Mum asked to leave parenting seminar for breastfeeding

Two women were evicted were left feeling “humiliated” after they asked to leave a parenting seminar to breastfeed their children.

Renae Rutherford, one of the mum’s who was evicted, has spoken about her experience while attending a talk by parenting expert Maggie Dent at the All Saints’ College in Bull Creek.

Speaking to 9News, Perth, the 38year-old mother said: “I did feel quite humiliated and shocked, more than anything that the request would even come.”

When it came time for Rene to feed her three-week-old son Fraser, the mum said a member of staff tapped her on the shoulder and asking her to finish feeding her son in the foyer, adding breastfeeding "was against policy and unhygienic.”

Speaking to Perth Now, Renae said members of Maggie's team were mortified. “Maggie’s husband was very apologetic and said they would look into it,” she said.

Maggie Dent has spoken out since the incident saying was really upset for the women and had never encountered this before.

Renae said wasn't going to make a fuss until a member of the events team became quite aggressive.

“I was going to drop it,” she said. “But an older gentleman who worked for the events team came up quite aggressively and said: ‘I believe you have a complaint.’ He started lecturing me about their policy and how breastfeeding in the theatre was a hygiene issue.

“He was quite rude saying I needed to consider it was a theatre. I said I was at Heath Ledger Theatre last week and they didn't take issue with me breastfeeding.