Source : ABC NEWS
Alexandra Merrett took to social media to call for the MCG to get a breastfeeding room after being unable to find one during the Anzac Day game.
Comments on her post soon informed the wife of Essendon captain Zach Merrett that there were some located around the venue, however, she is not the only new mum who has had to pump in toilet cubicles at footy stadiums after being unable to find the appropriate rooms.
“I wish I knew there was a breastfeeding room!” one comment on her video read.
“I had to feed my baby on the toilet”.
Alex and Zach Merrett at the 2024 Brownlow Medal. (Getty: Sam Tabone/WireImage)
Lucinda McKimm, host of motherhood and career podcast Ready or Not, said needing to find a safe place to breastfeed or pump could add to the stress of early motherhood and pose an extra barrier to going to the footy.
“It’s excellent that there are parenting rooms available for mums wanting to enjoy the footy,” said McKimm, who is also a mum and footy fan.
“But if it’s not easy enough for an AFL player’s wife to find, more work needs to be done to ensure that all mums, including those with disabilities or for whom English might be their second language, can access these rooms that keep women and mums participating in society and feeling safe while doing so.”
Most stadiums across Australia now have rooms that include baby changing facilities and privacy areas.
The MCG has four rooms located around the stadium on level one, which each contain private feeding cubicles with armchairs, change tables, nappy disposal units, a microwave, TV, power point, sink and toilet.
The parenting room in the MCC Members’ Reserve is kept locked on event day and requires staff assistance.
Hester Brown, wife of former premiership player Ben Brown, breastfed their two kids at stadiums between 2018 and 2023 when her husband played for North Melbourne and Melbourne.
She used the parenting room at Docklands and said some clubs now had staff whose game day role was to help partners in this area, including at the Demons.
Hester Brown had to navigate breastfeeding at the footy during her husband Ben’s playing career. (Getty: Paul Kane)
However, she said friends of hers had been in similar situations to Merrett.
“I’ve also asked for help and often — and it’s not the MCG staff’s problem — but they often don’t know where it is, or it’ll be on the other side of the members, a million miles away,” Brown said.
“If they left their kid at home, or if it’s a night game, you still have to pump if you’re feeding that way.
“So often, that’s just you standing in a cubicle or sitting on the loo by yourself with the machine whirring in the background having not a nice or relaxed experience.
“And all those things can add stress because it’s [already] very hard and stressful being a parent and there’s lots of emotion involved in breastfeeding, lots of pain. It can be very difficult.”
Depending on the person and age of the child, Brown said pumping could take anywhere between 10 minutes to half an hour.
As Merrett experienced, mums often don’t have a lot of time to find a room to feed or pump, especially if they don’t know where they’re going and in a crowded stadium.
McKimm said there were extra things that needed to be considered during a breastfeeding period, including planning around feeding or pumping times, having all the right equipment, and making sure the painful experience of mastitis (inflammation caused by blocked milk) is avoided.
Brown said they were all reasons why it was important to remove as many barriers as possible for new mums going to the footy.
