Breastfeeding while driving - Page 2

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by ilovemyavery

Well, if you live in Michigan it is legal

I am glad that Michigan allows people to make their own choices.

[PassionateWriter]

i will support bf'ing anywhere and anyhow but not if it involves putting the child at risk. give me a break!

[vbactivist]

I feel this is less a breastfeeding rights issue, than a parental rights issue. If something terrible happens to the child, then the authorities can go after the mother. Otherwise, I think the government should stay out of parent's business. I certainly wouldn't want the government dictating how I parent, ie...must vaccinate or put my children in school.

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

I am bothered by the fact taht she was on the phone. I think nursing while driving isn't always the best choice, but I certainly don't want laws against it. I think it should be up to each person to decide if they need to do so. It's all about weighing the risks versus the benefits. Maybe she was going very slow and for only a short while. Maybe baby was screaming and crying so hard that would have been distracting. HEr other children have to go to school. What if she didn't have anyone else to drive them? Should her kids miss school?

We're not talking about an infant though. The child in the video was clearly at least 18mo. My nephew is probably around the same age and my sister would never take him out of his seat to nurse him, even in the back seat (and I wouldn't allow it in my car either). She waits until we get to wherever we are going or we pull over if its a long trip.

Anyway, the point is, she could have brought the kid a snack - as in, one that doesn't have to operate the vehicle.

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by urchin_grey

We're not talking about an infant though. The child in the video was clearly at least 18mo. My nephew is probably around the same age and my sister would never take him out of his seat to nurse him, even in the back seat (and I wouldn't allow it in my car either). She waits until we get to wherever we are going or we pull over if its a long trip.

Anyway, the point is, she could have brought the kid a snack - as in, one that doesn't have to operate the vehicle.

I agree with your point about the kid being older. She should have brought a snack. I am thinking of my dd at 6 weeks old, who had a heart condition that made too much crying possibly unsafe for her. We still had to go to many doctors appointments. I was blessed to have someone else usually available to drive us (I could sit in the back and lean over her carseat and nurse her) but I do know that there are circumstances in people's lives that cause people to make choices that may seem crazy, but everyone has to weight the risks and benefits for themselves. I do not want the government any more in my parenting than they already are.

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

I feel this is less a breastfeeding rights issue, than a parental rights issue. If something terrible happens to the child, then the authorities can go after the mother. Otherwise, I think the government should stay out of parent's business. I certainly wouldn't want the government dictating how I parent, ie...must vaccinate or put my children in school.

I don't think you can compare those with car seat usage.

There are risks and benefits to vaccinating and risks and benefits to not vaccinating. But what are the risks of using a car seat and what are the benefits of not using a seat? Vaccines alter your child's body and never go away. Carseats don't.

And well, I've always believed that education is a parent's responsibility (whether they trusted someone else to it or not) so I'm probably biased on that one.

[vbactivist]

Originally Posted by urchin_grey

I don't think you can compare those with car seat usage.

There are risks and benefits to vaccinating and risks and benefits to not vaccinating. But what are the risks of using a car seat and what are the benefits of not using a seat? Vaccines alter your child's body and never go away. Carseats don't.

And well, I've always believed that education is a parent's responsibility (whether they trusted someone else to it or not) so I'm probably biased on that one.

The risk is of emotional harm to your child left in the car seat to cry hysterically. Or, as in my dd's case, if she was left to cry too long, her oxygen saturation levels went way down, and could cause brain damage. And not using a carseat doesn't guarantee harm. There is only harm if you are in an auotmobile accident. nak sorry

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

I agree with your point about the kid being older. She should have brought a snack. I am thinking of my dd at 6 weeks old, who had a heart condition that made too much crying possibly unsafe for her. We still had to go to many doctors appointments. I was blessed to have someone else usually available to drive us (I could sit in the back and lean over her carseat and nurse her) but I do know that there are circumstances in people's lives that cause people to make choices that may seem crazy, but everyone has to weight the risks and benefits for themselves. I do not want the government any more in my parenting than they already are.

