When a Hotel Claims There’s No Place to Pump, Rockstar Mom Takes a Stand in the Lobby

home insemination Kit

Updated: Aug. 26, 2016
Originally Published: Aug. 18, 2016

A mom pumps breast milk in a hotel lobby and earns high-fives from moms everywhere! The internet is buzzing about a mother who is standing up for her right (not to party, but to pump) in public. Can we join her fan club?

Lindsey Turner is getting major kudos from mothers around the globe for her viral post taking a hotel to task for refusing her reasonable request to pump breast milk. Instead of being given a suitable space, she was directed to a restroom.

While attending a seminar at an Embassy Suites in San Francisco, Turner asked the front desk staff for a private area to pump. You guessed it—they suggested the bathroom. In her Facebook post she exclaimed, “Heck NO! I told them people don’t eat their lunch in the bathroom, so why should I be expected to contaminate my baby’s milk in there?”

When she requested an empty hotel room, she was met with more nonsensical excuses. Staff told her she couldn’t use a room because “she hadn’t paid for it.” Really? She was a paying customer attending a seminar there! When she pointed this out, they insisted, “No rooms available. We sold out this morning.”

Unyielding in her quest, Turner even asked for any office space. The staff replied that only the general manager had an office, and she couldn’t access it.

It’s not like she was trying to brew concoctions in a secret lair; she was simply pumping nutritious food for her baby. Eventually, they reluctantly offered her the wine cellar. Honestly, we wouldn’t have blamed her for grabbing a nice bottle of red while she was at it!

But Turner had different plans. She settled into a chair in the lobby and began pumping right there, snapping a selfie with milk pooling in the bottles, all while grinning from ear to ear. This was her way of making a point, and she later filed a complaint with the hotel’s general manager.

The general manager eventually apologized to Turner, attributing her unpleasant experience to poorly trained staff. It’s crucial to remember that most states protect a woman’s right to breastfeed in public, according to the National Women’s Law Center. However, there’s a lack of laws ensuring mothers have reasonable accommodations to pump outside their homes or designated workplaces. It’s wild that such rights even need to be legally protected. Turner’s stance shines a light on the challenges mothers face, hopefully pushing society to advocate for better protections going forward.

After her post gained traction, Turner received an avalanche of supportive messages from mothers worldwide. She expressed her gratitude in her Facebook update, stating, “Do NOT mess with a mama who knows her rights and is a social worker!” She ended with a rallying cry: “Pump on!”

This article was originally published on August 18, 2016.

For more insights on home insemination, check out our other blog posts, including this one on intracervical insemination. And for a trusted resource on pregnancy, visit Progyny’s blog.

In summary, Lindsey Turner’s experience at a hotel highlights the absurdity many breastfeeding mothers face when seeking accommodations. By pumping in the lobby, she not only made a statement about her rights but also garnered support from mothers everywhere. It’s a reminder that advocating for oneself can inspire change and solidarity.