"She made me feel like I was doing something dirty...."

Jetstar has apologised to a Queensland mother who was asked to cover up while expressing breast milk during her flight.

Natalie Jane Sawyer complained the budget airline needed to better train their staff after a flight attendant asked if she had a cover on the Monday morning flight.

Ms Sawyer posted on Facebook that she was given a back row to herself to express while passengers were seated and the seatbelt signs were on, but the crew member requested the cover-up as people would soon be visiting the toilets.

“She made me feel like I was doing something dirty rather than something normal.”

nat fb

It appears Mrs Sawyer has since deleted the post on Jetstar’s Facebook page.

While she admitted the attendant asked nicely, the mother-of-three said she was wearing a breast-pumping bra and a shirt was covering her pumps, so she wasn’t exposed.

“It shouldn’t (sic) matter anyway if I was covered because legally I have a right to pump anywhere, anytime I want and if I feel the need to cover up I will do so and not because people have to walk down the aisle to the toilet,” she posted.

A Jetstar spokesman said the company attempted to contact Ms Sawyer on Monday afternoon to pass on their apologies.

“We want all mothers to feel welcome and respected when breastfeeding on board our flights and deeply regret the offence caused by our crew member’s remarks,” the spokesman said.

“We’ll work with our crew and remind them of our breastfeeding policy to prevent this from happening to other mothers.”

Oh dear. When will it ever end? I am so glad these days are behind me, it just seems to get worse instead of better.

Share your comments below.

Image via Facebook

15 Comments

- - Thejoysof3boys said
  - 21 May 2016
    12:21 pm
Sigh…this battle is never ending!

- - rachelvk said
  - 28 Apr 2016
    10:00 pm
Another situation where staff are not properly educated. It makes me think that it is something that is not even covered in their training.

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 28 Apr 2016
    2:27 pm
What on earth is the problem? She was covered up.

- - june11 said
  - 27 Apr 2016
    6:44 pm
This is beyond a joke. The Mum was covered up. There is nothing visible at all.
The staff need to get a life and be reprimanded for this.
She was not sitting semi-nude anyway.

- - pakeko said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    9:43 pm
Some times you just cant win as a mum. Each to their own I say

- - meedee said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    7:18 pm
Honestly…..sometime Mother just cant win….people want to bitch about everything….they complain because we breast feed, because we pump, because we bottle feed. Can we perhaps just all get a grip and understand that a womans breasts are designed for feeding babies and sometime Mums have to pump….if it upsets you then put in ear plugs and dont look.

- - mom81879 said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    3:37 pm
I just cannot believe this sort of attitude is still out there regarding breastfeeding! It is one of the most natural things in the world and as the picture shows, nothing was exposed. People need to grow up!

- - mom90758 said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    2:54 pm
Absurd. It’s in her rights to use the breast pump.

- - Nas01 said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    1:43 pm
Seriously even if she asked nicely I would have lost my cool. Everyone really needs to use common sense abd understand that breadtfeeding, expressing milk, wet patches on nursing mums top etc are all NORMAL!!

- - mom160421 said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    1:41 pm
I totally agree with BellaB.

- - BellaB said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    1:16 pm
Although I think you should be ble to feed/ pump anywhere you want, I think it also doesn’t hurt to be considerate if you’re doing it somewhere other people can’t move away if they’re uncomfortable – like a plane.
- cherz replied
  
  25 Jun 2016 , 5:16 pm
  A good comment BellaB.
- - taynik46 said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    1:09 pm
I don’t understand why companies don’t get that if they make a point of asking breastfeeding mums to go elsewhere, or cover up (even if they are already covered) that the public will find out and be outraged – there is just no need for it.

It’s not like breastfeeding mum’s are sitting there all exposed for the world to see and flaunting it, while it is natural and needed by the children, I am sure that most mums would prefer to be doing it not so much in the public eye but when your child is hungry – most of the time you don’t get much say in where they are hungry!

- - Apey96 said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    12:57 pm
I wish people wouldn’t look twice, it’s natural!

- - sharna_booth_weinrowski said
  - 26 Apr 2016
    11:10 am
society should embrace this mum not scould her!