Earlier this week, photographs of two military moms breastfeeding their children went viral. Washington state-based National Air Guard Members Terran Echegoyen McCabe (nursing her twin daughters) and Christina Luna wanted to show how they nurse in uniform for Mom2Mom's support group. Echegoyen McCabe explained, "I'm proud to be wearing a uniform while breastfeeding. I'm proud of the photo and I hope it encourages other women to know they can breastfeed whether they're active duty, guard or civilian." But the military is not pleased.
The Washington National Guard and Fairchild Air Force Base say the pair were "wrong to be photographed in uniform." National Guard Capt. Keith Kosik said that it's a violation of regulations to use the uniform to promote a civilian cause. However, it's unlikely the women will be reprimanded. In other words, if you're a mommy blogger on the cover of Time, it's okay, but not if you're serving your country.
Mom2Mom founder Crystal Scott told the Daily News, "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... We love our military. We don't want to go against them at all."
And Robyn Roche-Paull, U.S. Navy veteran and lactation consultant who runs Breastfeeding in Combat Boots, told the News that she wishes the military had a policy about breastfeeding in uniform, "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."
