Green Options

It appears that the breastfeeding debate continues to rage and divide women.  I was SHOCKED when I read “The Case Against Breastfeeding” by Hanna Rosin in the Atlantic.

The article is prefaced with, “In certain overachieving circles, breast-feeding is no longer a choice—it’s a no-exceptions requirement, the ultimate badge of responsible parenting. Yet the actual health benefits of breast-feeding are surprisingly thin, far thinner than most popular literature indicates. Is breast-feeding right for every family? Or is it this generation’s vacuum cleaner—an instrument of misery that mostly just keeps women down?”

Seriously?  Breastfeeding is a life sucking vacuum?  That’s not the experience I remember so well.  My children breastfeed for 14-16 months each (depending on the child) and I didn’t resent one single moment of it.  (Plus, I’m lazy, so breastfeeding was perfect… no bottles to wash, formula to mix, I didn’t even have to get out of our bed at night.)

In Ms. Rosin’s breastfeeding bash, she fails to mention any of the POSITIVE benefits of breastfeeding for Mothers:

All around the internet, women are circulating an article. Whether you’re formula-feeding and proud or an out-and-about breastfeeder, this article is for you.

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

After I wrote a blog called “Formula is Voldemort“, Crimson Wife shared the link to this, er, interesting op-ed.

Hanna Rosin wrote “The Case Against Breastfeeding” for the Atlantic. Monday, it was reposted on MSNBC.
Her argument is that breastfeeding isn’t nearly as beneficial as its made out to be.
At best, kids get a few less tummy aches and colds. At worst, breastfeeding is a tool that keeps us from true equality with men.