{"id":60259,"date":"2026-07-28T17:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/60259\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T17:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:56:16","slug":"another-mum-has-been-shamed-for-pumping-in-a-virgin-austrlia-lounge-we-need-to-do-more-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/60259\/","title":{"rendered":"Another mum has been shamed for pumping in a Virgin Austrlia lounge. We need to do more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidspot.com.au\/parenting\/chelsae-was-pregnant-with-five-babies-but-she-knew-she-wouldnt-deliver-them-all\/news-story\/aee6567e23ae7d52c965856af2ba7aae\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">mum<\/a> has once again been criticised for <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidspot.com.au\/parenting\/mum-puzzled-by-different-milk-from-each-breast-during-same-pump\/news-story\/acf05add8bb026eafc02c57d5c247d6a\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">pumping<\/a> in public.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"529\" data-end=\"619\">But there\u2019s one lesson we all need to take away from this. Especially if you\u2019re a <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidspot.com.au\/parenting\/it-wasnt-the-passengers-dirty-feet-that-sparked-backlash-it-was-the-mum-filming-them\/news-story\/850e4c8c85b7b81050af81dfae0c1c31\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">mother<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"621\" data-end=\"730\">The one thing we must do when we see a mother being told to stop breastfeeding or pumping? Say something.<\/p>\n<p>Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidspot.com.au\/?destination=showRegister&amp;type=organic#member-function:register\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">newsletter<\/a> for more stories like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is 2025<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"732\" data-end=\"848\">Gold Coast doctor Elise Turner was sitting in the Melbourne Airport Virgin business lounge, pumping under her shirt.<\/p>\n<p>She was doing nothing wrong. Yet she was made to feel like a villain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo this is pretty unbelievable, and I am beyond furious right now,\u201d she said in a story post on <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dreliseturner\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have been told that I can\u2019t sit here in the Virgin lounge, as a paying business class ticket holder, to express breast milk that sits under my shirt like this, because this is a private business lounge and \u2018we don\u2019t do that here.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1268\" data-end=\"1401\">The employee even dared to ask her to express herself in the bathroom instead. Let\u2019s not even mention how unsanitary that request is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is just disgusting. This is 2025,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1528\">When I came across Elise\u2019s story, I felt outrage. I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1530\" data-end=\"1622\">I\u2019ve been a breastfeeding mother. I know the discomfort that comes with not expressing milk.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1624\" data-end=\"1794\">The fact that she was about to board a flight and her options were either to pump in the bathroom and compromise the milk, or board with engorged breasts, is horrific.<\/p>\n<p>Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, a mother\u2019s right to breastfeed is protected. Both on a federal and state level.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Which is exactly the reminder Elise gave to the Virgin employee.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer reply was that I am making her and other people uncomfortable, and then she put her hand on my arm and asked me to leave,\u201d Elise explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The airline has since responded, offering an apology: &#8220;We are sorry for the way this situation was handled. It fell short of the high standards of care and customer service our team strives to deliver. We have reached out to our guest today to apologise directly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2402\" data-end=\"2553\">During my own breastfeeding journey, I didn\u2019t pump or feed in public. Not even once. Not even with a cover.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2402\" data-end=\"2553\">Not because I didn\u2019t want to, but because I hate confrontation.<\/p>\n<p>RELATED: <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidspot.com.au\/parenting\/dont-want-to-see-that-while-i-eat-mum-harassed-for-breastfeeding-in-public\/news-story\/51616282178115253b4b4df6abe60283\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-tgev=\"event10\" data-tgev-metric=\"npv\" data-tgev-order=\"1\" data-tgev-label=\"story\" data-word-match=\"breastfeeding\" data-tgev-container=\"search-results\">&#8216;Don&#8217;t want to see that while I eat&#8217;: Breastfeeding mum shamed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>We shouldn&#8217;t feel shame for this<\/p>\n<p>It was easier to just not draw attention to myself. I hate that I had to feel that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2654\" data-end=\"2874\">Any time a mother takes out her breast pump, I consider her brave. Because to do it in the face of a society that is so harsh is to carry the weight of both love and injustice. Simply for doing what should be natural.