August 2014 Moms

Breastfeeding in Military Uniforms

RannndiRannndi member
edited May 2014 in August 2014 Moms
Just read this piece on everydayfamily.com, and I was wondering what the opinions are here about it.

I'm mobile right now, and my phone is being dumb, so I'm just copying and pasting the article:

"Once again, women are divided in their opinions concerning breastfeeding. This time around, the debate has taken a new form: Is it appropriate for military mothers to publically breast-feed while in uniform?

Professional, tasteful photos were taken, on an Air Force base, of two servicewomen, shirts unbuttoned while they breast-fed, for posters that were being created for National Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August.

“‘A lot of people are saying it’s a disgrace to the uniform. They’re comparing it to urinating and defecating [while in uniform],’ says Crystal Scott, a military spouse who started Mom2Mom in January as a breast-feeding support group for military moms and ‘anyone related to the base’ at Fairchild AFB outside Spokane, Wash. ‘It’s extremely upsetting. Defecating in public is illegal. Breast-feeding is not.’”

A retired captain in the Marine Corps said,

“I would never nurse in uniform. I took my child to the bathroom or a private office when her nanny brought her to me … Not because I was ashamed of nursing, nor of being a mother. All the guys knew I pumped. The military is not a civilian job. We go to combat and we make life or death decisions, and not just for ourselves but for those we lead. The same reason I would never nurse in uniform is the same reason I do not chew gum, walk and talk on my cell phone, or even run into the store in my utility uniform … We are warfighting professionals. Women before us have worked too hard to earn and retain the respect of their male peers. I don’t want my Marines to look at me any other way than as a Marine. When I am asking them to fly into combat with me and do a dangerous mission, I do not want them to have the mental image of a babe at my breast. I want them to only see me as a Marine.”

Really? Have we taken feminism so far that we can’t even publically show signs of being a woman? If you are at war and you give an order to a man, and instead of following your orders, he stares at your breasts and imagines a baby nursing, we have much bigger issues to address here.

Instead, I choose to agree with another blogger’s comments:

“There is N-O-T-H-I-N-G more authoritative than a strong mother standing tall breastfeeding as she barks orders. It’s AWESOME that you’ve worked so hard to promote breastfeeding, but I think you *might* be selling yourself short.”

I think you can be a Marine and a woman with breasts. Women have breasts. Breasts produce milk. We need to stop over-sexualizing breastfeeding! I think you can be a nursing mother and an authoritative figure in the military too, without compromising your authority. Public breastfeeding, while in uniform, should not be compared to defecating in public!"

Thoughts? Opinions?

ETA: werds r layme

BFP: 12/2/13, EDD: 8/17/13

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Follow MacKenzie and Madison's Journey at randidooley.wordpress.com

Re: Breastfeeding in Military Uniforms

  • BeachMBeachM member
    edited May 2014
    There isn't really a "take your baby to work day" in the military so I'm not sure where this is happening. I can't think of any situation where DH would receive an order from a superior officer while she's breastfeeding.

    I don't think I really understand why this is an issue specifically related to being in uniform.

    ETA: I personally have no problem with the posters. I'll ask DH but I guarantee you his reply will be that he doesn't have time to freak out over stuff like this.
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  • I saw a picture on facebook recently. It's a tribal woman done up in his war paint holding a machete in one hand and her child in the other. Her child was breastfeeding. My question is why do we seem to be the only country who has hangups about breastfeeding. We promote breastfeeding yet we have to do it privately. It's "disgraceful" for a woman in uniform to breastfeed, it's shameful to the uniform. To me it shows a strong, proud woman. One who is ready to serve her country and to make sure her child's needs are taken care of.
    IAmPregnant Ticker}
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  • RannndiRannndi member
    From what I understand, it's more about the honor of the uniform than breastfeeding being disgraceful. Like the article noted, they can't even hang a pen on the outside of their uniform.
    I don't think that's because hanging a pen off of your shirt is disgraceful though.

    Just my added two cents.

    BFP: 12/2/13, EDD: 8/17/13

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    Follow MacKenzie and Madison's Journey at randidooley.wordpress.com

  • BeachMBeachM member
    I know the regs say you have to keep your uniform neat and clean which includes having it buttoned appropriately. So I guess the unbuttoning is the issue? DH has pens in the pockets of his NWU's but would not in his dress uniforms.

    I don't know. Anyone in the military with enough time to worry about this gets the total side eye from me. Hopefully there will be specific regulations allowing BFing in all uniforms and then folks can just deal with it.
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  • RacllaRaclla member
    The problem is that we've sexualized women to this point.

    We can't even perform natural functions anymore.
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  • chase16chase16 member
    I have to agree with a PP.. I have no idea where this breast feeding in uniform is actually occurring.. You don't bring your baby into work.. So I'm not seeing an opportunity for this to happen. Obviously I will pump, but that will happen in a bathroom or quiet room.. I feel like people are over thinking this.

    As far as disgracing the uniform goes, Yea there's a lot you can't do cause it looks unprofessional, such as walk and drink, smoke, eat, or talk on the cell phone.. But I don't think this counts. I dunno, I guess I just fail to see the issue people are making of this on either side. You just don't have your baby around you while you're at work, and after work you take off your uniform. When are you breast feeding in uniform??
  • It's basically making a mountain out of a molehill...and since it's being made such an issue it's somewhat bringing breastfeeding down.

