Mum told she can't breastfeed in museum as 'no food or drink allowed'

22 October 2022, 16:14

A baffled mother was told by museum staff to take her baby to the cafe as 'no food or drink is allowed'.

Suffolk mum Fae Church, 35, took three-month-old son Reuben and five-year-old daughter Sophie to the University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge.

What started as a pleasant day out quickly soured when Fae was told by a museum staff member not to breastfeed baby Reuben.

The unidentified female worker gave Fae a "sort of funny sideways glance" before Fae replied: "I hope you don’t mind, I just made this my breastfeeding corner", Metro reported.

But the woman replied: "Actually no, it’s not ok because no food and drink are allowed to be consumed in the museum.

"There is a cafe upstairs, you should have gone there."

Husband Aaron, also 35, had taken Sophie to look at the exhibits while Fae attended to a restless Reuben.

When they returned, Fae was visibly shaken by the incident, which she said has stuck with her.

"Especially from a woman, I found it quite shocking. She seemed disgruntled with me. It was just bizarre and it left me really shaken up."

The University Museum of Zoology states on its website: ‘Breastfeeding and bottle feeding is welcomed in all Museum spaces.’

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The museum has also apologised, writing: "On behalf of all the staff and volunteers at the Museum of Zoology we can only apologise wholeheartedly for what happened to Fae and the way she was made to feel.

"We absolutely allow and welcome breastfeeding and bottle-feeding in all our public spaces. We pride ourselves on being a family-friendly museum and it’s terrible that a visitor was treated in this manner.

"The volunteer she spoke to made an unfortunate mistake, one which is not reflective of our culture or policy."