Mum forced to breastfeed on dirty train floor after 50 'inconsiderate' commuters refused to give up seats

23 August 2019, 15:29

A mum was forced to breastfeed on the floor of a train. Picture: Getty Images

A young mum has hit out at commuters who refused to give up their seats on a packed train.

A mum was forced to breastfeed her baby on the floor of a train because not one passenger offered to give up their seat.

Sophie Molineux, 22, was travelling from Shropshire to Ludlow with her partner Rob Moore and their baby Chester on the Tuesday morning for a family day out to Ludlow Castle.

But they were forced to stand in the aisle taking turns to hold their little one during the 30-minute journey when 50 commuters refused to move.

Instead, she claimed the carriage just gave her a 'blank expressions so they didn't have to give up their seat'.

When Chester became hungry, Sophie had no choice but to find somewhere to sit down, with a shock photo - published by The Sun - showing the young mum nursing her son while crouched on the dirty train floor by the toilet.

Commuters refused to give up their seats. Picture: Getty Images

Sophie said: “I was so shocked. There were around 50 people in the carriage and not one person moved.

“We were stood in the aisle with seats either side of us so both sides of the train could see us stood there and no-one moved.”

The restaurant manager explained that Chester is at the age where she had to breastfeed him then and there, continuing: “Obviously I’d rather not sit on the dirty floor of a moving train breastfeeding him, it wasn’t the nicest place, but I didn’t really have much choice.”

Revealing some commuters even tried to avert their eyes when they went to the toilet, she said: “It was almost like they were not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves because they didn’t want to offer me their seat.”

Sophie said that while she’s usually comfortable with breastfeeding in public, she would have felt more uncomfortable if boyfriend Rob hadn’t have been there to support her.

The mum-of-one wanted to share her story to make commuters more aware of struggling mothers and babies in the future.

She added: “I just hope that people might be a bit more considerate in future, it should just be common sense to give up your seat for a child.”