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Breastfeeding mom upset about treatment at Chesapeake restaurant

Posted at 5:34 PM, Oct 09, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-10 09:03:44-04

Chesapeake, Va.--- A mom is upset over the treatment she received while breastfeeding at IHOP on Battlefield Boulevard.

Samantha Copeland says a manager put a dishtowel over her three month old son's head in order to cover-up her breastfeeding.

"I would have never thought that someone would lay a dishtowel over my kid's face," Copeland said. "I was speechless. I couldn't believe anybody would do that."

Copeland says she breastfeeds in public all the time.

"I was partially covered. There was only one other couple in our section and it was an elderly couple sitting behind my husband that could not see anything," she said.

She left the restaurant and posted what happened on Facebook. Her post was shared and has gotten hundreds of comments, many in support of the mom.

A spokesman for IHOP said the employee made a mistake and the owner has called to apologize. Copeland hopes this will be a learning experience. "At least educate their employees that this is not something that can be done," she said.

Copeland says she plans to continue to breastfeed in public.