Plan B Forum

When 30-year-old Megan Christopherson was removed from the pit at a Brad Paisley concert with her 4-month-old strapped to her chest, police maintained that she could be found liable for child endangerment. But Christopherson is claiming that she was kicked out because she breastfed her child in the crowd.

In the video that Christopherson posted (that has since been taken down), the police officer told her that her being yanked out of the concert had nothing to do with breastfeeding. Rather, they were concerned that the infant could have been crushed in the pit or suffered eardrum injuries as the child, who was peacefully sleeping, was not wearing protective earmuffs. The officer claimed he reported the incident to the DA's office and told her that they would file a Child Protective Services referral if she did not leave the pit area.

Via NBC San Diego:

"The Chula Vista Police Department's involvement in the incident was due to the welfare and safety of the infant and not due to a mother's legal right to breastfeed in public," it said in a statement released Friday.
But Christopherson, her friends, and other concertgoers maintained that security did not approach her until after she started breastfeeding her child because she was making other people uncomfortable. According to a friend, security stood next to her and even photographed her.

"I'm shocked. I'm disgusted at our society that women are shamed into nursing in bathrooms or their cars or feeding their baby a bottle only, because they're scared to nurse in public," she said.

"It was completely a cop-out. They're trying to cover this up because they know they legally can't remove me for nursing," she added.
She also maintains that her daughter was in no danger because they were just listening to country music:

"It's a country concert," she told ABC 10. "I wasn't at a death metal or a rap concert. It's pretty somber at country concerts."

"I trust my motherly instinct that if my baby's ears hurt, she would cry, and then I would move out," she told NBC.

Um, I don't know the first thing about babies, but wouldn't you want to never put your infant child in a position that it would have to cry in pain to let you know that you're doing something wrong? Also, judging by that video, country concerts aren't exactly somber. I respect a mother's right to breastfeed, but having a 4-month-old at a concert without ear protection just seems like a bad idea.

Christopherson opted to leave the venue with her infant, her 8-year-old daughter, and a full refund. She's in the process of hiring legal representation.

"It's a country concert," she told ABC 10. "I wasn't at a death metal or a rap concert. It's pretty somber at country concerts."

Well you won't find many people having a good time there.....

She also maintains that her daughter was in no danger because they were just listening to country music

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Children
Patient Health Information

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports approximately 28 million Americans have lost some or all of their hearing, including 17 in 1,000 children under age 18. Noise exposure is increasingly common in the age of iPods and other personal music players. Overexposure to noise can cause both temporary and permanent hearing loss.

LOUDNESS OF COMMON SOUNDS

30 decibels (dBa) Whisper

60 decibels Normal Conversation

60 - 80 decibels Cars to a close observer

Above 85 decibels Can cause permanent hearing loss

Although 10 million Americans suffer irreversible noise-induced hearing loss, with 30 million more exposed to dangerous noise levels each day, very little has been reported on the risk of such hearing loss in children.

HOW DOES NOISE EXPOSURE CAUSE HEARING LOSS?

Very loud sounds damage the inner ear by damaging the hair cells of the cochlea. When loud sounds are exposed to the ear for a short time, one may experience what's called a temporary threshold shift, or a temporary hearing loss. This hearing loss may be accompanied by tinnitus (a ringing in the ears). One may recover from the temporary loss. But if the ear is exposed to loud sounds over longer periods of time, the hair cells can be permanently damaged, causing permanent sensorineural hearing loss.

SHOULD MP3 PLAYER USE BE LIMITED?

The maximum sound from an iPod Shuffle has been measured at 115 decibels, a level that can cause hearing loss to listeners of all ages. A survey sponsored by the Australian government found that about 25 percent of people using portable stereos had daily noise exposures high enough to cause hearing damage. Further research from the Netherlands reports that 90 percent of adolescents listened to music through earphones on MP3 players, almost half used high-volume settings, and only 7 percent used a noise limiter. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital determined that listening to a portable music player with headphones at 60 percent of their potential volume for one hour a day is relatively safe. The maximum volume limit is adjustable on many current MP3 players.

WHY EARPLUGS ARE IMPORTANT AT CONCERTS

Parents should be aware that various medical studies have found sound levels at rock concerts often to be significantly higher than 85 dBA, with some reports suggesting that sound intensity may reach 90 dBA to as high as 122 dBA.

To experience 85 dBA, listen to an electric shaver or a busy urban street. If levels are maintained at values greater than 85 dBA for long periods of time, this may lead to a significant noise exposure. Frequent concertgoers may experience some potentially irreversible hearing loss from their experience.

A research study, "Incidence of spontaneous hearing threshold shifts during modern concert performances" (Opperman, Reifman, Schlauch, Levine; Otol-HNS 2006, 134:4: 667-673), examined sound intensity throughout a well known concert venue, and the effectiveness of earplugs. The findings stated that sound pressure levels appeared equally hazardous in all parts of the concert hall, regardless of the type of music played. Accordingly, you should use earplugs at every type of musical concert, regardless of your distance to the stage.

A good rule of thumb: When a child accompanies a parent to any activity or location with excessive noise, ear protection should be worn by the entire family.

Sue U wrote:

She also maintains that her daughter was in no danger because they were just listening to country music

Clear evidence that we need a public education program concerning the well-documented dangers of country music, including drinking, gambling, cheating, honky-tonking, heartache and divorce.

oldr_n_wsr wrote:To me, her breast feeding is a secondary distraction.