Waitress bewildered after bosses 'fire her for reporting customer to police for drinking alcohol while breastfeeding her baby'

  • Tasha Nicole Adams, 28, was arrested after waitress Jackie Conners called police to report her for drinking alcohol while breastfeeding her newborn child
  • Waitress Jackie Conners called police because it was 'unacceptable'
  • Conners says she was fired from the restaurant for taking matters into her own hands
  • Adams was charged with endangering a child after the incident at a pizzeria in Conway, Arkansas, on Wednesday
  • She says incident was 'blown out of proportion' and that she is 'not a horrible person'

By Marie-louise Olson

PUBLISHED: 20:18 EST, 28 November 2013 | UPDATED: 07:48 EST, 29 November 2013

A waitress who reported a woman to police who was consuming 'drink after drink of alcohol' while breastfeeding her child at the same time at a restaurant in Arkansas says she was fired from her job for taking matters into her own hands.

Server Jackie Conners called the police to report Tasha Adams, 28, of Leslie, Arkansas, who was at a pizzeria in Conway with her newborn daughter.

Conners says she felt it was ‘unacceptable’ for the mother to drink alcohol while breastfeeding her recently-born child.

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Breastfeeding incident: Jackie Conners, right, a former waitress at a pizzeria in Conway, Arkansas, reported Tasha Adams, left, for drinking alcohol while breastfeeding her baby

Called cops: Waitress Jackie Conners called the police to report Adams when she saw her consuming 'drink after drink' of alcohol while breastfeeding her 7-month-old child

Called cops: Waitress Jackie Conners called the police to report the mother when she saw her consuming alcohol while breastfeeding her baby

For Conners, who is also a mother, what Adams was doing was not right.

‘Me, being a mom, and just seeing something like that and seeing a baby that can't speak for itself, having a parent do something like that is just unacceptable,’ Conners told ArkansasMatters.com.

Adams was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor after the incident at Gusano's Pizzeria off Dave Ward Drive in Conway on Wednesday. Her next court date is in January.

A couple days later, Conners says she was fired for taking the situation into her own hands.

 

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However, a manager at Gusanao’s said that was not the reason for firing her, and declined to give more information on the matter.

Fired: Conners says she was fired from her waitressing job at Gusano's pizzeria in Conway, Arkansas, for calling police on Adams

Fired: Conners says she was fired from her waitressing job at Gusano's pizzeria in Conway, Arkansas, for calling police on Adams

Charged: Adams was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor. Her next court date is in January

Charged: Adams' next court date is in January

A Faulkner County police report says the daughter was released to family members.

Adams, who lives in the town of Toad Suck, Arkansas, runs her own florist and events company where she makes flower arrangements, cakes and wreaths.

The mother-of-three claims the situation was taken out of context and 'all blown out of proportion'.

She said she wanted to tell her story but that she had been advised to wait until court.

'I hate that, because people don’t know the truth. I am really a normal person.'

Mother-of-three: Adams, here with her husband and daughter, runs her own florist company, Tasha's Personal Creations. She says she cares about her family more than anything else

Mother-of-three: Adams, here with her husband and daughter, runs her own florist company, Tasha's Personal Creations. She says she cares about her family more than anything else

'No one is seeing my side. I just want everyone to know I am not a horrible person. I have a family to take care of, and that’s all I care about.'

According to the International Guidelines on Drinking and Pregnancy, women who are breastfeeding should not drink.

The guidelines state: 'Alcoholic beverages should not be consumed by some individuals, including those who cannot restrict their alcohol intake, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, individuals taking medications that can interact with alcohol, and those with specific medical conditions.'

Mothers are warned during pregnancy that consuming even moderate levels of alcohol can cause birth defects in their unborn child.

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Does it harm the baby if she drinks alcohol. If it does then she shouldn't do it. If its nothing, that should be a lesson to other staff.

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"Toad Suck"? Seriously? :O

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YeeHaaww Arkansas!

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Ok, I had to look his one up. Apparently, there's alcohol in the milk but not right away, and the alcohol disappears after about 3 hours. So if you drink WHILE breastfeeding and then again after 3 hours, your child received none to very, very little alcohol. I also found that: "The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs considers alcohol compatible with breastfeeding." My verdict: She did nothing to place her infant in danger.

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You can bet she would have gotten into her car with her child, over the limit and tried to drive home too.

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thinking it's not right is fine; that means you won't do it, but it's not up to you to decide that someone else won't do it; some people drink a glass of wine and get loopy, others several martinis and nothing; but of course waitress knows all about the stranger, chemistry, blood alcohol levels, if and when and how long before any joins a flow of milk? sure she does

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7 Months is not RECENTLY born. And if it was ONE drink it will do nothing harmful.

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I'm a firm believer in staying the hell out of other peoples business, however not when its endangering a baby. The woman was fired for doing the right thing, great message to send to the rest of your staff

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There's nothing wrong with enjoying a drink while you are breastfeeding as long as you don't breastfeed for a couple of days afterwards. You should not drink while pregnant and you certainly should not breastfeed if you've been drinking. I don't think the mom should have been arrested and I doubt any of the charges will stick unless the mom has been investigated and social services has discovered she's unfit.

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Does alcohol make it to breast milk or is it metabolized first? I'd have to answer that Q before calling the po-po. Any of the experts here know ? Heart was in the right place but you just can't go shooting your mouth off without facts.

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