After public input on the design for a breastfeeding lounge set to debut Saturday at the East Hills Shopping Center, plans have been changed.

East Hills Shopping Center released a mock-up photo to the St. Joseph Post Thursday afternoon depicting an example of what the lounge may look like. The photo included both a child and regular size toilet in the room which could be locked for privacy.

As previously reported, East Hills Marketing Manager Regan Lyons said they’ve been working with La’Sherrie Tyes at the Department of Health to become a Gold Level Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite. Lyons said the lounge, located near the restrooms by the food court, includes a comfortable bench, an end table, plugs for breast pumps, a diaper changing station and a sink and a toilet.

However, after input from the public, East Hills has decided to change its original plans.

In a statement, East Hills said after several complaints it has decided to remove both the adult and children’s size toilets from the new breastfeeding lounge.

“This space will solely be used for the purpose of breastfeeding and not a restroom facility. The photo shown was a preview of the space, which has yet to be finalized. The room will also feature an activity table for children, a diaper changing station and breastfeeding pamphlets. As stated in the article, the final project will be unveiled on Saturday. East Hills Shopping Center would like to specify that we support all breastfeeding mothers.  Due to requests from our customers and employees, we decided to offer a private space for mothers who might be more comfortable in a lockable space away from the public instead of in their cars or in a restroom stall. It is still a mother’s right to breastfeed in public anytime, anywhere. That is why we have hosted the Big Latch in our shopping center for several years. We are hoping this new space is a step in the right direction of normalizing breastfeeding and supporting our local breastfeeding mothers.”