Mum speaks out after being shamed in hospital waiting room

A mother-of-two is using an unfortunate hospital experience to educate others on when to speak up when it comes to their right to breastfeed in public.

Ariana Elders from Alabama in the US, had to make a late night trip to the hospital on Sunday evening with her husband and their two children because their four-year-old son was sick.

But when they arrived to the Women & Children Emergency Room and Ariana’s four-month-old son became hungry, the mother was faced with a disheartening confrontation by one of the hospital’s security guards.

“I started feeding my son and about five minutes later he comes up to me,” Ariana explained to WAFF. “He’s like, ‘Ma’am you’re not breastfeeding are you?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’ Because it was obvious I was breastfeeding.”

Despite having felt no embarrassment about feeding in public, Ariana told the local Alabama outlet that the encounter nearly brought her to tears once the guard became persistent that she go to a private room. Especially because she knew that the security guard’s reasoning for telling her to do so was wrong.

“He said that according to the Huntsville Hospital rules that they’ve had implemented for years, a breastfeeding mother had to be in a room,” she explained, while acknowledging that that isn’t the truth.

In fact, the Public Health Laws of Alabama states, “A mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorised to be present.”

Ariana didn’t immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle‘s request for comment. However, WAFF reports that she ended up leaving her husband and four-year-old in the waiting room to finish feeding her youngest son in a private room in an effort to avoid further conflict. Now, she’s speaking out to ensure that other mums know that they shouldn’t be faced with a similar circumstance.

“They need to stand up for themselves. It is legal to breastfeed wherever you want,” Ariana told WAFF. “Feed your child whether by breast or bottle. You know, don’t let anybody shame you for making your child healthy.”

A spokesperson for Huntsville Hospital sent the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle:

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