Mall sorry over ‘no breastfeeding’ directive

A shopping mall manager has apologised after a cleaner told a breastfeeding mother she had to leave the foodcourt.

Twenty-one year-old Deanna Quinn – pictured right – of Lower Hutt, was feeding one-month-old daughter Irie in Porirua’s North City Shopping Centre, north of Wellington, about 6pm last Friday when a cleaner told her to either leave or use the mall’s toilets.

‘‘It was actually quite embarrassing,’’ Quinn said. ‘‘My sister said, ‘We’re just waiting for my niece to be fed’. And then [the cleaner] just said, ‘Not allowed to breastfeed, go to the toilets’.’’

It was possible that the cleaner meant one of the parent rooms, which is by the toilets.

Quinn was with her sisters, Dominique and Danielle. Heated words were exchanged with the cleaner, who was finishing up her work for the day.

The situation eventually calmed, security checked things out and the women left.

They then raised the issue on social media, which quickly drew thousands of responses.

‘‘It’s not that we want to hurt her on social media, it’s that we want to empower mums to breastfeed wherever and whenever,’’ Quinn said.

Danielle Quinn said: ‘‘Breast is best, right? We encourage all mums to continue to breastfeed in public and to never feel as if you are doing anything wrong.’’

North City Shopping Centre manager Holly Lynn met Deanna Quinn yesterday to apologise, which the family felt was a positive end to the incident. ‘‘We are really disappointed that this has happened,’’ Lynn said, ‘‘and incredibly sorry that this mother experienced this and the upset it has caused her and her family.

‘‘Breastfeeding is, and has always been, welcomed and supported anywhere, any time at North City.

‘‘Staff and contractors have always been aware that we welcome mothers to breastfeed anywhere in the centre, and this has been reiterated.’’

Signs have been put up to emphasise that the mall welcomes breastfeeding. It also has chairs with longs backs to make feeding more comfortable, and a KiwiBubs club where people can get together with their babies.