It is totally amazing to me that in the state of South Carolina, a woman CAN NOT breastfeed her child where she and her child are allowed to be. A mother in SC runs the risk of being fined for indecent exposure if she breast feeds her child outside of her home or outside of a public bathroom. This is just beyond stupid. How do you think children were fed before there was formula? Did your Grandmother or Great-Grandmother hide when she was feeding her children? Do you honestly believe that they stayed inside? I know for a fact that my Great-Grandma Liza held my Uncle Paul (God Rest His Soul) to her breast as she picked corn with her other children (all 13 of them)! I myself fed my daugther in the grocery store and know one knew as she and I were covered.
Ok, time to calm down.
I breast fed Lil GeeChee Girl the first 6 months of her life. Yes, it was difficult. Yes, it was painful at times. However, I am convinced that the nutrition and immunity she received helped her when she suffered from a 4 month long ear infection. Yes, the infection took a long time to heal and required surgery on one ear; however, she did not develop any other infections like her cousin did. Her cousin, who was not breast fed, developed a severe ear infection (it started just like Lil GeeChee Girls) that spread. Lil Cousin went to the MD just like my girl, took similar meds as my girl, and was (and is) loved and was taken care of just as well as my baby. Lil Cousins infections became a massive blood infection that came very close to killing her. Lil Cousin spent 3 weeks in the hospital fighting for her life - and she wasn't but 7 months old. Lil Cousin recovered, but she fought colds, flu, etc., till she was 3 years old. Lil GeeChee Girl had surgery on her ear at 8 months, and has been the picture of health ever since (she's 4 1/2 now). It is a proven fact that breast milk builds immunity in babies, immunity that is so very important in the first year of life.
Let's move into the current century people! There is legislation moving through the SC House of Representative RIGHT NOW! Make Your Voice Heard! South Carolina is one of twelve states that currently does not have any legislation regarding breastfeeding. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are the other eleven.
The bill, HR 4347, has been prefiled. It states:
To amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding section 20-7-97 so as to provide that a woman may breast-feed her child in any location where the mother is authorized to be, and to amend section 16-15-30, relating to the crime of indecent exposure, so as to provide that a woman who breast-feeds her child in public is not engaging in indecent exposure.
You can go to the following sites for more info. I will be posting more on this subject. It is a subject that needs to be talked about - talked about loudly!
http://www.scbac.org
Contact Your Legislature:
http://www.scstatehouse.net/html-pages/housemembersd.html
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