Mom Stopped from Breastfeeding at Popular Gym
BUFORD, Ga. - 7- month old Elliot Hoffman is a calm little boy. When he gets hungry, his mom, Caroline, says it's a different story.
"Oh, yes. He will fuss; put his hands in his mouth. All the typical cues when a baby is hungry," said Caroline Hoffman.
Tuesday morning, Ms. Hoffman was working out at a Buford L.A. Fitness in The Plaza shopping center. She had only been here once before, and little Elliot was clearly hungry. In this family, that means breastfeeding. The problem for the Buford mom was there was no private place to breastfeed Elliott.
Ms. Hoffman told FOX 5 News an employee kicked her out of a locker room stall, and told her to use the bathroom stall in the Kids Klub
"I don't feel I was asking for much. I just wanted something that wasn't a toilet seat or right in front of everyone's face," said Hoffman.
Ms. Hoffman reached out to the LA Fitness corporate office to share her story- her frustration. In an e-mail she showed us, Hoffman says it’s from the corporate office, it said management---at the Buford location was all wrong.
It reads:
“Dear Caroline,
What you had to go through yesterday was terrible. I am sincerely sorry your experience went the way it did. I have been made aware that since sending your email, you were contacted by the Operations Manager, Nima, in which he apologized for giving you wrong information.
To clarify - you (and every Mother) are permitted to breastfeed anywhere in the gym you would normally be. This includes the locker room and Kids Klub. I will ensure every staff member, at every gym, is educated on this policy to prevent any future occurrences of this nature.
Going forward we will also ensure there is a chair available in the Kids Klub for breastfeeding Mothers to utilize. Once again I apologize for the embarrassment you were put through. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or further concerns.
Sincerely,
Kevin Suggs
District Operations Manager
Although Hoffman calls the solution not the perfect solution, she is willing to go back to the LA Fitness branch.
"It would be a little uncomfortable," she said.