Comments on: The Mile High Breastfeeding Club

By: Annette

Annette — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:27:06 +0000

When my second child was born, he was first of three in three months for our group of five childbirth educators. The students got me, nursing him as I taught, or no classes at all. No one objected, and they all cheered when he rolled over the very first time on his quilt on the floor.
In 1973 I had to sell my house in LA. Flew down with my one-week old, nursed on the plane and anywhere he needed. I felt I needed to go to my room at my inlaws, where I was staying. One time his great-grandfather, a tall, white-haired, retired General Electric executive, stopped to chat as I nursed. His comment:
“When I was a boy, a woman wouldn’t show her ankles in public, but didn’t think a thing of nursing her baby in church!” (Time frame probably 1920′s or so.)
His is my favorite quote on breastfeeding.

By: Emilie

Emilie — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:05:07 +0000

The strangest place I’ve breastfed is in the backseat of my car, while going 80 km/h, with both myself and the baby still securely strapped into our seats (safety first!). Talk about contortion!

By: enjoybirth

enjoybirth — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:48:48 +0000

I have breastfed almost everywhere. Many planes, speaking to my women’s group in church, on the beach, in resteraunts.

I once breastfed my 6 week old at a dinner table at a dinner party with my husbands business associates. I didn’t use a blanket or a hooter hider, but I had a cool breastfeeding dress, so was modest. No one said anything, so I think they were cool with it.

By: mamamia

mamamia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:42:13 +0000

I know I breastfed on a 12 hour flight, including layover, and must not have worried about it because barely remember it. On the beach, and didn’t worry about washing, just jumped into the ocean afterwards. In a crowded restaurant during a banquet, baby gets hungry too. Since I didn’t work until my kids were weaned, I nursed where ever and when ever need. No worrying about warming bottles, enough milk, proper insulation, clean nipples, etc. Just did it. But, also being Irish Catholic, it took a few months before I could nurse in front of my family, and would excuse myself to a bedroom when I nursed. Go figure, no stranger anxiety, but embarrased in front of my Dad!

By: courtney

courtney — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:50:40 +0000

1. The first time I nursed in public was in a hot Asian airport with a crowd of about 30 Asian men watching.
2. For 24 hours and 10,000 miles in an airplane flying across the world.
3. On the beach in Bali.
4. In the family dressing room at The Gap.

By: Akiko

Akiko — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:28:58 +0000

So they arrested that lady on false charges since it is not dangerous to be highly intoxicated and breast feed. What good news. Does cocaine also not pass into breast milk? I was told not to breast feed while on certain medications for my high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia. but I did it anyway. I figured my milk was healthier than formula even with the drugs in it if any got through.

By: Rose

Rose — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:12:37 +0000

I have pumped in strange places before…well, more interesting than strange. In a moving car (husband was driving). During my NCLEX review class (state board exam for nurses), which was at a college, in a public bathroom stall. My pump motor made the normal pump noises, and i always wondered what other ppl comng into the bathroom and hearing those noises thought was going on in the stall. (esp if they had never seen a pump before). electric toothbrush? vibrator? lol

By: realityrounds

realityrounds — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:25:39 +0000

Autumn,
You are correct. It is more about the mothers judgment/impairment related to her drinking, then to her drinking itself. For example, intoxicated moms who bedshare with their newborns have a much higher risk of smothering their babies than non-impaired moms. On a different note, some studies have shown that it may be more beneficial for moms who are cocaine positive to continue to breastfeed their babies, than to separate them and allow a foster parent to feed them formula. Powerful stuff on the benefits of breastfeeding.

By: Autumn

Autumn — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:09:17 +0000

My mom is 82, she had her first baby in 1954 and, at the normal newborn weightloss, she was told “But Mrs N- You can’t breastfeed, she’s loosing weight!” and no it was no where near 10% either.

When it comes to drinking and breastfeeding it looks like the biggest danger is from the alcohol impaired judgment of mom because the milk the baby gets generally has less than 1% alcohol in it. The BAC is the alcohol that would be in the milk. Since the legal threshold for dwi in most states is 0.08% BAC that would come down to less than a tenth of 1% and you would be too messed up to do much if you pushed your BAC over a %, think about it!

By: lpnmon

lpnmon — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:23:58 +0000

Ehh…. how intoxicated was she? How high was her BAL? How much alcohol was in the milk itself? How much did the baby actually drink? How old is the baby? All of these things need to be considered before automatically saying that she was doing something dangerous. I hope that she has a good lawyer that can find some expert witnesses to answer these questions.
-lpnmon