uncomfortable when breastfeeding in public". a group of about 25 mothers held a protest against the policy by breastfeeding outside the hotel. claridge's subsequently denied that asking breastfeeding mothers to cover up was hotel policy and said that breastfeeding mothers were welcome at the hotel, adding: "all we ask is that mothers are discreet towards other guests". breastfeeding in uniform in the us military in may 2012, two air force national guard service members stationed at fairchild air force base, washington, participated in a breastfeeding awareness campaign hosted by the mom2mom of fairchild breastfeeding support group. photographer brynja sigurdardottir, also a military spouse, staged and photographed terran echegoyen-mccabe and christina luna breastfeeding in uniform. crystal scott, the founder of mom2mom, said people thought the photograph was a disgrace to the uniform and compared their actions to defecating or urinating in uniform. some military personnel felt that it was impossible for a woman to maintain a professional military bearing while nursing in uniform. but some active-duty veteran military members who are also mothers were more supportive, suggesting that the women enhanced the prestige of the military. the photographs quickly went viral and were shared worldwide. to help reduce the controversy, sigurdardottir removed the photos from her website and facebook fan page. her intention was to raise awareness and support for women who breastfeed, inside and outside of the military. when the controversy arose, the message was quickly lost among critics. while the u.s. air force did not endorse the pictures, their commanding officer gave the women permission to be photographed in uniform while breastfeeding. the u.s. military protects women in uniform by allowing them to defer deployments for 4 to 12 months after childbirth for breastfeeding purposes. breastfeeding service members are provided regular breaks to breastfeed or pump while on duty, and are provided with a comfortable and private place to do so. facebook controversy facebook has been criticized for removing photos of mothers breastfeeding their children, citing offensive content in violation of the facebook terms of service. facebook claimed that these photos violated their decency code by showing an exposed breast, even when the baby covered the nipple. this action was described as hypocritical, since facebook took several days to respond to calls to deactivate a paid advertisement for a dating service that used a photo of a topless model. the breastfeeding photos controversy continued following public protests and the growth in the online membership in the facebook group titled "hey, facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene! (official petition to facebook)". in december 2011 facebook removed photos of mothers breastfeeding and, after public criticism, restored them. the company said it had removed the photos because they violated the pornographic rules in the company's terms and conditions. during february 2012, the company once again removed photos of mothers breastfeeding. founders of a facebook group "respect the breast" reported that "women say they are tired of people lashing out at what is natural and what they believe is healthy for their children."