“Come as you are. » The message sent by the well-known McDonald's advertising slogan is somewhat undermined, according to the testimony of this 36-year-old mother. In the columns of L'Ardennais, she explains that she was prohibited from breastfeedingher 3 week old baby in a brand store located in Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes).
While doing her Christmas shopping this Saturday, December 7, the mother, accompanied by her two other children, decided to stop at McDonald's at lunchtime. “Around 12:15 p.m., my daughter started to feel hungry and I didn't have a backup bottle. My husband dropped us off at McDonald’s with the two older children for a feeding.” The mother of the family assures this in the regional daily: firstly, she receives the agreement of an employee to breastfeed her baby: “Before sitting down, I asked if I could breastfeed inside the restaurant. A McDonald's employee answered me immediately. that there was no problem with that » she remembers.
The rest went smoothly. She orders two menus for her children then sits down first in the middle of the room before moving around. Being modest by nature, this is one of the first times she has breastfed her baby in public. “A young couple actually left their table with me for greater discretion. We were right in front of the children's play area.” she specifies. She takes care to cover her breast with a blanket – « […] we only saw the baby's hair. »which does not prevent a lady from calling out to her, after the latter's son passed in front of the breastfeeding mother. She says: “Suddenly, his mother came to the table and called out to me, saying: Aren't you ashamed to do this in front of everyone? I was really shocked by this aggression, especially since I didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong. »
Above all, ten minutes later, she claims that three employees of the brand, two women and a man, came to see her to forbid her from breastfeeding. “I had to stop feeding my little girl. I was forced to go out even though my other two children had not finished their meals. I finished breastfeeding in the car parked in the McDonald’s parking lot,” she regrets. If she testifies today, it is “so that this doesn’t happen to another mother”.
Contacted by L'Ardennais, McDo says it is taking this matter “very seriously. » « […] The quality of welcome and kindness towards our customers are our absolute priorities, we understand the imperatives of mothers and their children who are always welcome in our restaurant. We have launched an internal investigation, watched the video surveillance and interviewed all members of the team: at this stage, we are not able to confirm the facts reported by the customer. No complaints have been sent to us directly Moreover. We are fully available to the client to discuss further if necessary. »
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