Here is a reminder that the new Rhode Island law protecting breastfeeding in public takes effect today, March 1, 2009. This law is in addition to the existing Rhode Island laws excluding breastfeeding mothers from disorderly conduct laws, and requiring employers to provide a safe, private place to breastfeed or pump.

The entire text of the enacted bill reads:

23-13.5-1. Breastfeeding in public places. – A woman may feed her child by bottle or breast in any place open to the public.

23-13.5-2. Remedies. – In any civil action alleging a violation of this chapter, the court may:

(1) Afford injunctive relief against any person, entity or public accommodation that commits or proposes to commit a violation of this chapter; and

(2) Award compensatory damages and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs to a prevailing plaintiff.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on March 1, 2009.

*** Last Updated November 11, 2008 *** Please see the notes for each branch of the U.S. military. If you have notice of updates to military breastfeeding regulations and policies, please alert me with a comment and I will be happy to keep this information up to date!

A military new mother generally receives six weeks of maternity leave starting the day she leaves the hospital. The leave can be extended upon written request along with a physician’s recommendation.

Air Force: The Air Force offers four-month deployment deferrals after the birth of a child. On May 23, 2007, Air Force Instruction 44-102 (PDF document) was modified to state:

4.15. Breastfeeding and Breast Pumping

4.15.1. The importance of breastfeeding during the first year of life to infant nutrition and health and to family emotional support is recognized by numerous private and governmental authorities. The
AFMS recommends that supervisors of AF members who are breastfeeding work with the member to attempt to arrange their work schedules to allow 15-30 minutes every 3-4 hours to pump breastmilk in
a room or an area that provides adequate privacy and cleanliness, if available. Restrooms should not be considered an appropriate location for pumping. The AF member must supply the equipment
needed to pump and store the breast milk.

4.15.2. AF members who are breastfeeding or pumping remain eligible for field training, mobility exercises, and deployment. The Air Force Medical Service encourages commanders’ modifications of
these activities and/or work conditions for airmen who are breastfeeding, when possible. Nonetheless, duty requirements may not always be compatible with exclusive breastfeeding. In these cases, the AF
member must decide in consultation with her medical provider whether to attempt to continue breastfeeding and/or pumping breastmilk. AF 422 is not the mechanism for documentation that an AF member
is breastfeeding.

4.15.3. The obstetrician, pediatrician or PCM shall annotate on an AF Form 422 a recommendation for deployment for those AF members who choose to exclusively breastfeed, i.e. the infant does not
take formula at all.

4.15.4. Breastfeeding/breast pumping AF members may participate in field training and mobility exercises. Decisions to continue to breast pump must be made by the patient, in collaboration with
obstetrician or PCM, supervisors, training instructors and the MDG/CC in regard to having a place to safely express and store breast milk.

In a study of nine women on active duty in the Air Force, several of the women talked about how breastfeeding helped them bond with their babies.

The fact that you’re in the military, hurrah, hurrah, let’s go to war, let’s do this, do that, you’re not a woman, you’re unisex, and once you’ve had the baby, you’re no longer a woman, but back to being unisex. I think the nursing keeps you thinking-I’m a mother, I’m a woman, and I’m taking care of this child. That in itself keeps you sane, you don’t lose your identity.

Army: The deferment from mobility for Army mothers following the birth of a child has been extended to six months as of August 1, 2008. The extension also applies to one parent in dual-military couple who adopt a child. The policy applies to active duty, Guard, and Reserve members. Stars and Stripes reports that for Army mothers stationed in Landstuhl, Germany:

Landstuhl commander Col. Brian Lein signed a policy this summer that encourages a deployment deferment of 12 months for active-duty soldier mothers who are assigned to Landstuhl and its affiliated Army health clinics and breast-feed.

Marine Corps: The Marine Corps allows for 6-month deferments.

Navy: Navy policy provides for 12-month non-deployment period and lactation support in the work environment.

Additional Notes

Of course, policies may be very different from practices. La Leche League offers the following advice for mothers in the military:

While many military units are progressive and include a place to pump and even provide breast pumps, some have never been faced with the challenge of accommodating a breastfeeding service member. It may seem embarrassing and overwhelming for the new mother and her supervisors. Before her baby is born, it is important for a military mother to tell her supervisors that she intends to breastfeed. Sharing this information will prevent commanders from being caught off guard, scrambling to fit pumping into the often hectic military workday.

Breastfeed for Health notes:

Check with your local military hospital or clinic for classes on breastfeeding and for breastfeeding support through lactation consultants, nurses, physicians, and other providers. If you are not collocated with a military health facility and receive all health services through Tricare, check with your servicing Tricare office for the latest eligibility rules concerning breastfeeding support.

For a comprehensive overview of breastfeeding in the military, see Part I (Information and Resources Provided to Service Women) and Part II (Resource and Policy Considerations) of “Breastfeeding in the Military.” Military Medicine. Oct. 2003.

