Comments on: Atlantic Article Calls Breastfeeding “An Instrument of Misery”

By: Misty

Misty — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:50:04 +0000

Wow. Does she sound more than a little angry and insecure or what? "Fascist"? That's definitely incendiary. And so much of what she claims is the reverse of the truth - yes you *might* be told at your OB that "breast is best", and then on the way out the door you get a bag stuffed with free formula and bumper stickers for formula companies. So many of her arguments are just dangerous if you replace 'breastfeeding" with just about anything else - recycling, for example. It sounds to me like she is exhausted, and upset with where she is in her life... and shame on the Atlantic for publishing her in that state of mind. Mistys last blog post..Soup without food in it.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:22:31 +0000

Hey,
I didn’t find this article inflammatory at all. In fact, I found it refreshing to read an article that contained some honest opinion from a mom of three kids who questions the populist opinion that breast feeding is always best. All she does is present to the reader the question of whether there is significant scientific study to back up the gung-ho culture that says breast-feeding is best. What she says is there might not be. What she says is ‘hey people, there may not be a lot of good information out there.’ ‘You may not be a complete flop, as this culture will make you out to be, if you have chosen not to breast-feed your children.’

I find it patently more offensive – MUCH more offensive – that you would mount a letter writing campaign to effectively silence this women’s right to free speech. You are effectively shunning a woman who dares to question.

Signed,
A mother of two breast-fed children

By: Faith

Faith — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:33:41 +0000

I’m sorry but, what are people stupid? Breastfeeding was the norm for hundreds and thousands of years and we’ve evolved this far. Now “modern science” has invented the bottle and formula and breasts have turned into appalling as a source of nutrition and turned into something exploitive.
I can sympathize with working moms and mothers who tried and just couldn’t do it. I understand all that as now a days breastfeeding really has turned into a personal choice. I agree. Women shouldn’t be divided – it just sounds stupid to be to even try and formulate a case against something that has proven infalible thus far.
I do understand Hanna’s argument about studies being inconsistent. That’s very likely – was the mother consuming the right blend of vitamins and minerals as well as other important nutrients? That can make a huge difference in the results. You do need some type of control group.
Hanna argues no studies have been done because they can’t tell mothers what to feed their babies… yet we see commercials and advertisements all over for bottles (very little to none for breastfeeding). I, for one, would happily volunteer for that kind of study, as I’m sure 1000′s of others on both sides of the party would. So do they really want to know the answers?

By: Atlantic Article Calls Breastfeeding “An Instrument of Misery …

Atlantic Article Calls Breastfeeding “An Instrument of Misery … — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:56:04 +0000

[...] Atlantic Article Calls Breastfeeding “An Instrument of Misery … [...]