Australia | Encourage breastfeeding in the military

The tiredness of his face is accentuated by the seriousness of his officer’s uniform. The medals are well aligned to the right. On the left, the arm is bare and a baby is drinking from the breast.

Mathieu Perreault
The Press

In June, the Australian War Memorial presented an award to The promotiona painting of a retired soldier depicting an officer breastfeeding.

“I served for 20 years and I was a mother for 10 of those years,” says the author of the painting, Anneke Jamieson, joined in Australia. “My career has followed a different path than I had imagined before having children. When I returned to work after my first birth, I was a very different person and officer. »

The painting was chosen unanimously by the jury for this prize rewarding artistic productions by veterans. “It’s a very powerful image,” says Laura Webster, Artistic Director of the War Memorial. We talk a lot about the challenges of motherhood for professionals, about the balance between work and family life. But it’s even more striking when it’s a soldier. It means a lot to me, because I myself have 5-year-old twins. »

The Biggest Impacts Of Motherhood On Ms. Career^me Jamieson were reducing the time she was then able to devote to her work and to her soldiers.

After returning to work 10 years ago, she chose a position at headquarters (HQ). “I was lucky, I was able to take seven months of maternity leave, and I could drop off my baby at 6:30 a.m. at a friend who took our children to daycare. But when I had to leave at 4:30 p.m., I felt very guilty towards my colleagues who stayed until 6 p.m., 7 p.m. or later. »

For her two other children, Mrs.^me Jamieson took a year off maternity leave and after her last, who is 4, she returned to work three days a week.

Paternity

Doesn’t this dilemma also exist for fathers? “Before our first baby, my husband and I had agreed that we would alternate demanding positions, to advance our two careers. But whenever it was my turn to go back to the front, I let my husband do it and chose a position that allowed me to spend more time with my children. »

Was she in a war zone? “I had a few posts in Afghanistan before my first baby, but not since. My husband has had postings in Afghanistan since, however. »

Her husband is still in the army and she is dedicated to her art. She started painting after the birth of her last child. Her model for the painting was a friend who isn’t in the military, to avoid gossip.

“When I read my artist statement in front of my painting, the day before the opening, I started crying, says M^me Jamieson. Even though I have made peace with motherhood, I still have a twinge in my heart thinking about the military career I dreamed of. »

Breastfeeding clothes and rooms in Canada

Raphaelle Petitjean pointed out to The Press two recent announcements from the Canadian Army. Last year, the Ministry of Defense decreed that each commander must create at least one breastfeeding room per group of 400 employees, so that mothers can express their milk comfortably. And nursing tops, which feature slits under the breasts so you can pump milk without taking off your top like in Anneke Jamieson’s painting, have also been military-approved.