Many of you may have heard of this scandal a few months back. Two women did a photo shoot where they breastfed their babies while in uniform. You can read more about it here. I know it’s old news but I wanted to talk about it since it affects a lot of us not only as mothers but also as military spouses.
I have a hard time picking a stance on this issue. On the one hand I applaud it because I’m currently breastfeeding my almost seven month old son and I hate how there’s such a stigma against breastfeeding nowadays when it’s the most natural thing in the world. Don’t get me started, I could write a whole other blog post about that.
On the other hand the women took pictures while breastfeeding in uniform and in the military there are rules about what you can and can’t do in uniform. You’re not supposed to chew gum, talk on a cell phone, or hold hands with your spouse so what makes breastfeeding any different?
The difference for me is that breastfeeding is providing your child with food. Would they have been as ridiculed if they had done a photo shoot while bottle-feeding their children? Probably not.
I always use a cover when I breastfeed in public. But if my child were hungry and I had no other option I’d whip a boob out in public and feed him. I’m not going to deny my child food in order to make someone else feel comfortable.
I’m not going to say whether I think they should breastfeed in uniform or not. But I will say that they probably shouldn’t have done a photo shoot while doing it. Especially since the photo shoot was for a campaign to bring awareness about breastfeeding and they should have known it would be seen by many people and had the potential to spark controversy. Unless controversy is what they were going for in which case objective achieved.
How do you feel about these women breastfeeding while in uniform?
I think that a woman in uniform shouldn't be shunned for breastfeeding, but I believe you are correct in that they should have some respect for their own uniform and at least cover up. If I had had my child while I was still in I would have at least covered up.