GRACE Fitzgerald is fuming that she was told to cover up while breastfeeding in public.

The young Yeppoon mum yesterday said she was with her six-month-old son Seth at a Yeppoon cafe when the manager came over and told her to cover up, and then placed a sling over the baby.

Grace said she felt “grossly violated” and had to leave the cafe because she was so upset.

“She made me feel like I should be ashamed at what I was doing, it was really upsetting,” she said.

“It was so shocking that she would have such a big problem with it.”

Grace said she felt she wasn’t welcome to feed her son.

“I do it everywhere all the time, bub has to eat when he has to eat,” Grace said.

“Once she threw the sling over my shoulder it disturbed him. She physically violated my personal space; I have no desire to go back after that.”

Manager Cheryl Lamb yesterday said she did ask Grace to cover up as she’d had customers complain. “I did not mind her breastfeeding at all, it’s a lovely thing.

“She had her breast fully exposed, I did say, ‘would you mind covering yourself up’. From a previous encounter we had customers walk out and complain.”

Madonna Thomas, Queensland public relations officer for the Australian Breastfeeding Association, yesterday said Grace was discriminated against.

“Wherever a woman is allowed to be, she is legally allowed to breastfeed her baby,” she said. “Anyone who asked her to stop or move to another area or cover up is breaking anti-discrimination legislation.”

She said Grace could make a written complaint to the cafe and to the Anti-Discrimination Commission or suggest the cafe become a member of the Breastfeeding Welcome Here program.