Andrea Scannell from Utah took her children to a summer lunch programme at their school.

She was horrified to receive a letter from the head of the school a short time later, asking her to 'discreetly' feed her baby, 'whether with a small blanket or in a more private area.'

The letter also stated that concern 'has been raised by multiple patrons. The concern is with the exposed breast-feeding of your baby.'

The school principal did personally acknowledge 'the beauty of a mother providing for her child', but also the differing opinions of other parents.

Scannell was very upset to receive the letter, saying: “This kind of shaming, this kind of bullying, it prevents other breastfeeding women from going out in public, from feeding their baby.”

Andrea’s husband uploaded the letter to the social media site, Reddit, where it has since gone viral.