Mothercare told mum 'stop breastfeeding'

Zoe Frangou was in Mothercare when her three-month-old baby woke up hungry

A mother has spoken of her shock at being told to stop breastfeeding her baby in the UK's best-known maternity store, Mothercare.

Zoe Frangou said she was "disgusted" by her treatment in a store at Bluewater, Kent, and was then "patronised" by the complaints department.

Mothercare apologised to Mrs Frangou and said it supported nursing mothers.

The firm said its policy was to allow customers to breastfeed their children anywhere on the premises.

It is carrying out an investigation into Mrs Frangou's complaint.

In a post on Mothercare's Facebook page Ms Frangou said she visited the store in September.

She said her baby was on antibiotics for an ear infection and had slept for five hours before waking up hungry.

She found an empty area of the shop and discreetly began to feed him.

She said an assistant "marched over" and told her to stop because they were "moving things around and it was dangerous".

'Saddened'

She claimed the assistant "gave me a dirty look and walked away", when she protested.

Mrs Frangou said her complaint to the company was met with a pre-scripted apology.

"I am disgusted and find it completely unacceptable," she said.

Mothercare has apologised to Ms Frangou for the "disappointing" way she was treated.

It added: "We provide all our stores with our breastfeeding policy which clearly states our full support for nursing mothers.

"Our customers are welcome to nurse their children anywhere on the premises and for those who prefer some privacy, we provide comfortable feeding facilities.

"We are saddened to hear that on this occasion, our guidelines were not adhered and her complaint was not dealt with immediately.

"We are fully investigating this incident and will be making sure that all our store teams are aware of our breastfeeding policy and guidelines."