alcohol and breastfeeding - Page 4

[KMomto2xy]

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie

I don't see anyone assuming she had a drink; many of us are more reacting to the poster who suggested banning alcohol!

Also, pleading guilty means so little. So many people do it because they are told, "You have no chance at winning, but if you plead guilty, you might be able to avoid jail / having your kids taken away." So her plea doesn't influence my opinion of how drunk she was (I have no idea!).

I don't think it's a good idea to get drunk, period, MUCH LESS to care for children while drunk, but there is also a gray area and I think a lot of us would like to know what the law considers as neglect in these circumstances.

Ooooh. I thought people were saying they thought SHE only had a drink. I was quite confused. I'm erring on the side of believing the officer, just because my ex husband is a cop .

Well hopefully people would use common sense as a guide. If you're too drunk to drive, I'd assume you should not be caring for a child, which is even more complicated .

[spicyrock]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=7931777&page=1

In this artice, it makes it sound as though the officers didn't add the charge of negligence until later, after talking to a hospital about whether or not that was a possible charge. That would also explain why they didn't give her a breathalyzer- if it was a charge brought after the fact.

Based on the articles that I have read, it seems like she somehow really got on the wrong side of these cops. She called them there for a domestic dispute case, right? Why is there no mention of any arrest following from that?

It also really bugs me that so much of the bad reporting around this case makes it sound like it is against the law to drink while breastfeeding. And even though I know what sort of headlines sell, it still bothers me that we sacrifice any attempt at journalistic integrity to money in the pockets of the lowest common denominator.

[spicyrock]

Originally Posted by KMomto2xy

Well hopefully people would use common sense as a guide. If you're too drunk to drive, I'd assume you should not be caring for a child, which is even more complicated .

This is a pretty good guideline, I think!

[KMomto2xy]

Originally Posted by spicyrock

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=7931777&page=1

In this artice, it makes it sound as though the officers didn't add the charge of negligence until later, after talking to a hospital about whether or not that was a possible charge. That would also explain why they didn't give her a breathalyzer- if it was a charge brought after the fact.

Based on the articles that I have read, it seems like she somehow really got on the wrong side of these cops. She called them there for a domestic dispute case, right? Why is there no mention of any arrest following from that?

It also really bugs me that so much of the bad reporting around this case makes it sound like it is against the law to drink while breastfeeding. And even though I know what sort of headlines sell, it still bothers me that we sacrifice any attempt at journalistic integrity to money in the pockets of the lowest common denominator.

I'd definitely like to see this annoying OMGZ sensationalist journalism go away. Yes, as a nation we love drama, I do as well, but drama is for TV and gossip columns not news. It wouldn't shock me if she got on the wrong side of a domestic dispute, cops usually really do NOT like dealing with those (especially if someone is intoxicated, which isn't known for a fact in this case). I think my ex would rather do a speed trap or work in the office all day before babysitting a couple of adults!

I do think this is an opportunity to provide some education to the general public that a drink or two is not the most horrible thing a breastfeeding mom can do. But I also think we just generally need far, far more education on the issue in general. I can't tell you how many doctors are hesitant to prescribe anything at all if you're nursing. I've been battling my pdoc for my much-needed ADD meds for a couple of months now. Luckily I finally have my peds blessing, so hopefully I should be able to get back on them next visit . Wow, that was way OT. Sorry!

[EdnaMarie]

Originally Posted by KMomto2xy

Ooooh. I thought people were saying they thought SHE only had a drink. I was quite confused. I'm erring on the side of believing the officer, just because my ex husband is a cop . He's a jerk but he's a jerk with good intentions.

Well hopefully people would use common sense as a guide. If you're too drunk to drive, I'd assume you should not be caring for a child, which is even more complicated .

Good intentions wouldn't do it for me, personally. Here is a woman who may have called the police to help her deal with someone who (regardless of whether we are talking a pattern of abuse) may have been physically intimidating or verbally threatening (domestic issue, right?) and they arrest HER for breastfeeding her baby?

I am prepared to believe the unlikely scenario that she's the demon in this case- falling-down-drunk, calling in with nonsense while her husband did nothing to merit a call to law-enforcement, and then feeding an infant irresponsibly.

But that seems so unlikely. I would never assume it. Most likely, we're talking history of verbal abuse or physical intimidation if not abuse, somewhat drunk (if you are my size, that's two servings of alcohol, by the way!), feeling frightened and needing to comfort a baby that awoke to an argument. A person feeling desperate.

