Breast-feeding moms in uniform photos were out of line: military
The photos became a viral sensation shortly after they were posted on the website BreastfeedinginCombatBoots.com
The Washington Air National Guard says two military moms were out of line when they posed in uniform for a breast-feeding photo shoot.
One of the women who helped organize the controversial campaign said she accepts the decision.
"We're wanting to support moms who are breast-feeding. It was never about the military. It's about the women who wear the uniforms," Crystal Scott, founder of the Mom2Mom support group serving the Fairchild Air Force Base, told the Daily News Friday.
"We love our military. We don't want to go against them at all," she said.
The photos in question were meant to promote World Breast-Feeding Week in August, Scott previously said.
They became a viral sensation shortly after they were posted on the website BreastfeedinginCombatBoots.com.
The images depicted the moms from the Air Force Base outside Spokane, Wash., beaming at their gorgeous babies with the shirts of their fatigues hiked up over their breasts during a feeding.
Mom Terran Echegoyen-McCabe smiles proudly in the snaps as she breastfeeds her 10-month-old twin girls simultaneously.
Guard spokesman Capt. Keith Kosik said the photos were a violation of regulations against using the uniform to promote a civilian cause.
He said the moms are not expected to face disciplinary action but that the incident warranted a formal response for educational purposes.
Neither Echegoyen-McCabe nor the other Airwoman in the photos, Christina Luna, was immediately available for comment.
"I have breast-fed in our lobby, in my car, in the park ... and I pump, usually in the locker room," Echegoyen-McCabe told NBC's Today show. "I'm proud to be wearing a uniform while breast-feeding. I'm proud of the photo and I hope it encourages other women to know they can breast-feed whether they're active duty, guard or civilian."
She said there's no specific policy banning breast-feeding in uniform.
"I think it's something that every military mom who is breast-feeding has done," she said. "I think we do need to be able to breast-feed in uniform and be protected."
Robyn Roche-Paull, author of the book "Breastfeeding in Combat Boots" and the associated website, agreed.
She's been pushing for a clear policy since leaving the U.S. Navy 15 years ago after breast-feeding while on active duty.
"I think these photos have become a wonderful catalyst to get the discussion going. It's still a sticky situation for women in the military. The regulations do not say one way or the other what a mother's rights are. You can read them closely and say, 'Well, her uniform blouse is unbuttoned, so that's out of uniform or not very professional,' But that's super nitpicky," Roche-Paull told The News.
"Frankly, having a bottle and a diaper rag on your shoulder is not very professional either. So there need to be regulations about feeding in general, regardless of bottle or breast," she said. "Breast-feeding is nourishing a child. It keeps them healthy and raises their IQ. To equate it to urinating in public or pornography, I can't even wrap my head around that."
ndillon@nydailynews.com
With News Wire Services
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...line-military-article-1.1088659#ixzz1weLthRg8
http://breastfeedingincombatboots.com/
The photos became a viral sensation shortly after they were posted on the website BreastfeedinginCombatBoots.com
The Washington Air National Guard says two military moms were out of line when they posed in uniform for a breast-feeding photo shoot.
One of the women who helped organize the controversial campaign said she accepts the decision.
"We're wanting to support moms who are breast-feeding. It was never about the military. It's about the women who wear the uniforms," Crystal Scott, founder of the Mom2Mom support group serving the Fairchild Air Force Base, told the Daily News Friday.
"We love our military. We don't want to go against them at all," she said.
The photos in question were meant to promote World Breast-Feeding Week in August, Scott previously said.
They became a viral sensation shortly after they were posted on the website BreastfeedinginCombatBoots.com.
The images depicted the moms from the Air Force Base outside Spokane, Wash., beaming at their gorgeous babies with the shirts of their fatigues hiked up over their breasts during a feeding.
Mom Terran Echegoyen-McCabe smiles proudly in the snaps as she breastfeeds her 10-month-old twin girls simultaneously.
Guard spokesman Capt. Keith Kosik said the photos were a violation of regulations against using the uniform to promote a civilian cause.
He said the moms are not expected to face disciplinary action but that the incident warranted a formal response for educational purposes.
Neither Echegoyen-McCabe nor the other Airwoman in the photos, Christina Luna, was immediately available for comment.
"I have breast-fed in our lobby, in my car, in the park ... and I pump, usually in the locker room," Echegoyen-McCabe told NBC's Today show. "I'm proud to be wearing a uniform while breast-feeding. I'm proud of the photo and I hope it encourages other women to know they can breast-feed whether they're active duty, guard or civilian."
She said there's no specific policy banning breast-feeding in uniform.
"I think it's something that every military mom who is breast-feeding has done," she said. "I think we do need to be able to breast-feed in uniform and be protected."
Robyn Roche-Paull, author of the book "Breastfeeding in Combat Boots" and the associated website, agreed.
She's been pushing for a clear policy since leaving the U.S. Navy 15 years ago after breast-feeding while on active duty.
"I think these photos have become a wonderful catalyst to get the discussion going. It's still a sticky situation for women in the military. The regulations do not say one way or the other what a mother's rights are. You can read them closely and say, 'Well, her uniform blouse is unbuttoned, so that's out of uniform or not very professional,' But that's super nitpicky," Roche-Paull told The News.
"Frankly, having a bottle and a diaper rag on your shoulder is not very professional either. So there need to be regulations about feeding in general, regardless of bottle or breast," she said. "Breast-feeding is nourishing a child. It keeps them healthy and raises their IQ. To equate it to urinating in public or pornography, I can't even wrap my head around that."
ndillon@nydailynews.com
With News Wire Services
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...line-military-article-1.1088659#ixzz1weLthRg8
http://breastfeedingincombatboots.com/
