Controversy Over Breastfeeding in Uniform
There has been so much controversy in the news lately about breastfeeding; when to do it, when you should stop doing it,
I pasted the article in my Facebook status and expressed my outrage over it which quickly spiraled into a heated debate. So I decided to break it down further here and see where the contentions really lie.
The photo that started the debate depicts two Air National Guard soldiers breastfeeding their babies while in uniform. It was used in a campaign for a breastfeeding support group called Mom2Mom and was meant to show that even strong women breastfeed, thereby eradicating the stereotype that you have to be a stay home hippie mom to breastfeed your baby.
After reading the article, I am left wondering what the bottom line is. Is the concern that these women should not have been “exposing” themselves in public or is it solely because they were pictured in their uniform? Crystal Scott, the founder of Mom2Mom said, “People are comparing breastfeeding in uniform to urinating and defecating in uniform. They’re comparing it to the woman who posed in “Playboy” in uniform [in 2007].” It has also been compared to having sex in public. That is just absolutely preposterous and ignorant. First of all, as the article points out, urinating and having sex in public are illegal while breastfeeding in public is not. Second of all, I fail to see how posing for playboy in uniform is at all related to breastfeeding in uniform. One is sexual, one is natural.
I think there is a big disconnect in America concerning breastfeeding. The purpose of breasts is to feed and nourish a baby. American media has been sexualizing breasts for so long that breastfeeding is now seen as gross and inappropriate. Others think that it is okay to breastfeed but that it should be a private, intimate moment for Mom and baby. Which is a great idea in theory but anyone who actually believes this is either a man or a woman who has never breastfeed. Unless the mother wants to spend the entire first year of her child’s life at home or limit her outings to less than three hours, she will be forced to breastfeed in public at some point. Her alternatives consist of hiding in her car
The mother’s other option would be to pump ahead of time and feed the baby the pumped milk. There are few reasons why this isn’t always feasible. One, though this would satisfy the baby’s needs, it wouldn’t satisfy the mother’s. Because she feed the child a bottle rather than nursed her, she was not relieved of her milk supply for that feeding which will likely cause her to become engorged. If she is engorged for too long, she can contract mastitis which is an infection caused by a clogged milk duct. So if she feeds the baby a bottle, she will likely still need to pump; if it is not appropriate to breastfeed in public then it surely isn’t to pump in public and we are back to our car or bathroom scenario.
The second reason why this isn’t always feasible is many babies who solely breastfeed will not take a bottle.
Perhaps the root of the concern is having the mother’s breast exposed while feeding in public. So if she covered herself with a blanket, it would be okay. In that case, the military should add a cover/blanket to their maternity uniform line to help cover the mother while keeping the dignity of the uniform.
It is arguable that this would not resolve the issue. In the case of this article, some believe the mothers did not maintain the professional image the military. I didn’t realize that feeding your child made you unprofessional.
After weeks of this story being debated in the news, the Air National Guard did not take a stance on breastfeeding in uniform but announced that the women violated uniform policy by posing for the photos for Mom2Mom in support of Breastfeeding Awareness Month. That’s against regulations. I want to be very, very clear about this. Our issue is not, nor has it ever been, about breastfeeding. It has to do with honoring the uniform and making sure it’s not misused. I can’t wear my uniform to a political rally, to try to sell you something or push an ideology. That was our point of contention.”
Now that is an idea I can buy. So after all the opinions and all the debates, the issue was neither breastfeeding in public nor breastfeeding in uniform but rather a violation of uniform policy. That’s media sensationalism at its best or I guess you could say, its worst. It doesn’t matter how natural breastfeeding is. That’s not the point. The point is that when you wear that uniform, you’re the “face of America”. Women portraying the face of America through military service should not be able to “whip them out” while still wearing their uniforms.
To be honest, I see no need for this. There are plenty of other alternatives women can take to ensure their babies get healthy breastmilk while they’re on duty and can’t perform that particular function (you’ve listed some). These women are in the military, and the standards for this career should always be of the highest! I believe this was only another ploy for women to gain prefferential treatment through what I call “the shock and awe effect”. I saw the picture a while ago, but wasn’t aware anyone had posted about it.
Melovy 2 years ago from UK
Maybe it’s because I’m from the UK, I hadn’t
Very interesting hub. Welcome to HubPages. I was in the army for a good minute and I do not think that breastfeeding in uniform is wrong at all! Just because they are nursing their child, does not mean it is disrespecting their job, their uniform or America. Each and every baby is different. I know from nursing for 13 months that my daughter would NOT have been okay with “waiting” until I changed out of uniform to eat. She eats when SHE wants.
Cash Register Stores