Breast feeding and custody!

[november90]

Any advice or experience on this?

My ex husband is being as vile as ever (I've posted on here a lot 🤦🏼‍♀️). We have a 3 year old and a 14 week old. Eldest was breast fed until he was 17 months and the plan was to do the same with this prior to our split. He's started threatening me with custody all the time and even commented in the past I'm selfish to breast feed. I struggle to express due to my supply and I want to EBF our baby as it's best for him. I am not letting him take that away from our baby. He's never once asked to take the baby out between feeds and sometimes doesn't even acknowledge him when he drops our eldest off so why should he even dictate this!!! Anyway, does anyone have any experience with how a court may handle breast feeding? It's recommended until they're at least 1 and up to 2!

I am going to get some advice from a free solicitor, but I'm super stressed and anxious in the meantime.

I'm so lost with all of this and at a real low. Ex is a complete emotional and finical abuser. I hate the fact he is automatically entitled to 50/50 due to genetics!!!

I don't have any direct experience but I would imagine that similar to other things that NRP are entitle to be involved in he is 100% allowed to have his say and could take it to court if he wanted but ultimately it's likely to be your decision unless there's a good reason why you shouldn't.

He could argue it's affecting contact time I guess, and that if you expressed then he could take baby to his house for a day every now and again but ultimately I don't think that would hold up.

Hopefully somebody has direct experience of contact arrangements for young babies, because I don't know how that's supposed to work. I assume he should be able to spend time with baby if he wants but obviously if you're BFing then he can't really do that very well so there must be a procedure or an age where that changes or becomes more plausible.

I'm not a lawyer so take any legal advice with a grain of salt, hopefully things work out for you. Just stay strong in general, things will work out in the end.

The World Health Organisation recommend breastfeeding for 2 years and beyoned. Check out a few breastfeeding groups on Facebook - they tend to have a fair bit of info in terms of breastfeeding, court and difficult (ex) partners.

He currently doesn't even ask to rake him between feeds... surely he cannot be allowed to one day rock up and stop how he feeds??! 😢

I don't know the answer legally but there will be a difference between now and when baby is weaned.. Many breast fed children will spend the day at nursery.

Ignore the custody part..No one is going to take your baby from you unless you are neglecting them.its just a common threat frommen who think they will get there own way.

Can you stay out the way whilst he visits?He probably enjoys the response