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2876\" data-end=\"2971\">Which is why I urge you: speak up if you see a mother being shamed for nurturing her child.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2973\" data-end=\"3093\">It\u2019s one of the many reasons women abandon their breastfeeding journey. Robbed of the goals they set with their infant.<\/p>\n<p>Breast milk is liquid gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3095\" data-end=\"3308\">And while mums should feel no shame in stopping, for whatever reason they want, it\u2019s devastating to think one of those reasons could be an uneducated idiot in an airport lounge.<\/p>\n<p>Laws may protect us. They do nothing about the shame. The guilt. The public embarrassment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>RELATED: <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidspot.com.au\/baby\/baby-care\/the-pressure-to-exclusively-breastfeed-made-me-feel-like-a-failure\/news-story\/cf53223529e8f869ae9b2853cd107a6f\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-tgev=\"event10\" data-tgev-metric=\"npv\" data-tgev-order=\"3\" data-tgev-label=\"story\" data-word-match=\"breastfeeding\" data-tgev-container=\"search-results\" data-nca-capi-id=\"cf53223529e8f869ae9b2853cd107a6f\" data-nca-asset-type=\"story\">Breastfeeding pressure made me feel like a failure<\/a><\/p>\n<p>We need to back mums who are simply trying to offer their child a feed or make themself feel more comfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3508\" data-end=\"3566\">Not just the average person. Especially other mothers.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3568\" data-end=\"3688\">Getting mum-shamed stings. And when we see another mother facing it, we need to band together, speak up, and fight back.<\/p>\n<p>Breastfeeding is normal. Sexualising it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3742\" data-end=\"3824\">If you\u2019re uncomfortable with a woman expressing milk, maybe it\u2019s time you grow up.<\/p>\n<p>Originally published as <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/kidspot.news.com.au\/parenting\/another-mum-has-been-shamed-for-pumping-we-need-to-do-more\/news-story\/36fe867edb9b5f028eae8be9d612b4a9\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Another mum has been shamed for pumping. We need to do more<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A mum has once again been criticised for pumping in public. \u00a0 But there\u2019s one lesson we all&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61459,57971,5609,61401,44582,61462,61410,61405,61424,41383,48935,51145,61460,61433,38990,61426,61440,37136,61437,37717,61461,61441,61423,49091,29420,22,21,61404,20839,61446,29,61444,61463,61406,61447,61443,61439,61448,61438,61411,61408,61450,61449,46902,55297,41059,61415,61418,61400,5518,61412,61425,21552,61420,30,61455,61432,37873,61414,61427,61413,61429,61454,61451,61430,61417,42903,13301,34889,31,61445,61434,39247,51030,50898,61421,61407,39951,39545,36700,61431,59046,61398,61453,61458,61442,61435,37118,61409,61416,61436,61402,61403,61452,36698,61422,61428,51826,61399,61419,56614,61456,36894,31666,61457,7211],"class_list":["post-60259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-s-right","tag-s-story","tag-5609","tag-2025-gold-coast-doctor-elise-turner","tag-a-failure","tag-a-breastfeeding-mother","tag-a-cover","tag-a-federal-and-state-level","tag-a-feed","tag-a-flight","tag-a-mother","tag-a-mum","tag-a-paying-business-class-ticket-holder","tag-a-private-business-lounge","tag-a-society","tag-a-story-post","tag-a-villain","tag-a-woman","tag-an-airport-lounge","tag-an-apology","tag-an-uneducated-idiot","tag-another-mother","tag-another-mum","tag-any-time","tag-attention","tag-au","tag-austrlia","tag-band","tag-board","tag-both-love-and-injustice","tag-breast-feeding","tag-breast-milk","tag-breastfeeding","tag-breastfeeding-mum","tag-breastfeeding-pressure","tag-care-and-customer-service","tag-confrontation","tag-dr-elise-turner","tag-elise","tag-engorged-breasts","tag-especially-other-mothers","tag-her-and-other-people","tag-her-breast-pump","tag-her-child","tag-her-hand","tag-her-options","tag-her-reply","tag-her-shirt","tag-image","tag-instagram","tag-instagram-dreliseturner","tag-kidspot-related","tag-laws","tag-liquid-gold","tag-milk","tag-more-stories","tag-mum-shamed","tag-mums","tag-my-arm","tag-my-own-breastfeeding-journey","tag-my-shirt","tag-no-shame","tag-not-just-the-average-person","tag-one-lesson","tag-our-guest","tag-our-kidspot-newsletter","tag-our-team","tag-outrage","tag-public","tag-pumping","tag-shame","tag-that-request","tag-that-way","tag-the-airline","tag-the-bathroom","tag-the-discomfort","tag-the-employee","tag-the-face","tag-the-fact","tag-the-family","tag-the-goals","tag-the-guilt","tag-the-high-standards","tag-the-many-reasons","tag-the-melbourne-airport-virgin-business-lounge","tag-the-milk","tag-the-one-thing","tag-the-public","tag-the-reminder","tag-the-sex-discrimination-act-1984","tag-the-shame","tag-the-virgin-airport-lounge","tag-the-virgin-employee","tag-the-virgin-lounge","tag-the-way","tag-the-weight","tag-their-breastfeeding-journey","tag-their-child","tag-their-infant","tag-themself","tag-this-situation","tag-those-reasons","tag-time","tag-today","tag-whatever-reason","tag-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}