A YOUNG mum is calling for people to be more understanding about breastfeeding in public...after she was targeted by an online troll.
Megan Ferguson issued the plea in response to being criticised in a post on TripAdvisor for feeding her one-year-old daughter Isabella at a Renfrew bar.
The troll, using the name Harry Smith, complained about his visit being ruined by the sound of the baby’s cries – and went on to say it was “made worse when the mother pulled her boob out.”
Megan, 22, is highlighting her upsetting experience in a bid to tackle the stigma that still surrounds breastfeeding in public.
She told The Gazette: “I don’t think you should have to go to a separate room or the bathroom to feed your child.
“We need to break this taboo.”
Megan spotted the upsetting TripAdvisor post after visiting Bar Varia, at intu Braehead.
She has praised staff at the eatery but is keen to shame her online troll in the hope it will prevent other mothers from being targeted in the same way.
“I know some of the staff at Bar Varia and they didn’t have any problems with what we were doing,” said Megan. “If this guy had an issue, why didn’t he just say something to us?
“There is a big discussion about breastfeeding in public. Some people are very much against it and others have no issues with it at all.
“The way I see it, it is perfectly normal and I am just feeding my child.
“Lots of people claim a breast is a sexual organ but, if you are aroused just by the sight of one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public.”
Some restaurants and pubs offer designated breastfeeding zones for young mothers but Megan doesn’t believe they are the answer.
“It is difficult being a mum, with all of the struggles and concerns you have,” she said. “It’s not like I want to be running about a restaurant with my boob out.
“I’ve fed Isabella in restaurants and public places and, before this, no-one had batted an eyelid.”
Megan, who lives in Ferguslie Park, Paisley, is encouraging other mums to be confident enough to breastfeed in public.
She added: “Mums shouldn’t give two hoots about what other people think.”
In response to the online comment, a spokesperson from Bar Varia replied on
TripAdvisor: “We appreciate breastfeeding is a very personal choice for mothers but also that it has an impact on the people around them.
“We don’t currently have a policy on this.”
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