly Edgson-Payne, 36, was flying from London Gatwick to Fuerteventura with her husband Ross, 40, and their four children when she was told she could not breastfeed her one-year-old son Lex.
She claims she was ‘mortified’ and she and her youngest child were both left in tears, after a male member of cabin crew told her she could not feed the infant during take-off.
Upon landing, she decided to take up the issue with the authorities. It did not come as a surprise when she was told that passengers can breastfeed their babies as long as they are “discreet”.
Ms Edgson-Payne, who says she has never had an issue breastfeeding any of her children on flights, has slammed the budget airline for ‘not seeming to know the law about breastfeeding’.
The mother-of-four, of Rochester, Kent, said: ‘It’s just absolutely crazy that I was told that I couldn’t feed him – crazy, and really embarrassing for me.
‘I find it really disappointing that an airline I trust, and who we fly with all the time, actually broke the law in discriminating against me as a breastfeeding mother.
‘The law in the UK says it protects breastfeeding mothers – and even Airline’s own website says mothers are welcome to breastfeed at any time during a flight.
‘There’s just no consistency in their messages. They should not be discriminating against breastfeeding.’
Because of the situation, Kelly was given a £25 voucher as damages to use on her next flight.
According to her, the problem is far greater than that and needs to be addressed. She wants the airline to be familiar with the law.
Breastfeeding is always a discreet process and mom should not be denied to do so. Kelly’s case is just one among the several that go unreported. Airlines need to take responsibility when such things happen in their plane. Kelly was a longtime customer who wouldn’t have thought that she could be stopped from breastfeeding her baby.
Her parting shot was this: “I just want them to make themselves aware of the law so no other mums have to go through this.”
What did you think of this experience? Do you agree with with the airline’s actions? Let us know – and make sure to pass this along to your friends and family!
Source: dailymail.co.uk, apost.com