Sources:

~ Army Extends Deployment Deferments for Mothers of Newborns About.com US Military blog.
~ “New policy gives some nursing mothers in the Army a 12 month deployment deferral.” Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog.
~ “New Landstuhl policy encourages deferred deployment of 12 months for nursing mothers.” Stars and Stripes.
~ Rebecca M. Welton, Capt, USAF.
~ Part I (Information and Resources Provided to Service Women) and Part II (Resource and Policy Considerations) of “Breastfeeding in the Military.” Military Medicine. Oct. 2003

Leave a Comment

Any military moms out there? Let us know your experience. Thank you for your service to your country! Again, please let me know if you are aware of any changes to military regulations or policies on breastfeeding and I will update this post.

Are you participating in the Nestle-Free Week starting today, October 4, 2008? For more on the why and how of the Nestle Boycott and Nestle-Free Week in particular, visit Baby Milk Action’s Nestle-Free Week planning page.

There is still plenty of time to sign up for the Breastfeeding Challenge 2008! So far there are 105 sites registered in five different countries (Canada, United States, France, Cyprus, and Luxembourg). Reminder details:

The Quintessence Foundation plans the 8th annual Breastfeeding Challenge, scheduled this year for October 11, 2008. Basically it’s a friendly competition to promote breastfeeding:

This fun event is a challenge for which geographic area (province, state or territory) has the most breastfeeding babies, as a percentage of the birthrate, “latched on” at 11am local time.

Last year’s event involved 5,383 babies at 230 sites across Canada and the United States! Registration is open now for this year’s event. Visit the Breastfeeding Challenge 2008 invitation for more information.

In breastfeeding terminology, a baby’s “frenulum” is the membrane that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth. A short frenulum is called tongue-tie (technically, “ankyloglossia”), and tongue-tie can interfere with successful breastfeeding. There remains controversy among medical and lactation professionals about whether or not a short frenulum should be surgically clipped.

For more information on tongue-tie, see:

~ AskDrSears.com
~ DrGreene.com
~ Kellymom.com

From The Breastfeeding Answer Book:

Caused by postpartum hemorrhage so severe that the blood loss irreversibly damages the pituitary gland, Sheehan’s syndrome can cause breastfeeding failure. Other symptoms include loss of pubic and underarm hair, inability to tolerate cold, low blood pressure, and atrophy of vaginal tissue, as well as subsequent infertility.

p. 569. For more see:

~ Birthsource.com
~ “Infant Insufficient Milk Syndrome Associated with Maternal Postpartum Hemorrhage” (abstract) from the Journal of Human Lactation

By: Daquella Manera

Unfortunately there have been several confrontations over nursing in public over the last couple of weeks:

1. La Senza lingerie store in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Approximately 50 people gathered at the lingerie store to support breastfeeding in public:

The protest was in support of a London, Ont., mother who says she was humiliated by La Senza staff who took exception to her breastfeeding her seven-month-old-son at the Windsor store’s checkout line in June.

Allison Loblaw said she was shocked when a clerk told her breastfeeding was not allowed in the store but she could use a changeroom in the back.

Ms. Loblaw has filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

2. H&M store in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Manuela Valle organized a nurse-in at an H&M store after being asked to use a change room to breastfeed her two-month-old daughter:

H&M sent Valle an e-mail last Friday apologizing for the treatment she received and spelling out its policy to allow women to breastfeed publicly if they choose. A day earlier, more than 100 women staged a “nurse-in” protest in the store to show support for Valle.

Ms. Valle filed a complaint to the BC Human Rights Tribunal.

3. McDonald’s in Berea, Kentucky, United States. When a McDonald’s employee asked Jessica Denny to leave the restaurant because she was breastfeeding her 4-month-old, Denny called the police. But because she was not still breastfeeding when the police arrived, the police said they could not enforce Kentucky law protecting breastfeeding, and told her she would have to leave or be charged with criminal trespass.

In the statement, owner Sundae Park said: “It has never been our policy to ask nursing mothers to leave our restaurant. … I have taken the necessary steps to ensure this mistake does not happen again.”

Still, Denny says she was embarrassed by what happened. She wants the restaurant to apologize and put a sign on its door saying that breast-feeding is allowed.

4. WestJet airline in Canada. Erin Tarbuck was asked by a WestJet flight attendant to cover herself with a blanket as she breastfed during take-off:

“[She] came up and said quietly, ‘You know, some men find the sight of a bare breast quite offensive. Can I offer you a blanket to cover up with?” Tarbuck said on Wednesday.

Tarbuck declined the offer of a blanket, but one was brought to her anyway.

Tarbuck wrote to the airline, which defended the actions of the flight attendant. Tarbuck wants WestJet to develop a written policy on breastfeeding and plans to file a complaint with the federal Human Rights Tribunal if she does not hear from the airline shortly.

Reverse cycle nursing or “reverse cycling” is when the baby nurses more during the evening hours and less frequently during the day. Sometimes this is a frustrating side effect of a baby having his days and nights mixed up, but other times a mother purposely nurses her baby more often during the evening and overnight hours so that the baby sleeps more and requires less milk during the day while the mother is at work or school. For tips on handling reverse cycling, see Kellymom.com.

Nearly 200 voters expressed their opinions on the age, if any, that breastfeeding in public becomes in appropriate. I was glad to see that 35% of voters felt that nursing in public is always appropriate. I was surprised to see 6% of voters say it’s never appropriate. The overall breakdown:

Vote in the new poll in the side bar!