Nursing mom not found guilty

[irishprincess71]

The mom pulled over in Ohio for nursing her baby while driving has been found not guilty of child endangerment but found guilty of violating child restraint laws, fleeing a police officer and driving without a valid license.

Not only that but she changed her story. In an interview on CNN she said that she does it all the time in her drive from her house to her mom's (5 hours if she doesn't stop to BF, 7 if she does). During the trial she said that her husband made her BF. Love how she throws the blame to save herself.

I don't know who I am more disgusted with. Her for being a complete idiot or the judge for agreeing with her. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that putting a baby or child in your lap while driving is not only unsafe in terms of impairing driving ability but also in case of an accident. MY GOODNESS they are making laws to prevent driving while talking on a cell phone because they say that it impairs driving and nursing a baby doesn't.

I also can't imagine which would be worse. Getting into an accident with a airbag and having the thing break my baby's neck as it is thrust into my body (airbags have been known to break hands) or not having an airbag and launching my child through the steering column or windshield in an accident.

If she didn't have the time to take care of her child properly and safely then she shouldn't be making the drive.

[LunaMom]

Doesn't it stink that when breastfeeding makes the news, it's often in this form?

This mom obviously has lousy judgment, and it has nothing to do with breastfeeding. I know that the mamas here can separate the issues, but of course the general public will see this as another reason to put down breastfeeding. Can't you hear it, "See? If she was bottle-feeding she could have just handed the baby a bottle in the backseat!"

Grrrrr...

[lilyka]

That sucks.

I was amazed that the mom could be so stupid. but the judge too.:

[~Megan~]

Its a bit OT but I wondered if they gave her a pump to use while she is in prison. If not that poor baby is losing out on her breastmilk and that child needs all the extra IQ points she can get with parents like that.

[noodle4u]

she should be charged with attempted murder. There was a woman not too long ago that killed her child when her airbag deployed whilst she was breastfeeding. The sheer stupidity!

[Happypants]

eeeeerrrrrr i can't BELIEVE it! I though for sure with the judge making the comments that he did during the trial (they're somewhere in another thread) that he wouldn't take her innane comments seriously.

[Elphaba]

from what i understand, the endangerment charge stemmed from being out of the car seat, and since she was found guilty on violating the car seat law, she couldn't be found guilt of the endangerment charge as well. it would be 2 punishments for the same act.
she hasn't been sentenced to jail time yet, and she may not get any. it's probably going to be fines and probation.
also, did you guys read the part where she pulled over, fed the baby a BOTTLE of FORMULA WITH CEREAL, and then decided to nurse while driving? genius. if she had just reversed her actions and pulled over to nurse, and then given the bottle in the car, she wouldn't have had this huge incident.

[Arduinna]

I knew a lawyer that used to BF while driving. She put baby in his seat in front passenger and would lean sideways to get the nip in his mouth while she drove. It takes all kinds :

[Piglet68]

moving this to BF support and advocacy....

[Viola]

I read an article that said the judge didn't charge her with endagerment because the state trooper only saw her holding the baby, not nursing it. So it sounded like the judge was saying if you drive with a baby on your lap, that isn't endagerment--it's only if you breastfeed at the same time. So maybe the judge gave her the lesser charge of having the baby out of the carseat because he could get away with it, or maybe he thought that having to breastfeed while driving would make her driving more erratic and hence more dangerous? It's all confusing.

The whole thing upsets me anyway. Her husband said the judge wanted to know them as people and make sure this kind of thing wouldn't happen again. Ummm, well, of course it will--the mother isn't thinking for herself since she claimed that she had to nurse while driving because her husband ordered it. How will things change?