Article in the Washington Post - letters needed - Page 3

[rareimer]

why is it that discrimination against nursing mothers and babies is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice? if she was offended by African American people being allowed into Starbucks, she could write any old article she wanted to about it, but i can guarantee that no national newspaper would be PUBLISHING the thing. that sickens me that they would even let garbage like that get to press. shameful.

and for what it's worth, no stranger has the right to tell me to leave my baby at home or strap her in a carseat for an hour just so i can drink a damn coffee.

[kaismom]

Heres mine which I wrote with tears of rage. Excuse me but what the is wrong with this country.

To the editor,

I cannot adequately describe the outrage I felt upon reading the article published in your paper today "Do Me a Favor, Keep a Lid on Your Double Latte" By Roxanne Roberts. I am genuinely disappointed that your paper would print such a harmful and adolescent piece.

Breastfeeding is too vital a matter to be discussed offhand and snipingly in the style section. Countless studies have proven the many health benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child making the decision to nurse not simply a lifestyle issue but a health and medical decision. Sadly, as our low rates of breastfeeding indicate, many mothers in this country still fall prey to the stigma created by outdated, ignorant attitudes such as those put forth by your staff writer and irresponsibly published by your paper.

Breastfeeding in public is not merely a matter of convenience. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, early introduction of bottles or pacifiers can put the breastfeeding relationship at risk, as the baby can develop nipple or bottle confusion, often resulting in the baby not being able to correctly nurse. If this happens, the baby may wean, or have such serious difficulties that the mother may need to seek professional help.

Even the American Medical Association (AMA) advocates breastfeeding in public. In a June 24, 2002 article on Web MD, AMA trustee John Nelson, MD contends that being ousted from a public place because of breastfeeding can "cause emotional upset to the mother and could only discourage a mother from breastfeeding," and that is the last thing the AMA wants. "Given the evidence, I think we have to do everything possible to encourage mothers to breastfeed. That includes allowing them to breastfeed -- discretely -- in public places."

With our country trying desperately to dig ourselves out of our current health crisis with rates of obesity and diabetes frighteningly high, can we afford to launch an assault on the practice of breastfeeding which has been proven to reduce these? Can we honestly consider it appropriate to risk even one child or mother's health to cater to someone's ill-conceived comfort level? Absolutely not.

Ms Roberts, your comments lacked insight and were ultimately reckless. Your comparison of nursing a baby to passing gas and picking ones nose was more akin to the sandbox chatter of four-year-olds than the discourse of a seasoned professional. I hope you and your editors are able to find a way to repair the damage you have done to the perception of breastfeeding.

[e&e's_mama]

Great letters, all!

Mrsdimples-- You crack me up! Awesome letter.

I passed along the info to friends to write letters too. Here is my text.

To Whom It May Concern:

Due to the fact that the Washington Post editors chose to publish "Do Me a Favor, Keep a Lid on Your Double Latte," I will no longer purchase the paper nor use the website as my homepage.

I am a nursing mother who believes in the right of women to nurse where ever they choose. More importantly, I am a nursing mother who will fight aggressively for my child's right to eat anywhere he tells me that he is hungry. I may be at the grocery store, in a restaurant, in a doctor's office, in a park or in a coffeeshop. If my son is hungry and asking to nurse, he will nurse there, in that spot, with me feeling proud about my choice to feed him the healthiest, most appropriate food in the healthiest way for him to receive it: at the breast.

I will not take on the societal baggage of the misconception that breasts are only sexual objects there for the sole sexual enjoyment of men. In fact, the function of breasts is to feed babies. I guarantee people see less breast while I am breastfeeding than they see on the cover of Maxim or the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. If other people are so offended by such a natural, loving, healthy interaction, I refuse to sink to their level by leaving, moving or covering up. My son has the right to eat where ever he is hungry.

