A Vancouver Island coffee shop is facing backlash after a mother was shamed for breastfeeding in the establishment.
The incident occurred at Shawnigan House Coffee & Chocolate on Monday when a woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared her experience on social media.
In her post, she explained that while waiting in line with her baby, the infant started crying, so she began breastfeeding.
“Suddenly, the owner of the coffee shop stopped and frantically called out for me to ‘protect my dignity’ and ‘please turn away!’ I was confused and concerned, but then realized the owner was upset because I was breastfeeding in public. I felt embarrassed, overwhelmed, and hurt that someone would make such a scene over something as simple as nursing a baby,” the mother recounted.
“Shame breastfeeding mothers. Would prefer a baby starve than be fed in their shop. Also, their coffee and drinks are mediocre at best and insanely overpriced,” read an online review, believed to have been left by the mother.
The coffee shop’s owner initially responded to the review by defending their actions, writing, “Breastfeeding may be natural, so is urinating, which is not done in public and in front of others. I was trying to give you some dignity… I’m sorry you feel offended, but I was just trying to give you some privacy.”
Following public outcry, particularly from other mothers, Shawnigan House Coffee & Chocolate issued an apology online today:
“We would like to apologize for yesterday’s incident in our shop. We realize now that our response to a mother breastfeeding her child was inappropriate. We fully acknowledge that this goes against our ethos for our business,” said Shawnigan House Coffee & Chocolate on their Facebook page.
“We are sorry that this mother felt uncomfortable enough to write a review. We handled our response to the review terribly and we will be taking time to reflect and respond to this over the coming days, weeks and months.”
“We want to nurture an inclusive environment for all of our customers who have been so supportive of us over the years. Again, our deepest apologies to the mother involved and to anyone triggered by this situation,” wrote the coffee shop, ending the statement with, “We are sorry.”
Despite the apology, the incident has sparked heated reactions online.
Over 100 comments have been posted on the apology post, with many criticizing the apology as insufficient, though a handful of people have expressed support for the business’s efforts to make amends.
According to BC’s HealthLinkBC website, all mothers have the legal right to breastfeed in any public space within the province, meaning the decades-old coffee shop on Shawngian Lake-Mill Bay Road violated the mother’s rights.
“It is illegal to ask a mother who is breastfeeding to move or cover up,” the site reads.
