Investigated For Abuse & Neglect For Refusing Formula...
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I came across this heartbreaking story that was shared to my page. A parents worst nightmare, getting investigated by CPS for doing what she knew was the best for her baby. For fighting for her right to breastfeed her son. This sort of thing happens too often and it's not okay. Moms being bullied into supplementing with formula or making them doubt their own ability to nourish their baby with breastmilk. Here is her story-
I share this story, not only to vent, but to put this out there in hopes to help someone else. During this last month, we have found that NUMEROUS people have experienced the same thing that happened to us, and it must come to an end.
We have been, and are still, being investigated by Child Protective Services since July 14th for "Abuse, and Neglect". Yes, you heard that correctly, ABUSE AND NEGLECT. During my daughter, Niki's stay at Halifax Hospital when she had her son Luke, they were very forcefully trying to make her formula feed Luke, she had chosen to breastfeed. They bullied her incessantly, tried telling her that she was "starving her baby", he was "losing too much weight, it was unhealthy", told her that he was "11% below his birth weight" - which was totally incorrect. 9.2 oz when he was born, 8.3 ounces when we left the hospital AMA (against medical advice). DO THE MATH, he was less then 9% below birth weight, which is TOTALLY normal. A mother's milk does not even come in until the 3rd - the 5th day AFTER the baby is born. She held her ground, with my unconditional support, and would not be bullied into formula feeding her baby. At one point during her stay, she was nursing, the Pediatrician came in (this happened on 3 separate occasions) EACH time, they removed the baby FROM her breast, WHILE he was nursing to examine him. Making horrible comments to a crying baby "awww, what's the matter, are you hungry? Is mommy not feeding you?" REALLY!?!??!
We knew that it he was in healthy limits of weight loss, we knew that her milk hadn't come in, we knew that at 2 weeks postpartum he needed to be AT his birth weight. We were CONFIDENT that we were making the right choice, and refused to be bullied.
We left the hospital on Saturday morning AMA, my daughter was discharged, but they wanted to keep the baby, we said HELL no. Luke left with us. I told the nurse that I would be filing a complaint with the licensing division against the Dr. and her residents. As well as filing complaints about our stay at Hellifax! She agreed with us that we were doing the right thing. Our Midwife supported us.... so we left.
Four days later, on Wednesday, we went to the Midwife to have her staples removed. WHILE there, we received a call from CPS that Halifax Hospital had filed a complaint, alleging abuse and neglect, and needed to meet us at my house. (They didn't call for FOUR days!) Such an "urgent" situation, yet the hospital waited to report for 4 days!
Our first visit was rather great actually, she stated that she knew she didn't need to be there, it was a waste of her time, and she sincerely apologized to us for the inconvenience, and would have the case closed as "Patently Unfounded".
At Luke's 2 week check up, on July 24th, he weighed in at 9.5 oz, was "above average" in weight, length and head size. We were told that he was "PERFECT" and that Mom was doing a GREAT job. I asked the Pediatrician about a baby losing weight at birth, and he said it was PERFECTLY normal until the mother's milk came in!
Our case was NOT closed as "Patently Unfounded" We were told that a Doctor TRUMPS a midwife, and we should have listened to the Doctor. This was NOT our Pediatrician, she was ASSIGNED to us at the hospital. That we were being investigated for neglect and abuse. And that we had to take Luke to Child Protective Services and have him examined by their Doctor.
TODAY, we had that appointment. After all was said and done, a million questions asked and answered..... it was determined that this entire situation was a waste of their time, that they couldn't believe this had happened to us, and upon leaving the facility, the investigator told my daughter, "I'm glad you stood your ground, you continue to do what's right for your baby." Luke weighed in today at 10 lbs 3 oz and 22 1/2" long!!! I'd say he is growing JUST FINE!
There is still a possibility that this "case" will remain open for the next 30 days, as they have to leave a case open for 60 days.....
This has been a very trying time, and a very emotionally draining time. During all our joy of having a new baby, it was constantly clouded by being "watched", "monitored", "questioned", and the "surprise visits" to our home. It's not a lot of fun having your entire life opened up, investigated, back ground checked, house inspections..... it's invasive, embarrassing, humbling, and frustrating as hell! I know they HAVE to investigate, trust me... I am well aware how horrible their jobs must be. I do NOT blame the investigators for doing their job, although I do think it was taken too far. I blame the hospital for being so incompetent, unsupportive, and vindictive.
I guess through all of this, I've learned, yet again... that God does not KEEP us from the fire, but he holds us as we walk through it. When we stand up for what we believe in, and we do what's right, we come out, unharmed, on the other side. A little wiser, a little stronger, a little more confident, and a lot more determined. Being a MOM, means you are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to do what is BEST for your baby!!
Mom Shamed At Victoria's Secret For Breastfeeding...
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Farah Soomro, mom of two was told to quit breastfeeding at a Victoria's Secret at the Summerlin Downtown Mall in Las Vegas, because it was making the other guests uncomfortable. The law states that a woman is allowed to breastfeed in public wherever she is otherwise authorized to be, Farah, luckily is aware of that law which is why she did not comply willingly with the employees request.
Farah, was doing some back to school shopping with her younger siblings who were so excited about entering a Victoria's Secret along with her younger daughter and 4 month old son. As they were shopping her son Myles was ready to eat so she pulled down half her shirt and latched him on to feed him. Right then an employee started walking towards her and she is thinking she was going to be told that they were being too loud or that her daughter cannot touch the merchandise, but to her surprise the employee said,
"Ma’am do you mind doing that outside the store? You are making couple of our guests uncomfortable, its inappropriate."
All Farah could respond with was, "Excuse me?" She was perplexed.
