Mother Says Limerick YMCA Harassed Her While Breastfeeding

LIMERICK, PA -- A Montgomery County mother who said she was hassled because she breastfed her son at a local YMCA has taken her story to social media, where it has quickly gained a huge following.

Kate Haslam, 35, said she was recently attending her 19-month-old son's gym class at the Spring Valley YMCA in Limerick when she began to breastfeed.

She said she sat on a balance beam against the wall and out of the way of the class.

That's when two YMCA representatives in the class entered and told her that the "men in the class are uncomfortable" and to breastfeed in the hallway.

Haslam noted that there are still men in the hallway, to which the employees said she could nurse in the locker room.

However, the locker room is co-ed, and Haslam responded that men could still see her there, too. They told her to go into a shower stall and pull shut the curtain so that no one could see her.

Haslam told them it was against the law to tell a nursing mother that she has to leave a room.

Ultimately, the employees backed down and said they could not force her to leave the room, but strongly preferred that she do so. Haslam said that the associate director of the YMCA was adamant that they try to make all members as comfortable as possible.

When Haslam said that she sees people nursing at the YMCA all the time, employees told her that mothers always have a cover, and that it's not as big a deal when they are nursing in a crowded area.

The story has created a ripple effect across social media: more than 300 people have liked Haslam's original post. And dozens more have taken to the Spring Valley YMCA page to log their complaints. Most posts express anger and disbelief over the YMCA's claims that it offers a family friendly environment, given what happened to Haslam while she tried to breastfeed.

The YMCA has since issued an apology for the incident and seemed to present a very different version of events.

"The Spring Valley YMCA understands and fully supports that a woman has the right to breastfeed her baby wherever she is most comfortable," said Shaun Elliot, President and CEO, in a statement.

Elliot went on to say that the employees only suggested Haslam move to the hallway, so that program participants could used the balance beam she was sitting on.

"It was not our intent to suggest relocating to another room for breastfeeding was more appropriate, we were just trying to accommodate other participants as well. We appreciate the community making us aware of the situation, which we have reviewed and talked to our staff about to ensure proper handling in the future. We will continue to work with our staff and provide training and coaching on this important subject," Elliot added.

Haslam says this isn't true.

The YMCA has called her twice to apologize for the incident, but Haslam is not mollified.

"I honestly can't believe in 2016 at a family friendly facility of all places we are discriminating against women on how they choose to feed their child," Haslam wrote. "Quite frankly, (the apology) is not enough. This is not acceptable and this stuff needs to stop."

Image of Kate Haslam and her son courtesy of Kate Haslam.