The Case Against Breastfeeding

I'm not sure whether it's because I'm a new mother and these articles are catching my eye when before I would have ignored them or whether there has been a surge in articles about breastfeeding, but I'm seeing articles about breastfeeding everywhere. A friend sent a link to the following article to my husband, The Case Against Breastfeeding, and I thought that this one is worth reading. To be honest, I found the article more angry than empowering but it talks about the pressure exerted on new mothers to breastfeed, something that I never thought about or dealt with until I had my own baby. I'm not sure that I trust the writer when she tries to debunk the science since she comes off as very biased and not an expert, but I did think that the discussion of how women's bodies are politicized in the case of breastfeeding worth discussion.

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sprat
Interesting article. It's too bad that it's so difficult to get good science on this topic, it would be fascinating to find out the impact of breastfeeding versus formula. It's such a fraught topic for mamas.

Personally, I wouldn't stress over feeding my baby formula. Young creatures are so adaptable, I doubt formula is a big obstacle. True, I breastfeed, but I've had a relatively easy time doing so, I like the convenience, and I like the closeness and instant comfort it brings to the baby.
madtypist
I actually find the body politics more interesting than the science although having good studies on expressed breast milk versus formula would help matters. I still don't like to feed my baby formula, but part of that is also because I've fed her both and have seen the difference in the way that she reacts.

I'm amazed at the number of people - friends, family, acquaintances - who have an opinion on breastfeeding and were implicitly judging me on my choices - when will people stop and recognize that the woman is the person who draws the line at how much she wants to share her body?

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