Dear Friends:

I had a number of experiences with nursing outside the home that led me to
publish an article "Breastfeeding Discrimination" in Midwifery Today Autumn
1999.

These included being denied employment as a counselor in the new WIC
breastfeeding program because I would be bringing my baby with me. The woman
who interviewed me told me that I wouldn't want to bring my baby to those
dirty clinics (but all the clients would be bringing theirs). Then she said
that no one would take me seriously if I had a baby with me (but I gave a
talk at a local professional association with my baby in arms and got
fabulous feed back on my topic). Then she said that I wouldn't be able to go
from site to site easily (but as the mother of a teen and a new baby, I
often went to many places in one day such as the market and the library and
the school).

Initially invited to be on an expert panel to look at slides of damaged
nipples for a research project, my invitation was revoked by the
nurse-researcher because some of the other panel members (specifically an
old man and a lesbian)  might be offended by my breastfeeding.

I haven't named any names and I will never forget these prominent people.

I lucked out with childbirth education, and was able to bring my nursling
with me to classes all over the city for 6 years, before the director
stopped me, saying that "the other women working can't bring their babies,
so you can't bring yours." I remember wondering "why can't they bring
theirs?"  (I LOVE that website www.babiesatwork.org!!!)

One reason that my country and government puts babies at the bottom of  the
list is that we don't see them. Out of sight, out of mind. So we can keep
polluting the air and water  and earth and selling crappy food and making
breastfeeding difficult because we keep ourselves blind to babies.

Imagine a world where babies are put first. Wow. What a thought! People
would have to be nice to each other and cooperate because that would keep
babies happy. War would have to stop because it is terrible for babies. We
all would be happier.

When one has a mouse in the kitchen, most people try to kill it. "Ugh, dirty
mice get out of my kitchen!" But that mouse takes better care of its babies
than we do..........

warmly,

Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com

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