Is It OK to Breastfeed During Takeoff?

A nursing mother was recently shamed for breastfeeding her child during takeoff and landing on a Ryanair flight after being told to stop with no explanation as to why, even though mothers have a right to breastfeed in public areas and she had breastfed her baby on a previous Ryanair flight 10 days earlier.

Some research shows that breastfeeding during takeoff and landing helps stop a baby’s ears from popping—something an English mother to a 7-month-old took into consideration when she attempted to breastfeed her child during takeoff and landing on a recent Ryanair flight. The mother, Rachel Duffy, had successfully breastfed her child on a Ryanair flight just ten days earlier, but this time it was not meant to be.

Duffy attempted to breastfeed during takeoff, but a flight attendant stopped her, with no explanation, and stood watching until she unlatched her now-crying child and fixed her clothing. The same thing happened when the flight was landing.

“The air steward came over and told me that I couldn’t feed my son, which was shocking as I had been fine on the Ryanair flight just 10 days earlier,” Duffy told Yahoo. “I was really shocked, angry and embarrassed by the situation—I continued to breastfeed during the rest of the flight, but I was told to stop again before landing.”

Duffy was mystified by the rule—especially since the flight attendants on her previous Ryanair flight had no problem with it. Ryanair released a statement about the incident that didn’t really explain much, either, stating only, “Breastfeeding mothers are very welcome on board our flights.”

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