When I was pregnant, I was determined to breastfeed. It was going to be easy, it was going to be natural. Formula was for lazy people, formula was for selfish women. Formula was poison for my baby. The breastfeeding groups I joined on Facebook only reinforced these mantras even further. Whenever people asked if I … Continue reading My Baby Was Starving But I Was Blinded By Pressure To Breastfeed
Families are under enormous pressure to exclusively breastfeed from major health organizations such as the WHO, Baby-Friendly USA, CDC, AAP, ACOG, WIC offices, and the majority of US hospitals. The “Breast is Best” public health campaign has permeated US culture and influenced hospital policies; even though US families face impossible barriers to breastfeeding exclusively, the … Continue reading Breastfeeding pressure is real, and research suggests it’s linked to mental health conditions in mothers
By Lindsay Kimble Posted on March 16, 2017 at 1:42pm EDT More and more new moms are speaking out about the pressure they felt to exclusively breastfeed after giving birth through the non-profit organization Fed Is Best – which, earlier this month, shared the heartbreaking story of 19-day-old baby Landon, who died from accidental starvation. In a … Continue reading From People.com: More Moms Speak Out About the Pressure to Exclusively Breastfeed in #FedIsBest Movement: ‘I Was Ashamed to Ask for Formula’
By Michelle M., Psychiatrist, MD, and First-Time Mother It’s taken me a long time to really have the strength to talk about this, but I think it’s time. I’m a 40-year-old, first time mom to an amazing 9-month-old son. Throughout my pregnancy I was repeatedly asked if I would breastfeed and received endless lectures … Continue reading How Breastfeeding Coercion Stripped this Psychiatrist of Her Confidence and Mental Health
Hello, I saw on your website that you guys are encouraging parents to share their feeding journey and I thought I would share mine. My baby was born March 6, 2021, after 48 hours of labor which resulted in a c-section, just shy of 39 weeks gestation. She was 6 pounds 3 ounces and healthy … Continue reading “Parenting Classes Need to Discuss Other Feeding Options, Not Just Breastfeeding”
