Mom says flight attendant scolded her for using breast pump in bathroom

PHOENIX (WPVI) -- In a story that is sure to get moms talking, a Phoenix mom is demanding changes after she says she was scolded by a flight attendant for using a breast pump in an airplane bathroom.

On a plane, there are few options for privacy, which is why Mariana Hannaman says she took refuge in the bathroom. But the attendant argued that the young mother should've warned them.

After a full day of flying, Hannaman had just one flight left before she'd got to see her daughter Vida's beautiful face again.

Vida is still nursing, so in Chicago, Hannaman expressed milk just before boarding for Phoenix.

"If I don't pump regularly, then my breast milk supply goes down," she said.

A few hours into the flight, she had to relieve the pressure again. So she went to the bathroom, saying she warned the passengers waiting on line. But then came a knock about 10 minutes later.

"Flight attendant knocks on the door, she's like 'Are you OK?'" Hannaman said. "I'm like 'Yes, I breastfeed, so I'm pumping, I'll be right there.'"

She understood the concern, but she said the flight attendant came back and ordered her to open the door.

"I had the pump connected to me," she said.

So she opened the door, with other passengers watching.

"'Well you need to stop doing this right now,'" Hannaman said the flight attendant told her.

So she collected herself before having words with the flight attendant, recording the interaction on her iPad. But there was no apology, only a scolding.

"She was rude," Hannaman said. "She diminished me."

Now, she wants to make sure no other mother has to fly such unfriendly skies.

"I don't want her to get fired," she said. "I want her to be retrained."

American Airlines said their policy is that new moms can breast feed or pump anywhere, even their seat. They don't have to notify anyone before using the bathroom, though it is suggested they give a flight attendant a heads up.

The airline has apologized to Hannaman, who just wants assurance retraining will happen.