Yep, I can totally understand your situation. In this instance, there actually IS some benefit to feeding your daughter ASAP. I can see where the benefits way outweigh the risks here.

This woman didn't say anything about medical need though, all she said was "if my child is hungry, I'm going to feed my child". So in her case, I'm going to assume that the risks WAY outweigh the benefits here. Especially considering that she implied that she does it often and while on the phone, no less.

[Limabean1975]

Originally Posted by ilovemyavery

Well, if you live in Michigan it is legal... Yes, we have a nursing exemption. So she should just move here and then she can drive and nurse whenever she likes.

WHAAAAT? For real?

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

The risk is of emotional harm to your child left in the car seat to cry hysterically. Or, as in my dd's case, if she was left to cry too long, her oxygen saturation levels went way down, and could cause brain damage. And not using a carseat doesn't guarantee harm. There is only harm if you are in an auotmobile accident. nak sorry

She still could have pulled over. And like I said, this isn't just about a mom needing to BF. She was also on the phone while her child was out of her seat, which just screams negligent to me. She obviously wasn't even thinking about the risks.

And I know not using a seat doesn't guarantee harm! I totally agree there because I hate when people use the same reasoning for NOT using one ("I never used a seat and I'm okay") but if you never used a seat and never got into an accident, of course you'd be okay. And again, if you are on the phone, driving, and nursing all at once, I would think you'd be more likely to cause an accident than anyone else. So this is different than you sitting in the back seat nursing your babe that needs to be nursed NOW, kwim?

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

I agree with your point about the kid being older. She should have brought a snack. I am thinking of my dd at 6 weeks old, who had a heart condition that made too much crying possibly unsafe for her. We still had to go to many doctors appointments. I was blessed to have someone else usually available to drive us (I could sit in the back and lean over her carseat and nurse her) but I do know that there are circumstances in people's lives that cause people to make choices that may seem crazy, but everyone has to weight the risks and benefits for themselves. I do not want the government any more in my parenting than they already are.

I have been in the same position, my son was born with a heart defect. I would pull over or stay at my appointments longer to appease him so we could leave. The hospital had a very nice courtyard where I could sit and nurse him while I read.

Driving while nursing isn't safe at all. The danger is blunt force trauma from the air bag. It is a well-known *fact* that most accidents occur close to home.

We do have to measure and weigh parenting choices and consider safety.

I wouldn't be here at all to even be posting this if it wasn't for a seatbelt.

I certainly did not plan for another driver to fall asleep at the wheel and crash into me in the middle of a saturday afternoon and had I been nursing my child would be dead.

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by abimommy

I wouldn't be here at all to even be posting this if it wasn't for a seatbelt.

Me neither! :

Originally Posted by abimommy

I certainly did not plan for another driver to fall asleep at the wheel and crash into me in the middle of a saturday afternoon.

Yep, and I didn't plan for someone to take a chance and pull out into an intersection even though his window's were fogged up. Luckily for me, it was way pre-baby (I was 17) but they had a baby in their backseat - in a car seat, but installed improperly. I had jumped out of my car and ran to theirs because I could see the guy was covered in blood. The mom asked me to get the baby and when I opened the back door, his seat was tipped completely over. He was okay though and bet that if he wasn't in a seat at all, he'd probably have looked more like his dad did, or worse. Anyway that incident is one of the many reasons I'm so nuts about car seats.

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

I am glad that Michigan allows people to make their own choices.

