A mum is urging people to be more accepting of the ‘most natural thing in the world’.

Nicola Jones, of Holywell, Flintshire, said she was left ‘shocked’ when she was asked to move to another room when she needed to breastfeed her son.

She told our sister title The Leader that she was at the Lighthouse Inn pub in Talacre with her children and partner when her son Addison was showing signs that he needed feeding.

She said: “We were sat in the pub and had the baby with me. He showed signs he needed feeding.

"I asked for hot water so I could make a bottle as he is combination fed but they said they couldn’t which was a health and safety issue and I asked them if they could make the bottle but they said no for hygiene.

Rhyl Journal:

Nicola Jones with daughter Lara and son Addison

“I was going to just breastfeed him then and my partner just turned around to them to ask if it was ok.

“There was only a handful of customers in the pub and they weren’t near us. The kids were quiet, not running around and I was told I’d have to go into the toilet.

“She then turned around and said it was disgusting that women breastfeed in public and why would you want to do that.

“I had a blanket to put over me. It’s not as though I get a kick out of getting my breasts out in public, I’m feeding my baby.”

Nicola said she is urging people to be more open minded about breastfeeding in public, as all she is doing is feeding her child.

She added: “It’s just a shame, in this day and age I thought this kind of thing was over and done with. You move with the times, there’s same sex marriages now so why should people have an issue with me doing the most natural thing in the world?

Rhyl Journal:

Lighthouse Inn pub, Talacre. Image: Google

“I’ve found that men are often embarrassed and look away when I breastfeed in public. I just don’t see an issue with it. He’s the one going hungry.

“I’ve breastfed three children and I’ve never experienced this before it’s shocking that it still happens.

“Women have been doing it since time began, why should these natural things be discriminated against. People need to be more acceptable of it. Even if they don’t agree with it, they don’t need to watch.

“At the end of the day it’s personal choice. I wouldn’t abuse a bottle-fed baby so why should I get abuse? I wouldn’t have been asked to move if I was bottle feeding my baby.

“I’m proud to breastfeed my children so this kind of thing doesn’t put me off, but it can be really off putting for a new mum or younger mums. They may thing they don’t want to do it if this is the response they will get.”

A spokesman for the Lighthouse Inn confirmed they were aware of the incident which has ‘blown up’.

They said: “The lady was offered a chance to use the family room, we have a room there, she could have moved a couple of feet, but she wasn’t happy to do that.

“We have got a lot of elderly people from different generations and they were grumbly about it.

“We had a perfectly clean place for her to do that in private.

“It has escalated to something it didn’t need to. It wasn’t a refusal; it was a request to move. There are plenty of other places, perfectly well-lit, same heating, same everything but she objected. It got very emotional over nothing.”