A Kansas mother is sharing her story after she says she was asked not to breastfeed at the Overland Park Dollar Tree store.
Kristen Lewetzow was shopping Tuesday with her 11-month-old daughter and 8-year-old triplets. She said her baby girl started to cry, so she thought she was hungry.
“There wasn’t really a lot of people in there,” Lewetzow said. “I thought she might be hungry and popped her out of the cart and began to feed her.”
Lewetzow continued to shop, then checked out.
“The cashier asked me if I breastfed, which kind of threw me off. She said that her manager asked her to tell me not to do that in the store,” she said. “It hit me as soon as I hit the door, this lady just told me I can’t feed the baby.”
Angry and upset, Lewetzow posted about the experience on her Facebook page. Several moms, including Richelle Hansen, immediately offered support.
“I was just so angry, you know. That someone would be so rude to a nursing mom,” Hansen said.
Now, the mothers are planning a "nurse-in" at the store on Saturday.
"My goal now is to make sure no one feels ashamed or how I felt that day. Maybe they didn’t know, but I want to educate,” said Lewetzow.
Dollar Tree sent 41 Action News an emailed statement, condemning the store’s actions:
“Please know this situation is not a reflection of our Company policy, as Dollar Tree certainly welcomes nursing mothers inside our stores.
"In order to ensure we meet expectations, we are currently reviewing our policies with our Associates.”
Breastfeeding laws in Kansas and Missouri
- A mother may breastfeed in any public or private location.
- A mother is exempt from public indecency laws when breastfeeding in public.
- If a mother needs to breastfeed, jury duty is postponed.
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Ariel Rothfield can be reached at Ariel.Rothfield@KSHB.com.
