I saw this article today and had to share and comment...
In Washington, DC, there is a new mom that is having to take LWOP in order to continue breastfeeding her 2nd child. I am a huge proponent of breastfeeding and feel very blessed that I've been so successful in nursing both my kids. I can hardly believe that she is facing this issue as a result of a newer policy in the department apparently meant to keep officers from taking advantage of "illnesses" or "injuries."
The issue is that she cannot wear her bulletproof vest since it does not fit her nursing figure and could cause clogged ducts, pain, and even decreased supply from the compression. She'd served in a desk job capacity right after returning from leave, but then was expected to go back on patrol. Even after an examination by a department doctor and his/her recommendation that she be returned to a desk job, the request was denied and since she just came back from leave and has no vacation time, leave without pay is her only option as long as she plans to continue breastfeeding. That's a long time to go without an income since the AAP recommends breastfeeding for a child's first year (exclusively for the first 6 months). Not to mention it does not do much for recruiting or retention for the department...sheesh.
Anyway, here's the link to the article: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/07/breast-feeding-dc-cop-forced-take-leave-without-pay
That is just wrong. I would fight it if I were her!
ReplyDelete