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A mother says she was left humiliated after water park staff told her she wasn’t allowed to breastfeed her nursing son in the lazy river. Tiffany Francis, a mother of two, from Georgia, took to Facebook on 14 July to detail the incident that allegedly occurred at Rigby’s Water World in Warner Robins, Georgia. Her Facebook post has since gone viral, with more than 1,000 likes and comments. “I have never in my years of being a breastfeeding mother had one single negative comment made to me about breastfeeding while out in public. I’ve had supportive comments from random people, but today was a different day,” she began her post. The mother then explained that she’d brought her 11-month-old son to the water park’s lazy river so she could nurse him before his nap. “He likes motion to sleep, he sleeps well in the car or swing, so he will also sleep in the lazy river,” she wrote. After her son was latched, Francis recalled that a lifeguard informed her that she wasn’t allowed to breastfeed in the lazy river. At first, she laughed off the lifeguard’s request because she thought it was a joke. Then, his boss came over to Franics and reiterated the lazy river’s rules against breastfeeding. “I asked her if it was posted somewhere and she told me that it was posted in the rules out front,” Francis said. “So I got out of the lazy river, and I went to read the rules.” The mother of two soon discovered that there was no rule against breastfeeding posted outside the lazy river attraction, and asked to speak to the water park’s manager. However, the manager instead claimed it was a “courtesy to other people” that she wasn’t allowed to breastfeed and cited the park’s rules against food or drink in the lazy river. According to the woman, she then asked for her family’s season passes to be refunded. “I can’t go there if I can’t get my son to nap while I’m there,” Francis said, noting that the water park staff wouldn’t refund her season pass. “Imagine all the bodily fluids being excreted into the water, but they’re worried about breastmilk when the baby was latched, my breast was out of the water, and the milk was only going into [the] baby’s mouth,” she continued. “I left crying, because I was told I couldn’t feed my child, which by the way it is against the law to tell a mother they can’t breastfeed their child. But sure, let’s worry about offending people by feeding a child.” Francis also pointed out how she witnessed several children sleeping in their mothers’ laps in the lazy river, and other children with their heads resting on their moms’ chests. “My situation looked just like theirs, my breast wasn’t exposed. My son’s face was covering everything,” she said. “Without looking extra hard, you’d think he was just asleep on my chest. But somehow I made people uncomfortable by doing the most natural thing I could do for my child, while just trying to let him nap.” Francis continued: “I’m just so upset and appalled and wanted to give a heads up to all the other moms out there that this is how breastfeeding moms are treated at Rigby’s Water World. You’re also not allowed to bring snacks in for the baby, so I was told today. I guess they’d rather babies just go hungry.” According to Georgia state law, which states that the “breastfeeding of a baby is an important and basic act of nurture,” a mother is allowed to “breastfeed her baby in any location where the mother and baby are otherwise authorised to be”. Speaking to People, Tiffany Francis described the incident as “humiliating” and noted that other breastfeeding mothers have since come forward sharing similar explanations about being shamed in public. "I just really didn’t think anybody would care. You’re at a water park. People are already pretty naked there, right? I don’t think it was the most offensive thing to happen that day," she told the outlet. “As a mom, it’s just crazy that people think it’s not okay to feed your own child. If it’s a bottle, it’s fine. Feeding them table foods, sure. But feeding them from the breast just grosses people out for some reason,” she added. “It’s been sexualised to the point where it’s not a natural thing, and that’s just gross.” In one comment, a fellow mother wrote: “Girl! Call me any day I’m off and we will go. I saw a mom nursing the other day and kept an eye on her just in case anyone approached. Wish I was still nursing because I would nurse right next to you!!” “What?! Sounds like a good old nursing mama sit-in needs to happen,” another commented. “How is that even still a ‘thing’ in 2023.” Meanwhile, one dad said: “Wow, as a father this is unbelievably wrong. Anyone should be able to feed their kid anywhere without a problem.” A member of the Rigby family, the owners of Rigby’s Water World, responded to the Facebook post in the comments section: “I know that breastfeeding is allowed in the park and I can understand the safety issues that come in hand with feeding in moving water. As for the courtesy of other guests, I agree that a mom should be able to breastfeed at any time, however an exposed breast in a water feature without a covering could be seen as indecent (we wouldn’t let another guest do the same).” She noted that the water park does have shaded seating, family rooms, and an “admin building” designated for breastfeeding. According to Today, Rigby’s Water World revised its breastfeeding policy within hours of the incident and apologised to Francis for the “misguided” policy. “We