A mom from Michigan is speaking out about the way security guards treated her at an Ariana Grande concert for carrying a breast pump.
Kate Aulette shared her story on Facebook after an incident on the way to Grande concert at the Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit.
Kate said she relied on her breast pump when she’s away from her young baby. She uses it when she’s away for longer periods of time and cannot feed her child.
Before the concert Kate found out the security will be increased. Grande herself announced there will be were strict rules followed. Therefore, all the fans would only be permitted to bring clear plastic bags into the venue.
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In an Instagram post, Grande posted the picture of the bag and encouraged her fans to get one.
“As a breastfeeding mom, I immediately thought, how am I going to fit my breast pump (I had to be able to pumps since I was not bringing my baby with me to the concert) in a clear plastic bag and was this even an allowable device,” Aulette wrote.
Kate Aulette phoned the venue and asked if the breast pump would be permitted. Customer Services assured her she would be allowed to bring the pump, as it was considered a medical device.
On the day of the concert, Aulette and her best friends travelled about an hour by Party Bus to the concert.
“We live about an hour outside of Detroit and knew I would need to pump at least once from the time I last fed baby to the time we got back home which was 8 hours,” she explained. She knew she needed to pump to avoid inflammation that often comes with breast engorgement.
However, Kate was denied entry with her breast pump in a clear bag.
“Get up to security and I explain that my bag is a breast pump and I start emptying it out for them to search,” Aulette said. “They search everything, all my parts etc. and proceed to tell me no, it’s not a medical device and refuse to let me in.”
“I asked for a manager and an older gentleman comes and I explain the whole thing again, and his response to me was that I was not allowed to bring this device in unless I had my baby with me. Are you kidding me? The whole reason I have to bring my pump is because I don’t have my baby,” she wrote.
After being denied entry twice, Aulette was forced to go back to her Party Bus to leave the pump there.
Aulette had to walk almost a mile by herself back to her party bus, where she was able to express milk and leave her pump for storing.
Luckily, she had rented the Party Bus for the whole duration of the concert so the driver was parked at the venue parking lot waiting for the group. Finally, Kate could use the Party Bus to store her belongings along with the breast pump.
