November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, so today La Leche League USA would like to highlight and celebrate the breastfeeding experiences of veterans and military families. To all of the veterans, active service members, and their families reading this article, thank you for your dedication and service to our country.
Military families, although far away from their homes at times, build unique support systems where they move to, and that is especially seen within the breastfeeding community.
Rebecca recounted, “In our case, being so far away from family, I looked to the mothers around me, including active duty military mothers and stay-at-home military spouses, as well as local parents. I asked both first-time and experienced mothers any and all my questions. I realized very early on that I needed a huge support network and was not shy to ask questions. To this day, I am immensely grateful for those women. Early on, two in particular provided examples of when everything goes right and when things go wrong. I held their stories close for those days when things were not ideal for us as a breastfeeding duo.” You can read Rebecca’s story here.
For many veterans and service members, emerging policies are helpful in allowing for time off and protecting breastfeeding, while highlighting its benefits. Department of Defense policies state, “Military policies have been created and updated to ensure our military mothers have the time, resources, and leadership support to breastfeed for six months after birth,” according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christine Bacsa, a DHA-PH Public Health nurse in Aberdeen, Maryland. “The lactation space must be a private space, other than a restroom, with locking capabilities for breastfeeding or to express milk. This space must include a place to sit, a flat surface (other than the floor) to place the pump on, an electrical outlet, a refrigerator to store expressed milk and access to a safe water source within reasonable distance from the lactation space.” You can find similar policies for each branch of the military here.
Leah shared, “After I gave birth, the Air Force gave me six weeks of maternity leave, and I took two additional weeks on top of that. We needed that time to establish a good nursing relationship because breastfeeding got off to a rough start for us. I was committed to giving Eliot only my milk, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. With my local La Leche League Leader’s help, I was able to get past sore and cracked nipples, poor latch, and mastitis. By the time I went back to work, Eliot was breastfeeding like a champ.” You can learn more about Leah’s experiences here.
As a part of a military family, birth and breastfeeding experiences may vary from city to city and hospital to hospital. Finding La Leche League Groups locally in whatever city they may land in can be helpful for military families.
Joanne explained, “I had two births in different parts of Germany during our military time there, three in Pittsburgh, PA, and one in Fort Belvoir, VA. There were major differences in the hospitals. In some of the places where I delivered, the babies were kept in the nursery and were brought to you for feedings only. In Germany, our babies were in our rooms, and we took care of them ourselves. The fathers were not allowed to be in the room, so my husband wasn’t present for any of the children’s births.” You can read Joanne’s story here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these accounts from past submissions to the blog. Veterans who breastfeed are a unique and special group that we should celebrate and honor every day of the year.
Send your stories to New Beginnings editor, Kylie at [email protected]
More resources for military families:
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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Posted: November 11, 2025 by Yael Breimer
Celebrating Military Breastfeeding Families and Veterans
November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, so today La Leche League USA would like to highlight and celebrate the breastfeeding experiences of veterans and military families. To all of the veterans, active service members, and their families reading this article, thank you for your dedication and service to our country.
Rebecca recounted, “In our case, being so far away from family, I looked to the mothers around me, including active duty military mothers and stay-at-home military spouses, as well as local parents. I asked both first-time and experienced mothers any and all my questions. I realized very early on that I needed a huge support network and was not shy to ask questions. To this day, I am immensely grateful for those women. Early on, two in particular provided examples of when everything goes right and when things go wrong. I held their stories close for those days when things were not ideal for us as a breastfeeding duo.” You can read Rebecca’s story here.
For many veterans and service members, emerging policies are helpful in allowing for time off and protecting breastfeeding, while highlighting its benefits. Department of Defense policies state, “Military policies have been created and updated to ensure our military mothers have the time, resources, and leadership support to breastfeed for six months after birth,” according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christine Bacsa, a DHA-PH Public Health nurse in Aberdeen, Maryland. “The lactation space must be a private space, other than a restroom, with locking capabilities for breastfeeding or to express milk. This space must include a place to sit, a flat surface (other than the floor) to place the pump on, an electrical outlet, a refrigerator to store expressed milk and access to a safe water source within reasonable distance from the lactation space.” You can find similar policies for each branch of the military here.
Leah shared, “After I gave birth, the Air Force gave me six weeks of maternity leave, and I took two additional weeks on top of that. We needed that time to establish a good nursing relationship because breastfeeding got off to a rough start for us. I was committed to giving Eliot only my milk, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. With my local La Leche League Leader’s help, I was able to get past sore and cracked nipples, poor latch, and mastitis. By the time I went back to work, Eliot was breastfeeding like a champ.” You can learn more about Leah’s experiences here.
As a part of a military family, birth and breastfeeding experiences may vary from city to city and hospital to hospital. Finding La Leche League Groups locally in whatever city they may land in can be helpful for military families.
Joanne explained, “I had two births in different parts of Germany during our military time there, three in Pittsburgh, PA, and one in Fort Belvoir, VA. There were major differences in the hospitals. In some of the places where I delivered, the babies were kept in the nursery and were brought to you for feedings only. In Germany, our babies were in our rooms, and we took care of them ourselves. The fathers were not allowed to be in the room, so my husband wasn’t present for any of the children’s births.” You can read Joanne’s story here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these accounts from past submissions to the blog. Veterans who breastfeed are a unique and special group that we should celebrate and honor every day of the year.
Send your stories to New Beginnings editor, Kylie at [email protected]
More resources for military families:
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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