A branch of the Women’s Institute (WI) has apologised after a mother claimed that she was told that she was not welcome to breastfeed her baby at meetings.
Nicole Bentley said that she was disgusted at the newly formed branch in Sutton, Nottinghamshire, after she took her newborn baby to a pre-formation meeting last month.
“It looked like it was going to be great, lots of different aged women too so very diverse,” she said in a Facebook post, where she said that she had raised the prospect of bringing her baby to meetings for a few initial months.
She said that the chairwoman told her that she had emailed members and that the majority had expressed opposition.
Bentley added: “I’m not welcome because I breastfeed my baby. Well you can shove your meetings up your arse as I thought it stood for women united together but obviously not! Really disappointed ...”
The Nottinghamshire federation of the WI has subsequently apologised and indicated that Bentley and her baby would be welcome when the branch in question, Sutton Belles WI , holds its formation meeting in the new year.
In a post of its own on Facebook, the federation said it was “very sorry” for any offence caused by the incident, which it said was part of a discussion relating to the policy of bringing children to meetings.
“When informally asking whether her newborn baby would be welcome at the meetings, the woman in question was advised that it would be a child-free zone, as some of the women setting up the WI were eager to keep it so,” it added.
“This is a common policy at WI meetings, as many WI members see the meetings as an escape from family life where they can concentrate on themselves and meeting other women. This does not, of course, extend to breastfeeding, and the organisation fully supports and acknowledges the Equalities Act of 2010 and every mother’s right and freedom to breastfeed.”
The group added that it would always be fully in support of that right and would remind every member of the importance for new mothers to feel comfortable, safe and supported when feeding their babies with their fellow members and friends.
The incident comes against the backdrop of heightened debate about women’s rights to breastfeed in public.
Last month female MPs demanded mothers be allowed to breastfeed in the House of Commons chamber, a move they say may be seen as “ridiculously controversial” but it is necessary to get more women into parliament.
Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, called for a number of changes in a Westminster Hall debate on how to encourage women to enter politics, including proper parental leave and permits for parliamentarians to bring their pre-school children through the voting lobbies.
