Breastfeeding in Combat Boots

I stole the title of this post from a website I have come to love. That page has helped me a lot over the past year in motivation, support and information!Prior to having Charlotte I never thought I would be writing a blog post about breastfeeding, or frankly caring about something so much. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding until babies are AT LEAST 1 year of age. The World Health Organization recommends continuing up to 2 years of age. The practice is encouraged by obstetricians and healthcare professionals unanimously. So suffice it to say, I was unprepared for the battles it would bring.

When Charlotte was just 2 months old, I was out running some errands and stopped by Starbucks. I had cut back significantly on caffeine while pregnant, and now that Charlotte was acclimating to life on the outside, I was excited to get back to drinking more of my favorite caffeinated beverages. I strapped her in the ergo carrier and went into the Starbucks near my house. I ordered a Grande Cold Brew Iced Coffee. This was a relatively new coffee drink to me, and I loved it because it wasn't as bitter as regular coffee. A nice refreshing drink for hot summer days with some caffeine to help me perk up from sleepless nights with a new baby. "You know, that has a lot of caffeine in it." The barista told me. "That's not good for your baby." I took no hesitation in shooting right back, "Why don't you worry about my coffee, and I'll worry about my baby." I couldn't believe this person had the audacity to make so many assumptions, and to judge me based on those. Yes I was breastfeeding, but he didn't know that. And he also apparently did not know that mother's milk only contains 0.06-1.5% of the dose of caffeine that a mom ingests. And this is where my battles began.

Starbucks baristas were not the only ones judging my caffeine intake. Later on one of my rotations I asked a fellow if I could go pump, and she eyed my coffee cup before letting me go. "Is that coffee??" she asked. "Well, it was," I said, looking at my empty mug. "WELL, I couldn't drink coffee with MY baby. Whenever I drank coffee, he wouldn't sleep. Does your baby have sleep problems?" She stared at me over her glasses. It was then I learned that this judgement wasn't based on socioeconomic class, occupation, gender, or anything else. Here was another mom who was a doctor, telling me what she thought about how I feed my child.

While checking in on one of my rotations after maternity leave, I overheard 2 of the administrative workers talking about one of their coworkers. They were complaining about her constant need to take breaks to pump. I stayed out of it, as it was none of my business. The woman called me up for my turn getting computer access, and continued chatting. She turned to me and explained, "our coworker just had a baby, but WE'RE paying for it." Then she asked if I had any kids and if I breastfed them. Yup! I told her about my baby. She was intrigued and asked how often I needed to pump. Every 3-4 hours I told her. "OH REALLY??" She was shocked. She couldn't believe that these breaks every 3-4 hours were legitimate.

I saved the best (worst?) story for last. This one was brought to me by another breastfeeding, military officer, mom. She knocked on the door while I was pumping. “occupied” I said. “I need you to open this door right now.” She demanded. “I’m sorry I’m pumping right now.” “Open the door” she demanded repeatedly. “I’m pumping right now, there’s another room like this right above this one” She persisted. Repeatedly demanding I open the door. She told me she had to pump before she went to class and that I was being ridiculous. Next thing I know security is knocking on the door and asking if I have a baby in there. What?? No I’m hooked up to a pump, half naked and trying to make milk for my child. I finished up as fast as I could and left the room. Security caught me in the bathroom, outside the pump room, demanded to know my name while I rinsed off my pump parts. They were narrating my every move to someone on the other end of the phone. They followed me outside until tears welled in my eyes as they interrogated me. Once they realized I was upset they let me go, but I couldn't believe what this other mom had just done to me. Federal law requires a pumping space to be free from intrusion. This was the definition of intrusion. As a result, a signup sheet is now posted on the door. I'm not sure that solves the issue, but at the same time wasn't really sure what I wanted to come of it. A cultural shift was probably too much to ask.Charlotte is now 1 year old and drinks cow's milk, a drink that's much easier to come by. If she's anything like her momma she will continue loving cow's milk for life! More about her birthday up next. :)