She says she was refused entry into a fitting room at a store in the Jersey Gardens Mall after she asked an employee to breastfeed.
She recorded the interaction on her phone because New Jersey law allows a mother to breastfeed anywhere they need to.
Sahana Chowdhary pulled out her phone and took a video after she said she went through hoops trying to breastfeed her hungry baby.
"Fitting room is for trying on clothes it's not for feeding babies, I cannot give you a space you're not supposed to be feeding in public," a man said in her video.
The battle to nurse her 8-month-old Alina happened at Cohoes inside The Mills at Jersey Gardens on Sunday.
The family was returning to their home in Scotch Plains from an outing in Manhattan when baby Alina started to fuss.
"Usually, you know, whenever we go out, if she's hungry, I feed her in the car," Chowdhary said.
With her car full of family members and returns to make inside the mall anyway, Chowdhary figured Alina would be more comfortable nursing inside a private fitting room.
"There was a lady standing there. So I asked her, I want to feed my baby. Give me a room. And she said, No, you cannot," Chowdhary said.
Chowdhary said a man who she identified as a manager also gave her a hard time.
"At one point, I also question myself, am I doing the right thing by by, you know, asking them that I am allowed to feed in public?" she said.
According to New Jersey law, you can.
"A mother is entitled to breastfeed her baby in any location of a place of public accommodation, a resort or amusement where the mother is otherwise entitled to be. We have to do a better job of getting the word out," said Ellen Maughan, a breastfeeding advocate said.
Cohoes' parent company, Burlington Stores, said it is working with the store to ensure similar situations are handled differently.
A spokesperson put out a statement saying in part, "We deeply regret the situation that this customer experienced, which is inconsistent with our values of being a welcoming and inclusive space for our customers. It is our policy to make our fitting rooms available for women who wish to breastfeed in private and in select store locations, a lactation room is available to customers on a first come first serve basis."
Chowdhary is sharing her story so other mothers don't have the same experience.
"The brands need to train their employees. It is insensitive and nobody should go through what I have gone through with my baby that day," Chowdhary said.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Follow us on YouTube
* More local news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts