I will second what Barbara and Diana have already stated.

The military is not like other jobs...when you sign or take that oath to
defend your country you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.
While in the military you do not have Œemployee¹ rights like other civilian
jobs.  This isn't like jury duty! And, I am sorry Morgan...but the military
is NOT going to look at this as a human rights issue or a Œbaby¹ first
issue.  This is strictly about a binding contract that this mother signed to
defend her country and to follow the orders that she is given.

I hate to sound cold-hearted but this mother really needs to suck it up and
do her job...which is to go to her training.  With the amount of time that
she has until her training, she can certainly pump and build up a large
stockpile of milk before the training.  She should start talking with her
chain of command NOW to request time and a place to pump while at the
training.  Even if she will be in the field she can still pump while gone.
She may or may not have a way to store the milk while gone, but it will
allow her to keep her milk supply intact.  3 weeks of training is doable and
she can return to breastfeeding when she gets back.  As Barbara said, her
baby may be a bit perplexed at first, but most babies will quickly return to
the breast after an absence.

It wouldn¹t hurt for her to take in the policy statements of the other
services (I can send those to you privately Senecca).  They give guidance
and clearly outline the need for a place and time to pump.  Unfortunately
this is a training she is going to, not a deployment, which she would be
exempt from, given that her baby is less than 6 months old. All the services
have at least a 6 month deferment from deployment, but trainings do not
qualify for deferment.  This mother needs to focus her energies on building
her supply up and her freezer stash, talking with her chain of command about
when and how she can pump while gone and look into how she might ship her
milk back home (if she can).  She needs to STOP looking for a way out of
going and START looking at how to make it possible to pump and provide her
milk while she gone to her MANDATORY training.

I have worked with, and during the course of writing my book, come across
some amazing stories of women who managed against huge odds to continue
breastfeeding and pumping milk for their babies while deployed.  If a mom
can deploy to Afghanistan for 4 months and ship her milk home while in a
combat situation, than this mom can certainly figure out how pump for a 3
week training.  Where there is a will there is a way.

Please don¹t make breastfeeding an excuse to not have her fulfill her
military duties.  There is too much of a stigma for women in the military as
it is that we are fighting (to be treated as equals).  As Barbara said, she
freely enlisted and she knew while pregnant that this might happen.  She had
a chance to get out of the military while pregnant and chose not to.  So now
she needs to fulfill her obligation.  And breastfeeding IS doable while in
the military...it just takes some creativity and a lot of perseverance.



Sincerely,

Robyn Roche-Paull
BS, IBCLC
US Navy Veteran 1991-1997
Author and Founder ~ Breastfeeding in Combat Boots

Visit us at: http://www.breastfeedingincombatboots.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/breastfeedingincombatboots
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]



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