Mom's viral post draws attention to nursing rooms at PREMIER Center

A social media post is gaining traction in regards to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. A Sioux Falls mother posted a photo on Facebook after she had to use a family restroom to nurse her nine-week-old baby. That Facebook post has been shared over 1,000 times.

In the post, Katy Des Enfants nursed her baby on the floor of the PREMIER Center's family bathroom.

Katy was at the facility to watch the South Dakota all-state chorus and orchestra. She was a chaperone for the students and was with her daughter Amelia.

"Right before the concert was about to start, she was starting to get hungry, and I wanted to get somewhere before she starts screaming," she said. "And my dress was not nursing friendly. And I didn't want to be that teacher that was nursing openly."

Katy then went to an usher who leads her to a family restroom.

"Every move that I made was setting off the toilet, so now she's screaming even though she was dead asleep just starting to look hungry in her sleep," she said. "Woke her up, she was screaming, terrified. And then the only place to sit was either sitting on the toilet or on the floor."

After experiencing that, she took to social media and didn't expect her post to gain as much traction as it has.

Jim Johnson, the assistant general manager of The PREMIER Center, says they already have a policy in place for nursing moms.

"So because the building does not have a dedicated nursing room at all times, for large events and the Convention Center, we will set up a temporary room for nursing mothers, he said. "But, our policy is we offer up unused offices or any meeting space that we have open at the time."

Since the post, management in the facility has since reached out to Katy to explain their policy and what they hope to have for moms in the future.

"We have been in conversations with the city about options, as far as either construction or bringing in temporary nursing pods," Johnson said. "Where those could be placed, how it affects fire code."

Katy says since posting on Facebook, other moms have reached out saying the same thing has happened to them at the PREMIER Center.