There’s nothing more natural than breastfeeding and in my opinion, any woman should be free to feed her baby wherever, and whenever, she chooses.

And, remembering back to the campaigns, staged by gangs of breastfeeding mums who besieged cafes and restaurants which refused to allow them to openly feed their babies, I assumed the subject had been consigned to history.

However, I recently witnessed a waitress requesting a young mum to either cover up or take her child elsewhere to continue feeding him.

I don’t believe she was speaking for herself and from what I could tell an older couple sitting at a table nearby had persuaded her to make the request.

Of course, her action isn’t excused by the fact she didn’t initiate it and whatever her motivation she is still breaking the law as established in the Equality Act of 2010.

The waitress was young and was, in all likelihood, swayed by a persuasive older couple who sadly seem to harbour discriminative, outdated views on this matter.

But the behaviour was so unusual in this day and age I decided to raise it with my mum, who incidentally chose to breastfeed all her own children, and get her opinion.

She is now well into her 80s, but she was very clear any woman should be totally at ease with baring all and feeding her child in any situation.

I was later sharing the details with a family friend and her daughter, who’s a young mum in her early 20s, was busy getting ready for work but felt so strongly about the subject she felt the need to share her views as well.

In her opinion everywhere should actively encourage breastfeeding mums and make them welcome. However, she felt they should be provided with a space where they can be alone with their baby away from prying eyes.

While she feels no mother and child should ever be excluded for breastfeeding she believes the whole experience is so personal it should always be carried out in private.

She even went further and said in her experience breastfeeding is such an intensely personal and ‘sensual’ act she is surprised any woman could possibly feel comfortable feeding in public.

Ultimately of course it’s a personal choice and I’m sure the vast majority of people now feel all women should be free to perform this most natural human function, but my assumption that views on the subject are divided along generational lines were clearly misguided.