Dear Lactnetters -
I write this as a nursing mother, not necessarily as a CDC employee...
Like everyone else, I am dumbfounded and appalled with the
Continental/Montreal story, and incredibly saddened. That the other
passenger had to make such an effort to confront the mother is pathetic on
so many levels. I had to laugh as I read it because my first thought was
that she was changing the diaper *and* nursing at the same time! :) I
thought I was the only one who does that.
I feel compelled to post that I have flown with my nurslings on many many
occasions, both on business and 'pleasure' flights, and never once have I
had any trouble. In fact, on more than one occasion I have had flight
attendants (and other passengers!) THANK me for nursing my babies because
they end up being the only infants/children on the plane who are in fact not
screaming. I have never covered with anything more than the portion of my
shirt that is lifted for baby access.
On a recent United flight I had a flight attendant approach me (the irony
being that my guard was up as I was sure she was going to ask me to stop
nursing my 2 yo) and whisper in my ear "I wish that baby in the back of the
plane wasn't *bottle feeding*. Those babies are the WORST on the plane!"
I have sat in the 'preferred' Club rooms of US Air, United, and Northwest
while nursing. Each time, someone came almost immediately over to me and
offered to get me a drink and a snack, and smiled kindly.
On a recent Delta flight I was waiting to nurse my son until getting on the
plane (saving the magic qualities for maximum benefit!) and we were
repeatedly delayed. Finally I started nursing him while waiting in line.
The flight attendant saw me and said "my goodness! You don't have to do
that STANDING UP! Someone get her a chair!" and a chair was suddenly
produced for me. When we finally boarded, I was offered first boarding,
while a bottle feeding family behind me was told they needed to wait,
because they no longer boarded families early. It was explained to them
that I needed more time to get situated. (I suppose some could argue they
were trying to get rid of me from the waiting area, but it honestly didn't
feel that way)
On a Midwest Express flight when my daughter was about 3 months old, I was
offered an extra meal and later 3 extra warm chocolate chip cookies! I
laughed when they offered it as I thought they intended it for her, I
pointed out she was only a baby and didn't yet eat food. The flight
attendant laughed and said "Oh no dear, its not for the baby! YOU need it,
you need to eat more to make good milk!"
As a relative of 3 flight attendants and 1 commercial pilot, I just wanted
to mention that in my (somewhat extensive, I calculated that my babies have
been on long flights at least 29 times in their short lives) experience,
that kind of treatment of nursing mothers on airplanes is the exception
rather than the norm.
In my four years of continuous nursing I have fed babies in pretty much
every public setting imaginable. The kindness and consideration I have
experienced from airline personnel in relation to my nursing has been truly
memorable. In all honesty, the worst harassment I have ever endured from
nursing my babies is a close tie between a pediatrician who walked in to the
exam room, saw me nursing and exclaimed "He's HOW OLD?! And he still
*breastfeeds*?!?" and sitting in an ER waiting room and being orally
examined head to toe by three children who then burst out laughing and
making sucking noises and yelling "titty titty titty!" I'll take a flight
any day over that!
Katherine Shealy
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