Breastfeeding Athens mom asked to nurse in gym’s bathroom

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Breastfeeding Ruha

An Athens, Ala. mom is frustrated after her local gym asked her to breastfeed in the bathroom.

Tacey and daughter
Tacey and daughter [Photo Credit: Ruha Alford Tacey | Facebook]

Ruha Alford Tacey on Tuesday took to Facebook to write about the incident that took place the day before at SportFit Athens. For the first time since giving birth to her daughter, Tacey made her way to the gym. While there, the little girl struggled in the childcare room, so the new mom decided to breastfed her to help make her feel more comfortable. The next day she went back to the gym where she was confronted by the front-desk worker.

She recounted the incident in her Facebook post:

“Hey, can I talk to you about something really quick? In terms of feeding your child, when you need to do that, could you just use the restroom?”

The restroom? I asked. I have absolutely never been asked to do that, I said.

“Well, we’re a family friendly facility, you see, and yesterday while you were feeding her a man walked by the window.”

I told him a man shouldn’t feel shame when he sees a woman breastfeeding. And especially if you’re family friendly, you should be super-pro breastfeeding!

He said, “I’m not telling you not to breastfeed, I just think a little discretion is in order.”

She canceled her membership on the spot.

It’s hard enough getting to the gym and trying to work out despite a child with lots of separation anxiety. I was sad!,” added Tacey.

While Tacey isn’t taking further action, SportsFit Athens request was actually against the law. According to Alabama Code Section 22 1-13, the state allows for breastfeeding in any public or private location where the mother is authorized to be.

Alabama Today has reached out to the SportsFit Athens for comment on the reported incident and is awaiting a response.

Read Tacey’s full Facebook post below: