Following an extremely public custody battle, HGTV star, Nicole Curtis is speaking out about how breastfeeding mothers are treated in family court by continuing to advocate for their rights despite it being a “scary journey.”
The Rehab Addict star took to Twitter to share a post a year to the date of her custody agreement with ex-husband, Shane Maguire, writing, “A year ago today, I learned that nursing babies have ZERO rights in the eyes of family law. I’m still crusading, trust me on that.”
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A year ago today, I learned that nursing babies have ZERO rights in the eyes of family law. I’m still crusading, trust me on that
— Nicole Curtis (@nicolecurtis) July 7, 2017
According to PEOPLE, Maguire was awarded joint custody of their son, Harper, last summer, while Curtis was still breastfeeding him.
Though he is now 2 years old, Curtis tells The Detroit News that it was a “traumatic” experience, as she “struggled to produce enough milk to supply” her young son for the time he would be out of care.
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“You would think that something so natural was just an automatic right to the baby and to the mother,” the 40-year-old says. “I don’t think courts understand basic scientific logistics of breastfeeding they see it as, just give the baby a bottle.”
Curtis has been very candid about her breastfeeding situation, sharing her experiences with social media, even revealing how her ex treated her during a return custody exchange this past winter.
“Just like that, my little one jumps into my arm and reaches for a breast,” she wrote alongside a snapshot of her breastfeeding Harper. “I sit for a long time in the car when we do these returns while getting screamed at -put your boob away in my driveway. Never a thought that this child just went from their arms screaming for mamma and the ‘boob’… Just counting my blessings that another extended visit is over.”
But according to PEOPLE, Maguire declined to comment on such accusations
While there might be much talk about Curtis still breastfeeding her 2-year-old, she tells Country Living that her child hasn’t chosen to wean just yet.
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“Anyone who’s ever breastfed [knows] the mother does not make the decision there,” she said. “I’m going to walk through the airport and my child is going to whip my breast out of my shirt at any point because that’s what he wants to do.”
Curtis recently told PEOPLE that Harper nurses on demand and is not on a schedule because “he didn’t have to be,” adding that “the court just assumes I’m a refrigerator full of milk, and that’s not how the human body works.”
Photo credit: Twitter / @918plate
