I have an 18-month-old daughter who is still feeding from me. Having looked into it at length, I am certain breast-feeding, even at this age, is of benefit to her.

Yet I have had many experiences in the past of feeling I am somehow doing something to be ashamed of and have even been banished to the toilets to feed my daughter.

A recent experience left my daughter and I very distressed. I was on a very crowded, hot bus. My daughter was hot and tired and wanted the comfort of "boobie". I tried hard to distract her in many ways but could hear the tutting and hushed mutterings of "shut that child up". When the bus became less crowded, I moved to the back and fed my daughter. I thought it would be met with relief that the crying had stopped. However, that was not the case.

Several people turned round to see what I had done to silence her and then a different sort of muttering started. "That's disgusting", "She should be thrown off the bus" and so on. I felt so embarrassed and humiliated.

I stopped. Luckily, I was by then only a few stops away from having to get off. My daughter and I both left the bus feeling very distressed.

I realise my daughter no longer needs breast milk as a food but it is a natural way to comfort her. Besides, I have little doubt the attitude would have been the same had the child been a lot younger. How much worse would a new mum with a hungry baby have felt?

Any law that can stop this happening, or even give mums the confidence to do the right thing for their babies, can only be a good thing.

-Name and address supplied