By: Allison Harrison
Lactating service members have gained numerous legislative protections in recent years. These legislative changes reflect successful advocacy and tireless efforts from people like Kelly Quinn, a U.S. Army Reserve Officer and Director of Advocacy for Global Military Lactation Community (Global MilCom). Global MilCom is committed to ongoing advocacy efforts to ensure that our lactating service members are fully supported and protected. As we continue to push forward, it’s important to take in how far we have already come and to recognize the hurdles that previous generations of lactating service members had to overcome when committing to both breastfeeding and serving their country simultaneously.
CPT Jennifer Regan was one of the trailblazing women who paved the way for future lactating service members by example. Thirteen years ago, CPT Regan was working as the NCOIC of ultrasound at Tripler Army Medical in Hawaii when she successfully became pregnant following fertility treatment. She and her husband were elated to find out that they were expecting twins and CPT Regan knew from the beginning that she wanted to breastfeed her daughters. She credits her commitment to breastfeeding being greatly influenced by attending La Leche League meetings as a teen while her mother was nursing a younger sibling. In fact, her experience in supporting her mother at that time sparked an interest in pregnancy, postpartum care, and lactation that guided her career path towards maternal medicine as she entered the Army.
When the twins were born, she immediately started breastfeeding. With the newborns weighing just over five pounds each, the new mother was advised to supplement with formula. Through the support of a lactation consultant, she used a supplemental nursing system to provide formula at the breast until the twins each surpassed their birth weight. She then weaned the twins off formula and relied solely on breastmilk.
One month before her return to work, CPT Regan began pumping to establish a store of breastmilk. At the time, TRICARE did not cover any breastfeeding supplies, so CPT Regan had to purchase her pump, pump supplies, and storage bags out of pocket. When she returned to work, she was able to schedule her pump breaks around the ultrasound schedule. She credits working in obstetrics and the luxury of having a private office for a positive workplace pumping experience, but acknowledges that many others were not as lucky.
Aside from her work hours at the hospital, there were times that her duties as a Soldier made pumping difficult. She would pump in her car on her daily commute to PT, keeping the milk cold in a cooler with ice until she was able to return to her office. She recalls having nowhere to pump when going to the range for a day: “I had to sit at the back of the bus and pump, and then dump the milk, because there was nowhere for me to safely store it.”
CPT Regan originally planned to breastfeed for 12 months, but as their first birthdays approached, she and her twins were still attached to the relationship. She did decide that she was done pumping at work and abruptly stopped, leaving her pump at home. Mastitis made her quickly regret that decision. With help from a lactation consultant she developed a more gradual weaning plan for her pumping, while continuing to nurse in the evenings and on weekends.
CPT Regan’s busy schedule became even more demanding as she added a full-time college program to her full-time work responsibilities. Studying while they nursed, she found that breastfeeding allowed her to have special bonding time with her toddlers that she may otherwise have missed in the midst of her busy schedule.
The twins self-weaned at three years and CPT Regan is confident that nursing her daughters kept them healthy during their early childhood. She says, “The sacrifice, missed socialization at work while I pumped, the time spent pumping and nursing, was all worth it, because I know my children were healthier because of breastfeeding.” She has never regretted her time spent breastfeeding.
CPT Regan currently works in LDRP as an RN at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital at Fort Johnson. When asked what she would tell other active-duty parents considering breastfeeding, she said “Educate yourself and surround yourself with others that are breastfeeding.” She acknowledges that each baby and lactation journey is different but advises that patience through the first month will help the journey be worth it. She encourages all breastfeeding or pumping parents to connect with a trusted support group, pay attention to diaper count, and find comfort in adequate diapers and weight gain. She wants to remind new parents to take care of themselves, rest when they can, eat healthy foods, and stay hydrated. Her final words of advice are to “be unapologetic”. She says breastfeeding is natural and you should never apologize for feeding your child.
Patients that interact with CPT Regan always have wonderful things to say about her kindness and support and often credit her for giving them the initial support they needed after delivery. She is no doubt an asset to new parents and to the Army. Fort Johnson is very lucky to have her.
