MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/CNN) – Two mothers got in some "hot water" while with their children at a public pool in Mora, MN.
When Stephanie Buchanan’s 3-month-old son Roman got fussy in the shallow end of the Mora Aquatic Center, she knew he was hungry.
"There's not really a choice sometimes," Buchanan said. "So, I was wearing a one-piece swimsuit, slipped my strap down and just fed him."
She was there with her sister-in-law, Mary Davis, who also breastfed her baby in the wading area. Together they had six kids with them.
The women said another guest at the pool approached them.
"A patron came up, a lady at the pool, and told me that I needed to cover up because her sons were swimming," Buchanan said.
The women said a staff member then asked them to cover up or go to the locker area. The women refused.
"The reason I didn't get out of the pool to breastfeed is my kids. I've got to watch my kids," Davis said.
A Minnesota statute states: "A mother may breastfeed in any location, public or private, where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding."
Eventually a police officer showed up. The women decided to leave.
Buchanan posted about the experience on Facebook. The post has since gained a lot of attention.
There's even a "nurse-in" planned at the pool to support nursing mothers.
"We just don't want any other mom to feel that she needs to cover up," Davis said.
The mothers are filing discrimination charges against the city of Mora and the county.
The city said it supports breastfeeding mothers, but also acknowledged that some patrons felt uncomfortable during the incident.
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