When this story first circulated in 2015 it did not get the press or time it deserved. Back then everyone could easily dismiss Trump’s bombastic ridiculous comments as just that, ridiculous. He was a joke, a reality personality and giving him more air time was just encouraging to his propensity for bad behavior–oddly enough that still holds true.
Even in my line of work, I am an MSN/RN Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), I think I may have just briefly commented on what an a$$ he was on my business Facebook fanpage and moved on.
Now…this man is our President and I want to revisit his comment about a professional woman needing to pump her breastmilk for her baby and his response of screaming, “You are disgusting” to her face.
First of all, healthcare professionals around the world recognize that breastmilk provides infants with the optimal nutrition they need to grow and develop and in cases where mothers cannot feed their babies directly at the breast, expressed breastmilk is preferred over formula. The US is known for having inadequate family/maternity leave. The lack of support for working moms is one of the many reasons that breastfeeding rates in our country are so low. Rates of initiation of breastfeeding are increasing, as more families realize how wonderful breastmilk is and strive to meet the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which calls for exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months and continued breastmilk for at least a year. It is the rates of duration that suffer when society does not recognize the importance of maternal/child health. With the debate of breastmilk vs formula long ago decided, many families want to do what is best for their little ones but are unable to overcome the obstacles placed upon them.
The Affordable Care Act enacted Federal workplace guidelines for women returning to work. A copy of the Federal regulations for protection of pumping in the workplace is available here, FLSA Fact Sheet Pumping in workplace. The sad irony is that these regulations would have been cut with the repeal of the ACA and enactment of Trumpcare…
“When it comes to paid leave for new parents, though, the United States is woefully behind the rest of the world. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency, the only other country that doesn’t guarantee paid leave for new mothers is Papua New Guinea, where agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population (1)”
The lack of support for these families is the biggest deterrent to breastfeeding and Donald Trump’s comment to the professional lawyer he was working with is a prime example of that. Here is a brief explanation about what happened:
“Donald Trump had an “absolute meltdown” when a lawyer requested a break from a 2011 deposition to pump breast milk.
Trump seems to be disgusted by womens’ bodies and their functions. Remember when he commented that “There was blood coming out of her eyes…blood coming out of her, where-ever” in his attempt to humiliate Megyn Kelly. This comment was in response to being asked about how he felt about Megyn’s questioning during a debate. Here is a clip:
Trump’s idea of insulting a woman is to talk about her menstrual cycle—what a classy guy.
Mother of 3
Nurse
Colts Neck, NJ
Resources:
- U.S. Dead Last Among Developed Countries When It Comes To Paid Maternity Leave, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ritarubin/2016/04/06/united-states-lags-behind-all-other-developed-countries-when-it-comes-to-paid-maternity-leave/#26d1115d8f15
- Lawyer: Donald Trump called me ‘disgusting’ for request to pump breast milk, http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/politics/trump-breast-pump-statement/
You can’t have a conversation about Trump without talking about his HAIR. He has been clinging to that comb-over his entire life and until recently the unnatural orange-yellow hair color that did not compliment his