I'm not following here - how is it a good thing that a woman can legally breastfeed her child while operating a motor vehicle with her child's head just millimeters from an extremely powerful airbag

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by urchin_grey

Yep, and I didn't plan for someone to take a chance and pull out into an intersection even though his window's were fogged up. Luckily for me, it was way pre-baby (I was 17) but they had a baby in their backseat - a car seat, but installed improperly. I had jumped out of my car and ran to theirs because I could see the guy was covered in blood. The mom asked me to get the baby and when I opened the back door, his seat was tipped completely over. He was okay though and bet that if he wasn't in a seat at all, he'd probably have looked more like his dad did, or worse. Anyway that incident is one of the many reasons I'm so nuts about car seats.

Yep, me too.

I am also very stringent about seatbelts to EVERYYOOONNNEEE. Dd and I were in the car with my dad once and he hadn't bucked. Abi and I had a long conversation about how much she is going to miss her poppa because he won't wear a seatbelt.

He was irritated at the manipulation but he buckled.

[mama2beans]

Originally Posted by vbactivist

The risk is of emotional harm to your child left in the car seat to cry hysterically. Or, as in my dd's case, if she was left to cry too long, her oxygen saturation levels went way down, and could cause brain damage. And not using a carseat doesn't guarantee harm. There is only harm if you are in an auotmobile accident. nak sorry

So what you're really saying is her need to be on time is more important then the safety of her child. Instead of stopping the vehicle and unbuckling the child in the safety of a stopped car to nurse because of hysterical crying or medical necessity or whatever, the need to be on time was more important, so the childs safety can be compromised in order to nurse and drive.

I don't think so.

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by TCMoulton

I'm not following here - how is it a good thing that a woman can legally breastfeed her child while operating a motor vehicle with her child's head just millimeters from an extremely powerful airbag

I don't get it either. I know people are all for parental choice (and I am too), but it goes both ways, ya know? Should we just abolish all car seat laws? Stop fighting to outlaw RIC? Give parents the go ahead to beat their children? Give children back to druggies that don't feed them? There is parental choice, but then there is also the rights of the child. And it is a child's right to be safe while in a vehicle driving down a public street. Because I mean, if you wanna get that technical - it may be her car and her child, but that highway she was on doesn't belong to her.

[EviesMom]

So... I'm wondering how she was caught exactly. I mean, the speed of a car and the angles makes it seem really unlikely to me that someone could have even seen her nursing if she were on the road. I wonder if she was NOT driving but was idling in the parking lot of the kids school or something? Stopped, brake on, engine running. I could see nursing in that situation, though I don't think I have. And I could see it being thought legally to be "driving" because the car is on. I just read the article though, is there a video or more info somewhere?

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by EviesMom

So... I'm wondering how she was caught exactly. I mean, the speed of a car and the angles makes it seem really unlikely to me that someone could have even seen her nursing if she were on the road. I wonder if she was NOT driving but was idling in the parking lot of the kids school or something? Stopped, brake on, engine running. I could see nursing in that situation, though I don't think I have. And I could see it being thought legally to be "driving" because the car is on. I just read the article though, is there a video or more info somewhere?

The video I just watched said that someone saw her on the road and called 911. They also claimed that the child's head was ON the steering wheel, so I can imagine it wouldn't be too hard to see a child there when driving along side.

[EviesMom]

Ah, yeah, I just saw the video. It's really weird IMO. How would you get the kid out of the seat, or back into the seat while driving? Did she ask another child to get her in and out of the seat? Did she start out with the kid on her lap and figured they weren't going far? I think that little girl is about DS age, 16 months, not 2; I don't imagine she could do the straps herself.

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by EviesMom

Ah, yeah, I just saw the video. It's really weird IMO. How would you get the kid out of the seat, or back into the seat while driving? Did she ask another child to get her in and out of the seat? Did she start out with the kid on her lap and figured they weren't going far? I think that little girl is about DS age, 16 months, not 2; I don't imagine she could do the straps herself.

I seriously doubt it. My nephew is 18mo and he can't even get IN the seat properly by himself, much less get the straps around his arms and buckle or unbuckle. Hell, my almost 4yo can't even do that and he has the same seat as my nephew.