A mother has been left shocked and mortified after lifeguards asked her to stop breastfeeding her baby at a popular swimming pool.
Layla Kalach was feeding her 14-month-old daughter at the Hurstville Aquatic Centre in Sydney’s south on Thursday.
Ms. Kalach was sitting on the edge of the toddler pool watching her older son playing in the water when she was approached by two male lifeguards.
She was told she could not breastfeed her child in public and ordered to stop.
“I was like, ‘What?’ I couldn’t believe it. I was so embarrassed and shocked,” Kalach said. 9news.com.au.
‘So many things were going through my head that for a moment I thought: ‘Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it’s a pool problem.’
She felt ’embarrassed’ by the strange demand and left the pool area a short time later to dress her children.
Ms Kalach then asked the front desk staff for an explanation and was told the manager would get back to her.
Layla Kalach (pictured) was told to stop breastfeeding her baby while at the Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre in Sydney’s south last Thursday.
She later did some research and called the Australian Breastfeeding Association to ask if she had been treated unfairly.
Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), it is against the law to treat someone unfairly because they are breastfeeding.
Women also cannot be asked to leave a building, facility or areas such as cafes to breastfeed their baby.
“I was furious. I thought we would have come a long way in society by now,” Kalach said.
Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre is managed by leisure management company Bluefit
General manager Brett McEwin insisted that Bluefit-run facilities do not discriminate against mothers.
“Recognizing the hectic environment, lifeguards expressed safety concerns as they stood at the poolside where the nurse was feeding her baby,” McEwin said.
“However, we acknowledge that the interaction between the first responders and Layla could have been better.”
Ms Kalach was sitting on the edge of the pool when two lifeguards approached her and ordered her to stop breastfeeding. Pictured is a pool at Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre
The managing director of the company that runs the aquatic centre (pictured) said lifeguards had expressed concern for Kalach’s safety as she breastfed her son.
Mr McEwin also apologised for Ms Kalach’s experience and agreed that public facilities should be more respectful of mothers while breastfeeding their children.
Ms. Kalach said she was not aware of any safety issues that had occurred while she was breastfeeding and that rescuers did not mention those concerns.
She also spoke to BlueFit management and was told that staff at company-run centers would receive appropriate training on breastfeeding.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Bluefit for further comment.