The man might have had many more drinks but being larger (as men usually are) did not come off as drunk.

And then, as very often happens, the cops blame HER.

Not including the breastfeeding, that happens ALL THE TIME.

And frankly, I don't give a hoot whether or not a jerk has good intentions. Both the victim AND the accused deserve to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, and not to have someone try to get back at them through desperate attempts at charges, just because the police don't like them.

Sorry if the police don't like domestic disputes. Get a freaking new career- I pay your salary to keep me safe on the street AND at home! From strangers AND my family! If you don't like that idea, then GET ANOTHER JOB.

[annettemarie]

Just a reminder:

Members may discuss news items in appropriate parenting forums such as breastfeeding items in lactivism, birth related items in the birth forums or chickenpox outbreaks in Health & Healing. However, keep in mind that threads still need to remain on-topic for the forum and should not be about individuals but about the general topic.

With that in mind, we should probably stick to the topic of alcohol and breastfeeding.

Sorry, mamas.

[claddaghmom]

The journalism seems sensational to me too. It does make me suspicious that an actual number wasn't printed. We are relying on the journalist to tell us that she was intoxicated.

I know one thing for sure...I am : about this hitting the media again. I am so tired of going out for a fancy dinner w/ DH and getting looks or rude comments b/c I share an expensive glass of wine w/ him.

As for the question of why I would work so diligently to ensure a drug-free childbirthing process and why I am trying to keep her vaccine free...but still have had a couple drinks this year...I think that question can only be answered if the person asking the question takes a good, honest hour or two to heavily research the topics.

The drugs used in modern childbirthing are NOT comparable to a glass of wine. Furthermore, drugs passing the placental barrier during an important lifecycle event w/ implications for the health of the child is NOT the same as my 7.5 month old possibly nursing while/after I drink a glass of wine.


Same w/ vaccines. Vaccines contain metals, animal DNA/serum and a host of other toxins. Intramuscular injection of these chemicals, viruses and toxins is NOT the same as DD potentially being exposed to the remnants of alcohol in milk.



I hope the mom in the article gets a really good lawyer.

[chase_mommy]

Originally Posted by Multimomma

moderation, yes. but this was a six week old and she was drunk enough to have slurred speech and have trouble walking. That's not a drink or two.

I will say that IF I have one drink you may think that I have had way more than one. This is why I don't drink. Not everyone can handle their alcohol the same.

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie

Also, pleading guilty means so little. So many people do it because they are told, "You have no chance at winning, but if you plead guilty, you might be able to avoid jail / having your kids taken away." So her plea doesn't influence my opinion of how drunk she was (I have no idea!).

I don't think it's a good idea to get drunk, period, MUCH LESS to care for children while drunk, but there is also a gray area and I think a lot of us would like to know what the law considers as neglect in these circumstances.

:

[frontierpsych]

Originally Posted by chase_mommy

I will say that IF I have one drink you may think that I have had way more than one. This is why I don't drink. Not everyone can handle their alcohol the same.

This is true! I am 5' even and just over 100 lbs, and before DS was born I could have 3 or 4 drinks without feeling a thing (no, I was not an alcoholic, nor did I even drink that frequently, I just held my liquor remarkably well for someone my size). Now, for whatever reason, I can feel it after a drink or two, so that's all I ever have.

I don't know what my BAC would be after 1 or 2 beers, but I have no problem nursing my son after a few drinks. I don't drive after I've been drinking, at least for a few hours, so I never worry too much about legal limits while driving. As for parenting, I wouldn't feel comfortable having more than a slight buzz, and I never drink alone while caring for my son.

[tireesix]

I couldn't give a damn how much alcohol was in her system, what she obviously needed was help, not a court case.

Everything I have read says 'obviously intoxicated' but what does that mean? The merriness etc after a couple of drinks.

If she was 'that' drunk and suffering domestic violence did it not occur to anyone that maybe the drunkenness was a result of the violence?

I just find the whole thing so sad.

[demottm]

Was the baby 6 weeks or 6 months?

[BaileyB]

I think any alcohol that would've been passed to the baby would be far better than having its mother taken away from it for up to 5 years. I suspect though that if the cops were called for a domestic disturbance that the mother was probably closer to being WASTED rather than just drunk and the child neglect charge would have to do more with a wasted mother taking care of an infant rather than having anything to do with her BF-ing. All around badly written article.....