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A Melbourne coffee shop has come under fire after they refused to serve a pregnant woman coffee.

A coffee shop in Melbourne has been criticised for refusing to serve a mum-to-be despite her having ordered and paid for her coffee. The mum says that she was asked by the barista if she would prefer decaf when placing the order but didn’t think anything more of it.

“I thought that was a really weird question, and I said no, I’ll have that normal,” she said.

“When I went and sat down the person in charge said, unfortunately, they’d like to ask me if I could make that a decaf because the barista didn’t feel comfortable making me a caffeinated beverage, given I’m pregnant and there are health risks for babies.”

The mum says she was embarrassed by the whole experience, despite having had two healthy pregnancies previously, and knowing that a small amount of caffeine was safe for expectant mums.

“I was just so shocked and angry because I really wanted that coffee,” she said.

“I felt a bit judged for my choices, it just felt a bit unfair that someone else was making assumptions based on my pregnancy. I’ve always drunk coffee, in fact, nowadays I need it more and more, but I do try to just stick to the one and I’m pretty strict with other foods as well.”

Following the incident, both the mum-to-be and her husband expressed their disappointment to the cafe owner and received an apology, with the owner stating that refusing service to pregnant women was not part of their policy. They were also offered to return to the cafe for complimentary coffee but declined.

“We were happy with the response but I won’t be going back, even though they offered coffee,” she said.

It’s hard enough to deal with the constant advice that comes with being pregnant, so we really feel for this mum! The most important thing is that you are doing what is right for you and following your doctor’s recommendations.

Do you think this barista was out of line? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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  • I respect the baristas choice of if they should make them a coffee or not. Yes its the womans choice but the barista should also have a choice as they play a part in possible harm of a baby.

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  • I found it amazing how others started making decisions for me while I was pregnant. It was so frustrating!

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  • And I hope the person who felt it was their responsibility to train you in what is right for your body, is given further education on how to relate to and serve people with better quality of service.

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  • My local cafe wouldn’t dare, they love me !

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  • Yes absolutely. The barista isn’t her doctor and the lady made her choice.

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  • Definitely out of line, not their choice to make!

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  • The Barista was out of line and also making you feel uncomfortable. It’s your choice it is a free for you to ask for what you wanted to drink.

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  • I’ve had something similar happen once. When I was pregnant with my second I craved a thick shake from donut king. So when I went to order one the lady serving me actually questioned me about it and said ‘you shouldn’t be drinking this’ she almost refused me until I asked her why I shouldn’t be drinking it and she said she didn’t know she just heard that pregnant women shouldn’t be drinking shakes.

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  • This barista was out of line refusing to make her a coffee. She may have thought she was doing the right thing but it’s not her choice to make. When will people stop being judgemental about pregnant women. It was good to know that the owner apologised but it’s still cost them at least one customer if not more.

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  • I get where they’re coming from, however, not their decision to make especially when you can have small amounts of caffeine while pregnant!

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  • Wowee if that was me I would have jumped the counter and made my own damn coffee.

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  • This is totally out of line. I drank coffee whilst pregnant, not from a cafe, but my own made at home and my daughter was perfectly healthy when born. It is never okay for people to do this to anyone. As adults we can make our own decisions.

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  • This is really disappointing.

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  • WOW! Absolutely out of line. Nobody has that right.

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  • That is so rude of the staff! They have no right to judge her.

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