    I myself play to breastfeed. That being said I'll cover up while the LO is eating. I dont plan to escape to a bathroom to breastfeed(unless they have nice chairs)but I'm just uncomfortable poping out a boob in public, especially if young children are around..
    IAmPregnant Ticker}
  • BeachMBeachM member
    edited May 2014
    trawas01 said:



    chase16 said:

    I have to agree with a PP.. I have no idea where this breast feeding in uniform is actually occurring.. You don't bring your baby into work.. So I'm not seeing an opportunity for this to happen. Obviously I will pump, but that will happen in a bathroom or quiet room.. I feel like people are over thinking this.

    As far as disgracing the uniform goes, Yea there's a lot you can't do cause it looks unprofessional, such as walk and drink, smoke, eat, or talk on the cell phone.. But I don't think this counts. I dunno, I guess I just fail to see the issue people are making of this on either side. You just don't have your baby around you while you're at work, and after work you take off your uniform. When are you breast feeding in uniform??

    What if you have a nanny who brings your infant to you on your break?

    What if you pick up your kid from daycare, stop at the store on the way home and baby needs to eat?

    What if your in uniform for a ceremony of some sort, family in attendance and baby needs to nurse before or after?

    I guess I can think of quite a few times it comes up. DH's police department had to deal with this also recently.
    </block quote

    Wait, there are military members who get breaks while working? Where does DH sign up for this job?!?

    ETA: The ridicule over stopping working to chat with your nanny would be 1000 times worse than anything related to BFing. LOL!



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  • chase16chase16 member
    trawas01 said:

    chase16 said:
    I have to agree with a PP.. I have no idea where this breast feeding in uniform is actually occurring.. You don't bring your baby into work.. So I'm not seeing an opportunity for this to happen. Obviously I will pump, but that will happen in a bathroom or quiet room.. I feel like people are over thinking this. As far as disgracing the uniform goes, Yea there's a lot you can't do cause it looks unprofessional, such as walk and drink, smoke, eat, or talk on the cell phone.. But I don't think this counts. I dunno, I guess I just fail to see the issue people are making of this on either side. You just don't have your baby around you while you're at work, and after work you take off your uniform. When are you breast feeding in uniform??
    What if you have a nanny who brings your infant to you on your break?

    What if you pick up your kid from daycare, stop at the store on the way home and baby needs to eat?

    What if your in uniform for a ceremony of some sort, family in attendance and baby needs to nurse before or after?

    I guess I can think of quite a few times it comes up. DH's police department had to deal with this also recently.
    What if you have a nanny who brings your infant to you on your break?
    I don't know many Soldiers who make enough to afford a nanny. If you make that much, you probably are a high ranking officer. In that case.. more power to you??

    Even if you DID have a nanny, who would bring the baby to you to nurse, I can pretty much guarantee that you wouldn't ask them too. It's hard to explain to someone not familiar with the military culture, but it's not your typical job where you have a set lunch hour, and set breaks where you could say "ok, bring me my baby at 1015 and I'll nurse until 1030." There's no guarantee that you even work in an office, and there are many days you might be in the field.

    What if you pick up your kid from daycare, stop at the store on the way home and baby needs to eat?

    Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable plopping down on Aisle 7 in Walmart in civilian clothes and whipping it out with no cover, so I wouldn't do it in uniform either. In both cases, I'd probably go to the rest room or my car and nurse. However, if someone is comfortable with that, in or out of uniform, then I see nothing wrong with it.

    What if your in uniform for a ceremony of some sort, family in attendance and baby needs to nurse before or after?
    This one I can emphatically tell you would NEVER happen. Have you ever been to a military ceremony? First of all, unless you are the person being recognized (unlikely), you are not interacting with guests at all. You are simply there to look good, meaning you stand at the position of attention or parade rest for a minimum of 2 hours. So unless you're pretty damn important (like you're the brigade commander who is either incoming or outgoing), you don't invite your family. Yes, there are some female battalion, brigade, or installation commanders or command sergeants major.. They probably have kids. But you have to understand, again, the culture. If you're that high ranking, you've been in the Army at least 18 or 20 years, and your kids aren't babies. So they probably are at that ceremony, but they aren't breast feeding.

    I'm not saying that there is NEVER a situation where you'd be in uniform and need to breastfeed. But it is really far less common than you'd think. I think a lot of it is understanding the culture, and why certain situations just don't happen (like the ceremony one).
  • chase16chase16 member
    trawas01 said:
    I was definitely thinking of it more in terms of the police department, which while different, is still a similar masculine culture. All of those circumstances have come up with the large city department DH works at.

     I don't think its overwhelmingly common that it would happen either but there shouldn't be a stigma against it either.
    I agree with this. I think it's like anything else. The more common it is, the less it will be stigmatized. I definitely don't think it's a disgrace to the uniform.. it's just not an issue that comes up enough for it to be recognized as something that needs to be addressed. I've been in 8 years and I've never encountered a woman that needed to BF in uniform, or was upset because she felt that she couldn't.
  • RacllaRaclla member
    @Jennicillin‌ that makes a lot of sense.
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    Married April 12
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    Rosco: The most awesome pug ever.
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