Did the young Mother rightfully get kick of a commercial flight for nursing her baby?

Question

Gillette, said her troubles began when she and her husband and their almost 2-year-old daughter River were traveling from Vermont to New York. Their flight was delayed three hourst (booked through Delta Air Lines)
The family headed to their seats at the back of the little plane. Mother and daughter took the window seat in the second to last row; River’s dad took the aisle seat. As the plane was getting ready to move, Gillette tucked in next to the window and began to discreetly nurse River.That’s when Gillette noticed the lone flight attendant holding out a blanket, telling Gillette that she needed to cover up.,” she says. “I was being as discreet as possible.” When Gillette refused, Gillette says the flight attendant responded; “You are offending me. You need to cover up.” Gillette refused again. Gillette says the flight attendant huffed off, and returned with a ticket agent, who told the family that they were being thrown off the plane.

One of the copilots followed them out and apologetically explained that he could not overrule the flight attendant’s decision. “He said, ‘I’m sorry. I have two children and my wife stopped breastfeeding at 6 months and breastfeeding a 2 year old is very inappropriate and there’s nothing I can do about this…The same way that I have control over the cockpit, she has control over the passenger area.’” And the flight left for New York without the Gillette's

Answer 1

Why don't mothers put their milk in a bottle while travelling ....Plus a two year old is not a baby anymore they have sharp teeth and i think that a mother who breastfeeds a kid over the age of 10 months is a mother who has mental problems
If i could remember my mother breast feeding me i would be very disturbed....You should not have to remember that sort of thing

Answer 2

Hi Ruth, I assume you meant a 5 and 1/2 month old. I too have a 5 1/2 month old son. Does he kick and arches back when you are breastfeeding. There can be 2 things. 1) May be the milk flow is not good enough and he is getting irritated due to that. 2) He might be having gas. I too have a 5 month old and he normally kicks and arches when i breastfeed him during the evenings. During evenings, the milk flow reduces much. At such times, i give him formula. And, i think it is ok, if he always have only 3 ounces. May be he needs only that much. My son has 4 ounces for each feed ( formula or breast milk) but feeds every 2 hours. It is normal to sleep thru the night or waking up only once. My son sleeps at around 9 PM and wakes up at 5 AM for a feed and then goes back to sleep till 7AM. Babies of this age mostly put everything in their mouth. For my son, anything he can hold directly goes to his mouth. If there is nothing, then of course he has his hand :). I have asked my friends and everyone having a baby of this age has the same problem. Instead of rice cereal or vegetables, try rice water ( boil rice in water and give only the water) or fruit juice ( freshly made at home). He might drink these as it is liquid. Not all babies of this age know to use their tounge to eat. I have just started giving rice water to my son last week. Might start giving him juice or give him some fruit (apple or banana) from next week.

Answer 3

I should politically correctly wish the flight containing such a person as the attendant to crash . However that would not be fair to other people. That idea of throwing a mother off a vehicle for feeding a baby on milk that her breasts were designed to do should never arise in any official's head. where is the offense if a child is breast feeding?

She should sue. and if the judge is at all alive brainwise, she should walk away with huge bucks. There ought to be a campain for a special compartment on planes buses and trains for nursing mothers.

Answer 4

I breastfed my son until he was 14 months old and then he drank from a cup. I totally disagree and am offended at the posters on here that say it is a form of child abuse or that the child was too old. Who are they to judge when a child is ready to be weaned? If the mother and her child were comfortable then it is their choice. And had any of you negative posters stopped to think that apart from a much needed drink, it could also have been a distraction technique to make sure the child was okay with flying or even to lessen the pain of takeoff for the child?

That family should not have been put off that plane and I hope that they take the incident further and sue for taking away that mother and child's human right to breastfeed and be fed. As well as suffer the embarrassment of being hounded off a flight as if what they were doing was dirty or something to be ashamed of.

Answer 5

This attendant was way out of line. She didn't need to stand there watching. The woman has a problem obviously with her own body. As for the age of the child it is not that unusual to nurse a child past two. It is just rarer in this country. I nursed my son till he was 15 months and only stopped at that age because he went cold turkey on me. I had planned to let it go a bit longer and gradually do away with feedings. As for the foolish comment about remembering nursing, how much do you remember about being 2 little or nothing I am sure.

Answer 6

well yes and no. first off, the flight was delayed they do have breast pumps and nursing bottles, she could have chosen that route. the childs age shouldnt matter, that is a personal choice how long a mother and child decide to nurse. the attendant did offer a blanket to the mother anyone who diddnt want to make a big prodution out of the matter would have just taken the blanket and continued nursing and all would have been fine. there are differnt things that should have been done on both the airline attendants part and the mothers.

Answer 7

The flight attendant was wrong to make the family leave the plane and the airline has since apologised.

Breast-feeding is natural and not offensive. It is so important for children's health to encourage breast-feeding that nursing mothers should be given support & encouragement, not given a hard time.

Answer 8

She should be allowed to feed her baby anywhere she is when the baby needs a feed. Humans are such hypocrites. They pretend breasts are for something else. Breasts are for feeding babies - no more, no less. The fascination men have with them is that it takes them back to the time when they were nourished by their mothers and felt totally safe. Even the ones who weren't breast fed! By all means have the madness about breasts that exists but when someone uses them for what nature intended her to, give her a break. She should sue that airline.

PS. To those who said she should have used the blanket: A baby must be comfortable when he is feeding. On a hot aircraft, in alien surroundings, how would he have felt being hidden by a blanket? It would only add to his confusion. The plane was delayed by three hours! The flight attendant was bang out of order.

Answer 9

I think that is horrendous! A mother should have the right to feed her child, of any age, any where she likes. It is a perfectly natural thing. In third world countries children are breast fed for as long as possible out of necessity but it is good for all children. People can be so narrow minded it is unbelievable. Chuck people of who are drunk or having sex but not for feeding a baby. I am outraged that such a thing should happen.

Answer 10

Ohmigod - to all the people who think it is ok to breast feed a two year old in public - has nobody seen Little Britain? Bitty ......? I was in a restaurant once with a woman breast feeding her baby. What was really stomach turning was the old guys with their eyes out on stalks hoping for a flash - eeewwwww. Seriously unpretty. Put them away ladies and feed your kid at home. Bring milk in a bottle for being in public. We don't want to hear that slurping sound (and that's just the old guys folks).

Answer 11

No breastfeeding in public is widely recognized as a women's right.