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People found sleeping in Charlotte airport nursing room, mother says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A breast-feeding mother looking for a quiet place to pump at Charlotte-Douglas airport said she found four women sleeping in the room designated for nursing.

She said men also came in looking for a place to rest.

"You expect you're going to have a private experience, other nursing moms," Susan English said.

Moms at the airport Wednesday told Eyewitness News what they expect from designated places to nurse their babies.

"Some place that's not too cold or too hot,' Debra Desario said.

A mother from Massachusetts posted on Facebook she had a much different experience when she laid over in Charlotte and went to pump inside the Mother's Room.

“Found four women napping, a representative told them the room was not for sleeping,” she wrote.

Her post went on to say "Many other women and men came in the room, pulling back the curtain."

She called it "an extremely stressful, vulnerable and scary situation."

"I would probably use my mama voice and say this is not where you're supposed to be," Desario said.

“Uncomfortable, uncomfortable. You don't expect a man to walk into a place where a mother is nursing," English said.

Channel 9 questioned the airport about the incident and its security measures.

The airport responded with the following statement:

“CLT’s Mother’s Room is a dedicated area for mothers who wish for more privacy to nurse their baby or pump breast milk. It is an amenity for nursing mothers that should provide a positive experience, not a negative one. The safety and security of our customers is our first priority.  Since opening the Mother’s Room in 2015, the Airport has added enhanced security measures, including security cameras outside the doorway’s entry point.  Security-controlled access to the Mother’s Room has been under review as an additional security layer and will be implemented.  CLT is also reviewing signage for clarification and the security monitoring process and will implement improvements, as needed.”

-Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Airport officials said they are considering several enhanced security options, including clearer signage at the door and a buzzer system.

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