Dear Idiot, You Suck

A few days ago, a radio host in South Carolina went on the air about how she was "disgusted with breastfeeding."  You can read a transcript of the segment here. 

I'm pissed off.  I mean, I am really fucking pissed off.  I believe that everyone can have their own opinions, even if they are ignorant jackasses.  But when you broadcast that opinion to hundreds of thousands of susceptible listeners...  well, I'm really pissed off.  It's the total lack of support from other WOMEN that keeps moms from breastfeeding. 
Anyways, I wrote a letter to the show's program director and I encourage everyone to do the same.  You can find the contact information for both he and the rest of the radio staff here.  I don't care whether you chose to breastfeed or formula feed.  EVERY parent has the right to feed their kids. 

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Dear Mr. McLain:

I am writing to you today over a segment that was aired on the Russ & Lisa Show on July 6th describing Lisa Rollins' lunch at Chick-Fil-A.

I am appalled that you have such a bigot on the air. Over the course of the conversation, Ms. Rollins suggested that breastfeeding mothers:

     1. Nurse in a car, no matter the temperature.

     2. Nurse in a car while the car is moving.

     3. Nurse in a public restroom.

     4. Stay at home.

     5. Feed their baby a bottle rather than nurse.

     6. Leave public areas if the need to nurse arises.

Ms. Rollins then went on to suggest there should be laws against breastfeeding. I would like to point out that South Carolina actually has laws in place to protect nursing mothers from people like her.

S.C. Code Ann. § 63-5-40 (2005):
(A) A woman may breastfeed her child in any location where the mother and her child are authorized to be.
(B) Breastfeeding a child in a location where the mother is authorized to be is not considered to be indecent exposure.

I don't believe I need to point out to you how hot it gets in this state. Should anyone be forced to sit in their car for lunch, even with the air conditioning on? Infants are also more susceptible to heat than adults. Perhaps Ms. Rollins and her daughter should have had lunch in their car.

Nursing a child while a car is in motion is ILLEGAL. Obviously, Ms. Rollins isn't informed of the law, but that's the purpose of a car seat.

Nursing in a public restroom is unsanitary. Even if you assume that the restroom is clean, every time a toilet is flushed, bacteria and feces are sprayed into the air. While this might not make an adult sick, babies have weaker immune systems. Nursing sessions can last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. Is Ms. Rollins really suggesting that a mother sit on a toilet with her child for an hour? What if the mother has other children with her? Should they sit in the restroom while their mom feeds their baby sibling? Or should the mother leave her children unattended? And honestly, when was the last time you ever saw a public restroom you would eat in?

If public nursing offends Ms. Rollins so bad, maybe she should stay at home since again, the rights of breastfeeding mothers are protected by law. The World Health Organization recommends that all children be breastfed for at least two years. Is it fair (or legal) to tell nursing mothers that they can't run errands or eat outside the house for over two years because Ms. Rollins is uncomfortable?

Doctors don't recommend feeding infants from bottles if they are breastfeeding. Artificial nipples on bottles can cause nipple confusion and drinking from a bottle instead of nursing can dramatically affect the mother's milk production.

While Ms. Rollins is entitled to her opinions, her comments are ignorant. Breastfeeding is the number one thing you can do for a child and most mothers aren't doing it -- in part because they have no support. Women are afraid to nurse in public, despite being protected by the law, because of comments like Ms. Rollins made. Your station is broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, and it is discouraging and disappointing to hear her uninformed comments reaching impressionable mothers.

Breastfeeding is recommended by doctors throughout the world. No mother should ever feel ashamed or embarrassed to feed her child. Breastfeeding is normal and it's beautiful.

I believe that Ms. Rollins should issue an apology to all nursing mothers, especially the mother she criticized in Chick-Fil-A as well as inform her listeners of the South Carolina law protecting breastfeeding.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Embry

Yes, They are Boobs

I was a bit early picking Kaelin up from school today.  Harper started fussing so I decided to feed her.  We found a shady spot under a tree near the parking lot and I lifted my shirt.  Harper latched on immediately and I was happily nursing when two other moms came up to me.  Here I was, thinking that maybe they were going to tell me how cute the baby was or some other small talk like that.

Instead…

They not so kindly informed me that breastfeeding was not appropriate in public, especially at a school where the kids might see.

Oh the horror!  You’re kids might actually see how babies were meant to be fed and how they’ve been fed for thousands and thousands of years.

*facepalm*

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.  I mean, these women have children.  They know where babies come from.  What’s the big deal?  It’s not like I was stripping on the playground.  There was barely any skin visible anyways.  So, I turned to the moms, gave them my big PTO Vice President smile and said…

I corupt ur kidz wit my pron

“Yes, they are boobs and yes, they are for feeding babies.  If you don’t like it, put a blanket over your head.”

Okay, so I probably should have been a bit nicer, because when they walked away, I heard the word bitch being tossed around.  Whatever.  It’s not like I haven’t been called that before.  But I guess I really upset them, because when I got home I had a message from the acting principal.  Breastfeeding in public is NOT illegal nor does the school have any right to prohibit me from nursing on school grounds.

SC State Law 63-5-40: Breastfeeding. (A) A woman may breastfeed her child in any location where the mother and her child are authorized to be. (B) Breastfeeding a child in a location where the mother is authorized to be is not considered indecent exposure.

So, yeah.  He asked me to be a bit more discrete and I asked that if parents have a problem with it, kindly tell them not to look.  The subject was dropped yet I don’t imagine I would be reelected for PTO next year (assuming I wasn’t pulling Kaelin’s rear out of this crappy excuse for a school district.)