Woman asked to pay $10 to breasfeed her son in a Ballarat pharmacy

Source: The Advertiser
A GEELONG mother says she feels disgusted that she was asked to pay to breastfeed her four-week-old son, Kaiden, in a parenting room inside a Ballarat pharmacy.
On Tuesday, Highton's Amanda Dunn was told she could not use the Baby Club room inside UFS Dispensaries in Bridge Mall free of charge.

Instead, she was told she could feed and change her firstborn child in front of others inside the store.

"How can anyone refuse a new mother, or any mother at that, access to a parenting room?" Ms Dunn, 22, said.

"Breastfeeding in public is so controversial these days, I was scared of people coming up to me in the store.

"This is my first child, breastfeeding is kind of daunting. It isn't easy at the best of times."

Ms Dunn said she walked four blocks with her screaming newborn to the next parenting room located in a Myer store.


Ms Dunn refused to pay the $10 fee at the pharmacy due to pride.

"Why should mothers have to pay to use a parenting room to begin with?" she said.

UFS Dispensaries chief executive officer Lynne McLennan said the facility was clearly signed members only.

"Ms Dunn and her baby, together with three other ladies who were accompanying her, were politely asked by our staff member if they were Baby Club members, and Ms Dunn was asked if she wished to join," Ms McLennan said.

"As Ms Dunn did not wish to join, she was offered some other options for a comfortable place to feed her baby, including our in-store coffee shop."

She added there was then a polite exchange between staff and the women.

"As a result of Ms Dunn's complaint, and the relative lack of public facilities in this area of Ballarat, we are reviewing our policy for visitors," Ms McLennan said.