Lyns- just a quick question- the letter specifically mentions protection if the baby is less than 6 months..so what does that mean if baby is over 6 months.
Also, I'm just curious- you said mommas milk saved your baby- would you mind telling your story again or tell me where to find it...I love wonderful stories like that!
Hi Ragirl, Lauren-Kate has picked up the legislation perfectly a couple of posts above this. There is a specific law protecting the right to bf under 6 months but above 6 months mothers and babies are protected as part of a wider legislation...ie discrimination.
My story, or rather my daughters is a long one. But in a very basic nutshell, she was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer at 6 weeks old. A tumour in her tummy the size of an apple. I had struggeled to breastfed her through the challenges of (a still undivided!) tongue-tie, severe inverted nipples and a general lack of knowledge and initial support, but was lucky that i perservered and found an LC to help.
My daughter, Morgandie, bravely faced a real battle through several rounds of chemo and surgery throughout the first year of her life. Her immune system was reduced to nothing, and the doctors warned us that the real threat probably wasn't the cancer, and that a/ she would probably inevitably contract infection at some point due to the lack of immune system which could be devasting as her body had nothing to fight it with, and b/ being so young, it would be hard for her tiny little body to tolerate anything in the way of food throughout the treatment and weightloss could make her weaker and more susceptible.
With all this in mind, i couldn't think of a more perfect food than my breastmilk....for the following 6 months she shared my antibodies and fought every threat that came her way a lot better than most healthy children. She sailed through coughs and colds....without even needing hospitalisation. She never got anything more serious, despite threats from both chickenpox and measles. The doctors were amazed, as even a slight cold should habe been life-threatening, and she never lost weight. Admittedly, she struggled to put it on at the rate healthy children do, but the doctors were amazed she gained any at all.
16 months on, we have a healthy cancer-free daughter. She has a scans and check ups at Gt Ormond St hospital for sick children every 3 months. We have one next week and I feel sick thinking about it, but the doctors have given her a 90% chance of no further issues and they firmly beleive that she would not have had anywhere near the protection and strength she had if it hadn't have been for me feeding her. This is the very reason I am so passionate about it now an have taken time to train as a bf supporter to help other mum's who want to give the same to their, hopefully healthy, babies.
Sorrry for the hijack.....I'm happy to chat more about this, if it can help or inspire anyone, but if anyone wants to, drop me pm and I'll start a whole new thread wth the full story!
Not you maybe but some women are very rude in yoru face about it (why?) and so what who gives a hoot about it which when a woman is like that its obvious to all around! When a nursing Mum is just feeding her baby relaxed not wanting attention and so on nobody notices ... An example and I hope Helen with twins does not mind me mentioning this last year we had a meet at Chester Zoo Helen & some others were in before us ...we found them amoung soooo many people in the eatting/picnic area and I was talking away to her ....15 minutes later I realised she was breastfeeding
I was awwww you know why because I have seen women just whip their boobies out undiscreetly pulling faces.
Your so ugly my son just vomitted.
