Doctors agree that breastmilk is best for infants, but their own licensing board isn't following doctor's orders. Sophie Currier recently learned that when it comes to supporting breastfeeding, many of our leaders--whether they are in the medical establishment (as in Sophie's case), business sector, or elsewhere--still don't "walk the talk." You see, Sophie was denied breast pumping breaks during her nine hour medical licensing exam. She's not alone. Even in this day and age when the medical evidence is clear that breastfeeding is best for infants, women are regularly denied the time and location to pump.
SUPPORT THE BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION ACT! Sign the Statement of Support for breastfeeding moms everywhere now: "Healthcare professionals inform us that breastfeeding is the best possible way to ensure that babies thrive. In turn, we must ensure that breastfeeding mothers are able to breastfeed, and given the time and environment to pump at work or during other professional obligations." Congress and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) need to hear that breastfeeding must be supported for all moms, and that we support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act which is currently before Congress.
*To sign the Statement of Support for breastfeeding moms, just go to: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/signUp.jsp?key=2614&t=petition.dwt
*Please forward this email to friends!
After you sign the Statement of Support, please forward this email to friends and family so they can sign on as well! Your voice can make a difference: When a subsidiary of Delta Airlines kicked a woman off an airplane for breastfeeding, we sent them a petition with more than 20,000 MomsRising signatures, and shortly afterwards the airline apologized and instituted a new training program for their employees.
STAND WITH SOPHIE, JANEE, AND MOTHERS ACROSS THE NATION! Women like Janee McConnell could also use the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. Janee worked in a grocery store that had a health consciousness she admired. She was such a committed employee that she rose to a management job quickly and was called a "rock star" by the other employees. After her third child was born, she tried to pump at work but there was no private place to go other than a dirty, windowless electrical room. When her milk supply dropped she spoke up but store management was unsympathetic. She resigned from her management position and eventually from the store all together.
Frankly, we all lose when we don't support mothers-- businesses lose excellent employees, infants lose important nutrients, and women lose needed jobs. No mom should have to choose between keeping her job and feeding her baby and protecting her own health.
SHARE YOUR STORY: Many of us mothers know personally what it's like to juggle breastfeeding babies and work. Some of us have also experienced the pain of engorgement and the risk of mastitis when feeding or pumping doesn't occur every few hours. Stories like this are common. You may even have experienced something similar yourself. *Share your story on our blog at: http://www.momsrising.org/node/573
All too often women aren't able to breastfeed their babies even though the American Academy of Pediatrics tells us it's one of the most important things we can do for a child's health. Let's send a strong message together that it's time to "walk the talk" for healthy infants and mothers.
*Don't forget to sign the Statement of Support to tell the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and Congress that we want breastfeeding to be supported for all moms--and to forward this email to friends so they can sign on too. Just click here to sign on now: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/signUp.jsp?key=2614&t=petition.dwt
Best -- Anita, Nanette, Kristin, Mary, Joan, Ashley, Katie, and Donna
P.S. THE LOWDOWN ON THE BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION ACT: Representative Carolyn Maloney's Breastfeeding Promotion Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect breastfeeding by new mothers by providing tax credits to employers who provide a place to breastfeed and/or provide breast pumps. This makes it a lot easier for women who want to give their babies breastmilk and keep their jobs. As you may know, 82% of American women become mothers by the time they are forty-four years old, so this issue is critically important to a large portion of our nation. To read the bill, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2236:
SOURCES:
1. Boston Globe article on Sophie Currier: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/23/board_wont_relent_for_breast_feeding_mother/
2. Data about breastfeeding: http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_BFBenefits.htm See also http://www.aap.org/breastfeeding/
-Your donations make the work of MomsRising possible. To donate today on our new, secure website go to: https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/momsrising/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2156
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Google
This is atrocious!
This is atrocious! For one, the breasts are meant for breast feeding. Not for appreciation pursposes only. With vaccines being filled with viruses, I cannot but assume that there is a major conspiracy here to sideline breast feeding mothers on breast feeding in public.
There should be nothing to be ashamed about and more people need to fight for this issue to be heard in congress.
Outrageous
She is making all of us look like working class heroes. What a brat, She is seriously giving all of us a abd name and that is just a horrible thing to do and should me stopped.
Government should be more
Government should be more benefits for women and treatment, such as providing free medical!
The sophie comment said what
The sophie comment said what you think.
Better quicker than never.
Better quicker than never.
Yep, i agree, its better
Yep, i agree, its better quicker then never. Should be like this.
hookah bars at hookah corner.
Loan modification can be a
Loan modification can be a easy process as long as you prepare yourself with the needed information to go head-to-head with your broker.
Knowing all the details about your loan package will not only save you some heartache but get you the best deal when saving your home.
Google is a great source of information to learn about loan modification and helping you learn as much as you can
sophie currier
this is ridiculous. she is giving all breastfeeding mothers a bad name.
i breast fed four children, worked, went down to the first floor and sat on the floor to nurse a baby during my lunch 1/2 hour. I think it is safe to say that she is a spoiled brat. If you want to do this You need to sacrifice for your child. The child is the most important thing. If you want to be a Marine, the Marines should not be required to allow you to carry your nursing infant in to battle. This is precisely the same thing. Learn to make choices. The world is not your oyster.
MKV Converter can convert
MKV Converter can convert MKV video files to formats for almost any portable device including iPod, iPod touch, iPod video nano, iPhone, Zune, PSP, video capable MP3 players, video capable mobile phones. WMV Converter for Mac
Keeping My Eyes on the Prize- time for pumping for every mom!
I get concerned when I read others' concern that Sophie's being "overaccommodated" because it reveals that we're still in this mindset of "back in the day I walked to school five miles uphill in the snow both ways and you should too," instead of welcoming every bit of progress. I'm hoping to keep the the goal in sight instead of getting confused by the details of Sophie's story!
That goal was and still is-- it is *reasonable* for a breastfeeding mother to get time to pump, period.
Post new comment