Breastfeeding mum ‘forced to stand on packed train’
Kate Hitchens said people smiled at her but did not offer to exchange places
A mother has complained that she was forced to stand on a packed commuter train while breastfeeding her son because no-one offered her a seat.
“What has the world come to that a mother has to stand up on a moving train breastfeeding a wriggling and writhing six-month-old, 20lb baby?” Kate Hitchens wrote in an impassioned post on Instagram.
According to Hitchens, multiple passengers noticed her, even smiling or making eye contact - but only one, eventually, actually offered to exchange places.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The point here isn't just that I found it difficult because I was nursing, but that not one person offered a mother carrying a small child a seat for three stops,” she added.
Because she was standing, Hitchens was forced to manoeuvrer her clothing to accommodate her son, while trying to keep from accidentally exposing herself on the moving train - a position that made her “uncomfortable and embarrassed” she told the Daily Mail.
“As the train moved he pulled and it hurt. I also felt uncomfortable myself as I accidentally exposed more of myself to the people standing around me than I usually would sitting down, trying to hold him wriggling in one arm whilst sorting myself out with the other hand was difficult.”
“Usually I balance him on my knee so I have both hands free and can do my top up discreetly.”
The mum-of-two acknowledged that she could have asked for a seat, but “shouldn't have to”.
“I could have asked, but I didn’t. I felt silly. I shouldn’t have to ask,” she said.
“Next time you see someone with a child on a train - if you're able bodied and fit and healthy please offer your seat to them.”
Hitchens’ post, which has received more than 900 likes on Instagram, “resonated with other mothers who have experienced similar situations”, says The Independent.
“Absolutely disgraceful! Can’t believe you had to do this,” one woman wrote.
Another said: “This is disgusting but sadly happens all too often. I hope you and Charlie got home safely.”
But others advised Hitchens to ask for a seat next time - even if she feels “silly”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's asylum spat with Ireland explained
In Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers
By The Week UK Published
-
‘Labour’s incoherent response to the rail strikes has profound implications’
Instant Opinion Your digest of analysis from the British and international press
By The best columns Published
-
Vegetable dildos ‘a whole new ball game’
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
‘Rail fan’ couple wed on train
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Instant Opinion: Put the ‘spring’ back in the Arab Spring
In Depth Your guide to the best columns and commentary on Friday 17 January
By The Week Staff Published
-
Network Rail to make all train station toilets free
In Depth Passengers will no longer need to spend a penny from April 2019
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why are UK rail fares so expensive?
Speed Read Protests at rail stations as anger grows over ‘disgraceful’ 3.1% fare rise
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
New ‘millennial’ railcard to go on sale: who is eligible and how to buy one
In Depth Card will cut train fares by one-third for people aged 26-30, but no firm date has yet been set for launch
By The Week Staff Published
-
South Western Railway strike: what you need to know
Speed Read Train services in and out of Waterloo will be disrupted for all of December
By The Week Staff Last updated