MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson opens up about breastfeeding while covering news

MSNBC anchor Hallie Jackson opened up on Wednesday in a series of tweets about her experience covering the news while trying to breastfeed her baby. 

In the tweets, she sought to combat the stigma some believe exists around breastfeeding. 

“In my own (very) small way, I’ve tried to lift the curtain by not hiding why I need breaks in the course of my duties for @NBCNews,” Jackson said. “Marathon inauguration coverage? I ask for 20 minutes after the oath to pump. Traveling for debates? Please hook me up with a mini-fridge onsite.”

In my own (very) small way, I’ve tried to lift the curtain by not hiding why I need breaks in the course of my duties for @NBCNews. Marathon inauguration coverage? I ask for 20 minutes after the oath to pump. Traveling for debates? Please hook me up with a mini-fridge onsite. https://t.co/dBMIlQinVo

— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) February 3, 2021

Jackson continued to list the places she had to pump while she was working as a news reporter.

“I’ve pumped in a stairwell at a debate site, in the booth at the White House, in a pool van, in my car in the garage by work, in airport bathrooms, at my office desk, in the well-appointed lactation room in our new bureau (thanks @KenStricklandDC),” she said.  

Jackson finished the tweet thread by expressing how her situation was not as bad compared to other working moms during the pandemic.

“And honestly, I’ve had it easy compared to other moms – some, on the frontlines of the COVID fight – who struggle with this every day. And fortunate that so far I’ve had no pushback from anyone at NBC about what I need to do,” Jackson said.

Many women do have trouble pumping milk for their babies while at work due to limited spaces for privacy or not having enough time during a break. 

Jackson has been a vocal advocate for women since her pregnancy. When she first showed her daughter on air, she took the opportunity to highlight the racial disparities that are seen in health care for women giving birth.