A mum has shared her disappointment at the way she was treated when she was pumping breast milk at Heathrow Airport.
Sophie McBain, from New York, US, felt uncomfortable as she had not pumped that day and needed to do so before her flight.
She asked airport staff where she could get some privacy while pumping milk and was advised to go to the baby changing room.
But she claims a male staff member opened the door on her while she was in the middle of pumping and said she should have left it unlocked or pumped in the main terminal.
“To explain why I was upset I compared it to someone bursting in on you while you are on the toilet and then calmly telling you, while your pants are still round your ankles, that you are hogging the public bathroom,” McBain wrote on Twitter on 22 January.
I told people yesterday that I wasn’t so upset about my horrible experience @HeathrowAirport, I just didn’t want other women to go through the same. But then I received this excuse-filled, non-apology to my formal complaint & I am so sad..
January 22, 2018
McBain explained she filed a formal complaint with the airport team as she didn’t want other women to go through the same experience she had.
She hadn’t originally intended to speak out publicly about her experience, but was so unsatisfied with the “excuse-filled, non-apology” she recieved in response.
The mum explained she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble, calling it a “systemic problem”.
“From my perspective what’s really important is that this isn’t about one male attendant’s awkward reaction – he was probably expecting an empty cubicle and we sometimes say weird things when caught off guard,” she told HuffPost UK.
“The reason I am so upset and annoyed is because clearly Heathrow has given no thought to the needs of breastfeeding women and as 1,300 flights land and depart from the airport each day there must be hundreds of us passing through.
“Even when I gave them an opportunity to acknowledge their shortcomings and to suggest ways in which they might prevent this happening again they side-stepped the issue.”
The mum explained her story on a Twitter thread.
I explained what happened: after seeking advice from staff I went to pump milk in a baby changing room. I felt so bad about inconveniencing other parents but also I felt so uncomfortable & had to do this before my flight
January 22, 2018
Then a male attendant unlocked the door on me, and while my bare breast was still inserted in my pump he told me next time I should leave the door unlocked or pump outside in the main terminal
January 22, 2018
To explain why I was upset I compared it to someone bursting in on your while you are on the toilet and then calmly telling you, while your pants are still round your ankles, that you are hogging the public bathroom
January 22, 2018
Also, sticking your breasts into an electric breast pump is so undignified looking I don’t even like it when my husband sees me doing it. Why would I want strangers to see this?
January 22, 2018
But I made clear I didn’t want to get anyone into trouble, this wasn’t about one staff member. It’s a systemic problem. No thought has been given to breastfeeding travelers, we have no space to pump/BF in private & staff have clearly received no training
January 22, 2018
McBain explained she told the male staff member that breastfeeding women who are travelling need to pump otherwise they are at risk of serious conditions such as mastitis.
I didn’t explain that my right side, which I didn’t pump because I was too embarrassed & stressed, was so painful 5 hours into my flight that I cried with relief when the @BritishAirways cabin crew said I could use their rest area to pump
January 22, 2018
The reply from Heathrow Airport, screenshotted and shared by McBain, explained that a male bathroom attendant will “always enter a bathroom” if he has not had any response from requests to enter.
“In this, while it was uncomfortable it was not entirely his fault for entering after warning,” the reply read.
“With that said, every passenger should be treated with courtesy and respect, meaning we expect our staff to be professional, helpful and polite at all times.
“I appreciate your experience was not acceptable and so I have passed your feedback on to the appropriate terminal’s manager so they can take necessary action.”
It’s appalling that you haven’t apologised or taken any responsibility for the way Sophie has been treated ? @HeathrowAirporthttps://t.co/96taeVwbx3
I’m so sorry about this – a completely unacceptable auto-reply from @HeathrowAirport. I’m glad the BA staff had a bit more common decency.
Come on, airports (also looking at you, US Supreme Court). Do better. #normalizebreastfeeding#normalizepumping#workingmom@MAMAVAhttps://t.co/T6ieIF6BU0
January 23, 2018
@HeathrowAirport … Shocking treatment of a breastfeeding mumma @SEMcBain trying to maintain feeding her baby and to avoid horrible medical issues caused through not pumping. Create space for pumping and raise awareness with your staff. #breastfeeding
January 23, 2018
HuffPost UK contacted Heathrow Airport for comment and will update this piece upon their response.