It is heart-wrenching to know that a family with young children is having
problems sorting out custody and visitation.  Add breastfeeding into the
mix, and the layers of tension and trauma escalate.

This case is NOT about "breastfeeding."  Searching for a "smoking gun"
article about breastfeeding is pointless, because this case involves an
examination by the judge of One Mother, One Father, One Child ... and two
decades' worth of co-parenting that has to be arranged, starting now.   And
the judge is supposed to be considering **the best interests of the child.**

What is needed is an excellent family law lawyer who can really advocate
strongly for this mom.  The lawyer may or may not seek to call "experts" in
the case, in addition to the pediatrician who will be a critical
clinical-and-fact witness.  I think in these cases the more valuable expert
can speak to attachment parenting (of which BFg is but a fleeting part) and
how to provide a safe, stable and secure environment for a co-parented
child.

If the judge will entertain the motion, the child should have a "child
advocate" (lawyer) appointed to protect his interests (tho this rarely
happens in custody/visitation matters).

Certainly strong and well-informed advocacy should occur to explain why a
woman cannot just "sit down and pump" a weekend's worth of milk in a
sitting.  But the facts raised  there should be a time-and-logistics
analysis ... just the way a judge will take into account how long a commute
it is to pick up a child for overnights, or what the parent's working hours
are, or whatever.

Turning this into a focus on breastfeeding, which in the overall scheme of
things ends (while co-parenting never does), simply demonizes
breastfeeding.  It diminishes the more critical analysis of what is in the best
interests of the child. Sadly, most courts do NOT understand the
difference, and opposing counsel (dad's lawyer) will know how to turn that
misimpression to their advantage by attacking the BFg.

-- 
Liz Brooks JD IBCLC FILCA
ILCA President (2012-14)
Wyndmoor, PA, USA
Twitter: @LizBrooksIBCLC
FB: www.facebook.com/LizBrooksIBCLC

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