Sincerely,
Krista

[carrietorgc]

great letters! I read the positive op ed in the post with interest - they also had an unbiased article reported the actual incident itself.

I was appalled by much of rr's piece, but really had to roll my eyes when she said she "did her time" nursing her children. it's not a jail sentence lady, although it seems like she would like it to be.

[Telepathy]

In discussing this with some friends, a woman said that she didn't have a problem with breastfeeding, but she didn't care to be faced with it in public because it was something intimate.

I just responded that we were not talking about sex in public and that if she did not have a problem with a mom feeding a bottle to her baby, why would it be different if the only thing that changed was what the "bottle" was made of?

[kaismom]

thanks for the info about the op-ed piece. It was good and I feel a little better about the post. I'm still angry that they would let that article run outside of the op-ed.
I agree about her "did her time" comment - so glad I'm not her teenage son I feel sorry for the poor kid.

[Missy]

I was so glad to see this thread here. I read the article yesterday and was furious. Here's my letter:

To the editor:

Roxanne Roberts’ recent article “Do Me a Favor; Keep a Lid on Your Double Latte” was as distasteful as her description of the hypothetical fat man wearing a Speedo. My youngest child has severe multiple food allergies and was diagnosed failure to thrive as a result of the subsequent malabsorption (long story made short). He is now two years old and breastmilk still provides not only needed nutrients and fats but also immunities that have prevented him from getting seriously ill. He has nursed in Ikea, Borders, Home Depot, Target, the Smithsonian, libraries and churches, and countless coffee shops including Starbucks. I will not tell my son that he can’t have milk because it upsets Ms. Roberts’ misplaced sensitivities. Neither am I going to feed him in a bathroom nor try to contain him under a blanket. If Ms. Roberts truly has a problem with my son’s preferred (and, yes, natural!) method of eating, I suggest she take her latte and “delicate sensibilities” to the bathroom. Or I’ll kindly offer her a blanket to put over her head so she doesn’t have to watch.

***
Missy

[Greaseball]

I hate the stupid "Feed the baby before you leave the house" argument. Most of us know that doesn't stop the baby from wanting to eat as soon as you get to where you are going! :LOL

[JaneS]

The Post printed some letters to the Editor on this issue:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Aug13.html

[sntm]

I thought the letters here were so much better! Oh, well, at least they published those first, before the two idiots.

[velcromom]

Well the first page of letters was great but the second.... another person (a man) comparing nursing to "other natural bodily functions" and a mom who says she "always gently tented my son with a light blanket" to be modest.

Umm, ok. First of all we have already firmly established that the comparison of breastfeeding to less pleasant bodily functions like farting is an invalid argument based on distorted thinking.

And mom who 'tented' every time, you must have weaned at 3 months or stopped NIPing then, because every baby I've ever known pulls that silly blanket down the minute they gain control of their hands. Sheesh.

Ok, enough venting! Feeling fiesty this morning I guess!

[Jordansmommy]

Originally Posted by riotkrrn

Thank you, Roxanne Roberts, for showing us that ignorance and misogyny are alive and well, even among self-proclaimed "baby snack bars" ["Do Me a Favor, Keep a Lid on Your Double Latte", Style, Aug. 11]. You seem to have fallen prey to the popular belief that breasts are first and foremost sexual objects; I'm sure the advertising industry would be proud. Fortunately for nursing mothers and their children, the State of Maryland recognizes that your misconceptions are yours to overcome, not mine and certainly not my hungry baby's. I invite you to do us a favor and keep a lid on your uninformed opinions, and I look forward to continuing to breastfeed my daughter whenever and wherever it is in her best interest.

[Lula's Mom]

Originally Posted by velcromom

And mom who 'tented' every time, you must have weaned at 3 months or stopped NIPing then, because every baby I've ever known pulls that silly blanket down the minute they gain control of their hands. Sheesh.

Yeah, that gets a big Did you guys see who wrote that? It was Dr. Laura Schlessinger.