Maggie's Farm

Breastfeeding is nature's way. It is a choice. But really is anyone suprised by the wildass claims by the pro-breastfeeding cabal all these years. It was always unscientific and bais driven. Now perhaps parents can make better decisions without the guilt and shaming pressures from the angry pro-breastfeeding groups.

Better decisions because they have the facts. They could still choose to breast feed and they can always choose to work or not work and stay at home. But many women want to work, they want to be able to feed the baby without breast pumps and refrigerators nearby. The pro-breast feeding lobby has been heavy handed in their approach and used shame and misinformation to bully mothers into breast feeding. Shouldn't it be their decision based on the best and honest information available?

The article may or may not have other agendas, I am only commenting on the value of breast feeding. I have looked into this subject in great depth and have come to the conclusion that most if not all the favorable reporting on breast feeding is biased. Perhaps that's just the nature of human knowledge in that if something is controversial there will be individuals and groups producing propaganda to support their beliefs. The clue to phony data in most things that relate to health is in the statistics. That is if I shoot you multiple times at close range with a powerful rifle you will die. No statistical manipulations and permutations required, you die. But if I am opposed to meat and I want to convince you to be opposed to meat and I'm trying to create a reasoned arguement I will almost invariably use statistics. so then it comes down to evaluating the math used to prove or disprove something. There are tricks and subtrafuges that are typically used by those who would confuse. I have never seen a "good" study of breastmilk vs alternatives and I have never seen an honest statistical arguement to support breastmilk being superior. Almost without exception if this belief is questioned the discussion immediately turns to an emotional one. There simply is no "evidence" that breast feeding makes the baby healthier in the short term or the long term. Formula feed humans don't die earlier or get ill more often then breast feed humans with one caveat and that is that we are talking about a Western environment and normal circumstances when food and baby formulas are readily available. I have four children, nine grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. I have three siblings and seven nieces and nephews who between them have nine children. I have seen the pressure a new mother is placed under to breast feed and I have seen babies thrive on formula and remain underweight on breast milk. While I am certainly not oposed to breastfeeding I am convinced that the readily available alternatives are just as good and possibly even better (based on the failure to thrive in some cases). My mind is open and perhaps someday a real study will finally provide an answer.

I assume then from yur comment that you agree that there isn't a "health" arguement, that is bottle feeding is as healthy as breast feeding. So your position seems to be that since breast feeding is natural and since it requires the presence of mom that therefore it is "good" for both baby and mom. I'm not sure I can even agree with that statement. If you can show me millions and millions of adults who were not breast feed and are criminals or sick etc. then your claim of benefit may have some validity. I think what you are actually expressing is the emotion I described as the arguement of last resort, i.e. since it feels good for mom to provide for her new born in this most basic way it must be good and therefore it is preferred and " the best care a baby can get". Not to mention "...breast feeding is the preferred way to raise your baby and sane society and individuals would work to organize around that principle so that ideal could be maximized." Is that really your position on this??? You have proven my point that when the pro-breast feeding individual is challenged they always resort to an emotional arguement and shaming. That is basically telling the new parents that if you don't breast feed your baby you are not a good parent and are hurting the child and any sane person would comply with this and not question our wisdom. My position is simply that it is not my business what the new parents choose to do and it is not the business of the nurse, the breast feeding coach or society either. It is a decision that only the parents can and should make and it should be based on facts and not emotion.