I wrote this piece over thirteen years ago, at the time thinking of publishing it as a New York Times Op Ed but eventually losing the courage to do so. The subject was just too raw and painful. Next month my son will be fourteen. He is wonderful and healthy but has severe ADHD and … Continue reading The Breastfeeding Conspiracy
I am currently in Denmark, one of the Scandinavian countries which boasts some of the world’s highest breastfeeding rates. It is illegal for baby formulas to be advertised or promoted. No ‘samples’ are ever given from a hospital. As a result, some 98% of mothers leaving maternity wards are breastfeeding their babies. Moving to Denmark … Continue reading Denmark’s Restrictive Breastfeeding Policies Forced me to Sneak in Sugar Water to Feed my Starving Baby
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
Para leer en español, por favor vaya aquí. When our son was born, he weighed 6 pounds 5 oz., and we had issues with him latching from the start. Part of the problem was I had flat nipples, so the nurse gave us a shield and showed me how to use it, and he seemed … Continue reading Accidentally Starving My Baby Broke My Heart, But Made Me Want To Help Other Moms
My fourth baby ended up hospitalized for failure to thrive and required a nasogastric tube to feed her. Despite constant breastfeeding, excellent milk supply and milk transfer, she never gained enough weight and then began losing weight. She was born weighing 8 pounds and when admitted to the hospital she weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces. I … Continue reading My Breast Milk Caused My Baby’s Failure to Thrive
