Turkey breasts aren't the only news this week!

I continue to stumble across news and blog postings about the recent experience of a woman simply trying to breastfeed her child on a Delta flight.

I am glad this woman's plight is getting lots of coverage - but what I am appalled at are some of the comments and responses. I am not going to list names here, but here are my replies:

1. "I don't want to see an engorged breast and nipple being whipped around when I'm trying to relax on the plane."
   
   OK, first , there is rarely any "whipping around" of breasts during breastfeeding - this is simply anatomically improbable! And two, the view of the breast and nipple is usually blocked by the feeding child and the mother's nursing top. This is not a striptease we're talking here.
   
   
2. "When you board a plane, you are under federal jurisdiction and required to adhere to all requests of the flight crew."
   
   Hmmm - I did not know that flight attendants are now trained to set and uphold federal laws and policies. Have they added legal, constitutional, and law enforcement studies to their training? Asking her to cover her baby and then kicking her off the plane for not doing so was WAY overstepping an appropriate request and response.
   
   
3. "The stewardess was only asking her to hide the baby under a blanket. What's the big deal?"
   
   What if the flight attendant had asked you to eat your dinner while under a blanket? Somehow, I imagine you would refuse as well. Why should a baby be treated with any less dignity?
   
   
4. "They were only on a 50 minute flight - I don't know why she couldn't have waited?"
   
   First - they HAD been waiting - over 3 hours - already. Secondly, an infant's stomach is about as big as a golf ball, and therefore babies can't go very long between meals. And third, unlike adults who can chew gum or pop their ears at take-off and landing, one of the best ways for a baby to accomplish this is via breastfeeding.
   
   Lastly, if she had waited, you would have had a SCREAMING infant on a small commuter plane. I'm sure that would have been so much less offensive to the flight attendant and passengers.

There is a petition you can sign and many mothers' groups are planning "nurse-ins" at Delta check-in desks tomorrow (Tuesday 11/21) nationwide. If interested, I encourage you to show up and support the rights of breastfeeding Moms and children everywhere.