The employee then advised her to use the bathroom.
"My jaw hit the floor, I had heard stories of women being told to feed their babies in bathroom, but now I was living it. I refused of course," Farah said.
This happened right in front of her younger siblings she had with her who are 12 & 14 she did not want to leave without some sort of apology she did not want her siblings thinking this sort of treatment is okay. She was humiliated at that point as she was getting stares and glares from every corner of the store. She demanded to speak with the manager, but it only seemed as if the manager said whatever she needed to say and gave a halfhearted apology, to shut Farah up and get her to leave. The manager did not even ask which employee it was that requested her to stop breastfeeding.
Farah does not feel like they rectified the situation at all. Not only did the employee discriminate against her for breastfeeding, but she insulted her by telling her that it was inappropriate and shamed her in front of the whole store and her family. This kind of horrible treatment happens to breastfeeding moms every single day and it is not okay.
Farah, has reached out to corporate, but has not received a call back yet. She will update me as the story unfolds.
This is not the first time an employee at Victoria's Secret has shamed a mom for breastfeeding. Back in January 2014 a Texas Mom was told by a Victoria's Secret employee that she was not allowed to nurse in their store. It seems as though Victoria's Secret employees need a lesson on the laws that protect public breastfeeding. You can read more on that story - (Here)
A Nurse In is being planned and scheduled to happen, August 15, 2015 at 5 P.M. Location is at the Victoria's Secret on Festival Plaza. Click (HERE) To join the nurse In event on Facebook.
*UPDATE* Victoria's Secret made contact with Farah here are the details of the conversation..
After Farah's story started getting spread around Facebook thanks to everyone for sharing and commenting, she finally received a call from a Victoria's Secret representative by the name of Ginger, who was the same lady who dealt with the mom from Texas who was also asked to leave because she was breastfeeding.
In short Farah was offered a $250 gift card to Victoria's Secret and was told to go back and that she was sure she would have a better experience. Farah's response, "I have no use for the gift card since I will personally not shop there. There isn't anything I can buy, Victoria's Secret do not carry breastfeeding bras."
The Victoria's Secret representative said they were in the process of testing out nursing bras. I cannot confirm or deny if that is true or not. Farah then suggested that they do a training/educational seminar for the employees and she would like to attend and that was dismissed. It seemed as though the representative just wanted to push the gift card on her to move it along. All Farah wants is assurance that this will not happen to another breastfeeding mom and for the discrimination by their employees be taken seriously. It seems as though it is a common occurrence happening at Victoria's Secret.
Ginger, The Victoria's Secret rep agreed that Farah was not treated fairly, but kept insisting that she return to shop. At this point Farah just wants justice for ALL breastfeeding moms and feels like nothing got accomplished, but more so a band aid on an issue that needs to be addressed. Farah invites anyone in the Las Vegas area to attend the Nurse In on August 15th at 5 P.M. and hopefully they will rectify the situation properly.
Petition asking for Victoria's Secret to add nursing bras to their stores was started after the last incident a breastfeeding mom faced. If you would like to sign it you can find it (HERE) ..
The Places You'll Feed...
/I have discovered a fabulous book by Lauren Hirshfield Belden, mom of two, that combines two aspects of parenthood that some parents know very well -- breastfeeding and Dr. Seuss. "I had joked many times with friends that someone needed write about all the crazy lengths we go to in order to feed our babies," Belden told The Huffington Post. "I guess all that talk ended up on the page." Keep scrolling for a look at The Places You'll Feed, currently for sale on Amazon.
The Places You'll Feed! is a refreshingly honest and hilarious children's book parody designed to bring a humorous dose of reality to the perils and pleasures of feeding a new baby. Inspired by author Lauren Hirshfield Belden's own daunting experience feeding her first daughter, the entertaining verses and unique illustrations truly capture both the familiar and rarely spoken about trials and tribulations of breastfeeding, pumping, and simply getting your little one to eat. Finally, a book that dares to speak the truth about what can be a very humbling experience for many, many moms - and in a style guaranteed to make readers laugh. A book that ultimately celebrates mothers and pays tribute to all the hard work that can go into nursing a new baby.
Ultimate Bundle Giveaway !
/Happy world breastfeeding week! To celebrate we are giving away $275 in prizes to three lucky winners!
Fairhaven Health is giving away their Milk Saver, Milkies Freeze, 2 Softies Nursing Pads, Milk Trays, 3 bottles of nursing blend, 3 bags of Nursing Time Tea, & 2 Nipple Balms. Now each winner will receive all that plus ...
Bessie's Best: Lactation Cookies is giving away a pound of their lactation granola and a dozen lactation cookies plus....
The Vintage Honey Shop is giving each winner $35 to spend in their shop!
How amazing is that? Just make sure to follow the entry rules and confirm on the form below!
Softies Nursing Pads Review
/By: Charlene Chambers
Milkies Softies Nursing Pads are a great environmentally friendly option for mothers looking to protect their clothes from inevitable leaks. They come six to a pack and can be thrown in with whatever load of laundry I have in. These pads hold true to their name and are super soft against the skin.
Made of three layers, the bamboo and rayon provides soft comfort and wicks away the moisture quickly, the microfiber easily absorbs, and the outer layer protects your clothing. After seeing there was no leakage, I wanted to test this further and so soaked the top of the pad with water and not a drop leaked through. The pads are thin and not bulky at all. I have found that other nursing pads tend to get lumpy after being washed, but these pads retain their original form perfectly.
I have zero complaints about this product and am completely confident I will not leak. I no longer have to fear crying babies in public! A must have for nursing mothers.
You can find the Milkies Nursing Pads by clicking on any of the pictures in this review!
