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Last week, The Atlantic published a story by Hanna Rosin called "The Case Against Breastfeeding." As one would imagine, responses to this story are a plenty. Because how can you not be fired up with a blatant headline that tells you the article will be setting up sides?
I read the article, taking it in with gigantic grain of salt. I honestly don't understand this perpetual need to pit women who breastfeed against moms who use baby formula. (Again: Why is my breastfeeding your business?) I have no opinion either way on breastfeeding or formula, but it was this paragraph that made Rosin lose all credibility in my eyes:
"The debate about breast-feeding takes place without any reference to its actual context in women’s lives. Breast-feeding exclusively is not like taking a prenatal vitamin. It is a serious time commitment that pretty much guarantees that you will not work in any meaningful way. Let’s say a baby feeds seven times a day and then a couple more times at night. That’s nine times for about a half hour each, which adds up to more than half of a working day, every day, for at least six months. This is why, when people say that breast-feeding is “free,” I want to hit them with a two-by-four. It’s only free if a woman’s time is worth nothing."
I don't know about you, but I can find many, many women who worked in a very meaningful way while breastfeeding exclusively. Also, that the last line of that paragraph really burned me.
But here's what's worse: her story was inaccurate. In the article, Rosin says there is little evidence to support claims that breastfeeding is better than formula. The American Academy of Pediatrics quickly responded with a Letter to the Editor of The Atlantic, stating: "In the article, "The Case Against Breast-Feeding" by Hanna Rosin, the author skims the literature and has omitted many recent statements including the 2005 statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics which supports the value of breastfeeding for most infants...The evidence for the value of breastfeeding is scientific, it is strong, and it is continually being reaffirmed by new research work."
In the end, every mom's decision to breast- or bottle-feed is based on what a parent feels is best. We all know this and I wish moms on both sides of the cause would take a chill.
I asked Gina Ciagne, director of breastfeeding relations and outreach for Lansinoh Laboratories, what she thought about Rosin's story and the continued polarization of breastfeeding versus non-breastfeeding moms and I think she hits the nail on the head. She said, "Women, breastfeeding and otherwise, need support and mom-to-mom and woman-to-woman support is crucial especially in the early days after birth. The decision a mom makes about infant feeding is hers to make and while there may be differing opinions about what is best for one’s baby, tearing each other down is not healthy for anyone."
Amen.