had a policy in place that didn’t allow breastfeeding in the river that was in line with the health department’s standard on no eating or drinking in the pools,” said Steve Brown, vice president of operations at Rigby’s Water World. “When I was made aware of the law that mothers can breastfeed anywhere they’re allowed to be, we reviewed our policy, reaching out to other experts who operate aquatic facilities,” he says. “From there, we decided to allow our guests to breastfeed in the pools, should they choose.” Georgia’s Department of Public Health rules and regulations for public swimming pools, spas, and recreational water parks states that “bathers shall not be allowed to eat or drink while in or partially in the water”. “We were under the impression it was a health code violation,” Brown told the outlet. “It was a misunderstanding…it was my mistake to misinterpret the law…there are different opinions on this issue but we want to comply with the law.” Brown added that Rigby’s did not issue Francis a refund for her season pass, and maintained that she was not asked to leave the park. The Independent has contacted Tiffany Francis and Rigby’s Water World for comment. Read More Researchers warn after 25 types of toxic flame retardant found in human breast milk: ‘Disturbing’ Keke Palmer’s boyfriend isn’t the only one who needs to stop telling women how to dress Woman sparks debate with claim she’s discovered the best month to get pregnant Woman claims restaurant ‘hack’ for toddlers solves family dinners out Mother calls out ‘double standard’ after husband is praised for doing ‘bare minimum’ Husband exposed for reaction to learning his wife is pregnant again

A new report has found that the price of childcare is still rising in the United States and has gone up by 220 per cent since 1990. In the annual report from Annie E. Casey Foundation, the charitable organisation examined the importance of childcare across the country, with data from each state about the overall well-being of children. With an analysis from Child Care Aware, an advocacy organisation, the report found that “child care costs have risen 220 per cent since” 1990, “significantly outpacing inflation”. As noted by the US Inflation Calculator, the cumulative rate of inflation, from January 1990 to May 2023, is approximately 138 per cent . The Annie E. Casey Foundation also looked at the annual cost of childcare and how it can impact parents’ income. More specifically, the average yearly cost for care for one child in America was $10,600 in 2021, which is “more than a third of a single parent’s income”. The report looked at the annual cost for a centre-based childcare for a toddler, based on each state. Results showed that prices are the highest in Washington DC, with a cost of $24,396 per year. Centre-based childcare in Connecticut is also expensive, with an annual price of $18,156 per year. The report said over 2 million children in the US had family members who experienced job changes due to childcare prices from 2020 to 2021. The organisation examined the ethnicity of these 2 million children: 17 per cent of them were Black, 16 per cent Latino, and 14 per cent Asian and Pacific Islanders. The organisation also looked at the analysis of 2017 data, which showed how the childcare system disproportionately impacted families of colour. For example, centre-based childcare for two children absorbed 26 per cent of a working mother’s median household income. Meanwhile, 42 per cent of a Latino working mother’s median household income paid for two children’s childcare, while 56 per cent of a Black working mother’s income covered this childcare cost. On the economic well-being of children around the country, findings showed that over 12 million were in poverty in 2021. That same year, there were over 21 million children whose parents lacked secure employment, and nearly 22 million children living in a household with high housing cost burden. Earlier this year, a report by the US Department of Labor also found that families with younger children in the country pay a significant amount on childcare. After looking at data from 2018, which was adjusted based on the inflation rate in 2022, the report noted that “childcare prices range from $4,810 for school-age home-based care in small counties to $15,417 for infant centre-based care in very large counties”. Read More Thirty, flirty and declining: How 30 became a terrifying milestone for an anxious generation More help with childcare costs for families on Universal Credit from end of June Government’s childcare reforms ‘risk worsening outcomes’ for poorer children

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Twenty-seven-year-old Erica Kathleen regularly finds herself making private TikTok videos in the middle of the night to “manifestation sounds.” She never posts the videos and says she wishes she didn’t have to make them but the obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) she’s had for the past decade makes her feel it’s impossible not to. OCD is an exhausting mental health condition that is made up of hugely misunderstood obsessions and compulsions, both external (like having to complete a task a set number of times) and internal (like fighting “bad” thoughts). The anxiety of OCD means that sufferers feel like something unbearable will happen unless they engage in their compulsions. It can take over lives. In this case, these TikTok audios are putting the health of her loved ones on Erica’s shoulders.