Recently, a fairly well-known author, Judith Warner, wrote on her New York Times blog commending Hanna Rosin for speaking out about how much, according to them, breast pumps suck (pun intended).
Warner’s article: http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/why-i-dumped-the-pump/ and Rosin’s: The Case Against Breastfeeding published in The Atlantic (a publication I used to like a lot).
Rosin’s article is a bit more blatantly anti-breastfeeding than Werner’s, but the effect of both is still the same. They are both not just encouraging women to ban the breast pump – but heralding women who say “screw it, I don’t care if breasts were made for feeding babies – my husband wants to use them!”
Very strange.
I think what is the most upsetting about these two articles (if you can call them that, Rosin’s in particular is very poorly researched), is that they seem to confirm the belief that breastfeeding isn’t better for children. In fact, Rosin goes to great lengths to try and get us to believe that formula might actually be equal to breastmilk.
The convenience of bottle feeding argument is also getting a little old. How many times do we nursing moms have to explain that it is NOT easier to bottle feed. Bottle feeding requires doing more dishes, sterilizing bottles, mixing formula – not to mention the purchasing of formula, which is expensive.
Breastfeeding is simple: lift shirt, baby eats. It’s sterile, portable and always at the right temperature.
Basically, what Rosin says is that she got sick of breastfeeding. To paraphrase, in her sleep-deprived state, she found something online that said the results of breastfeeding’s benefits were “inconsistent.” “The seed was planted,” Rosin says. And then goes on to read the results of studies that assure her that breastfeeding is only a “little” better than formula feeding. Rosin then goes on to say that the benefits to babies from breastmilk are often overstated – a claim that inspired the American Academy of Pediatrics to write to The Atlantic and rebuke Rosin’s claims.
I am also highly offended of Rosin’s claims that because I attach breastfeeding to my frugal nature, that means, that my time is worth nothing:
Breast-feeding exclusively is not like taking a prenatal vitamin. It is a serious time commitment that pretty much guarantees that you will not work in any meaningful way. Let’s say a baby feeds seven times a day and then a couple more times at night. That’s nine times for about a half hour each, which adds up to more than half of a working day, every day, for at least six months. This is why, 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.
My time breastfeeding, staying home and schooling my children, even cleaning or doing laundry isn’t worth nothing. Just because that is how I choose to spend my time, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth something to my family. I believe it is worth a lot – as does my husband who is happy not to have to spend the money he earns on a second car, a cell phone, child care, formula – or any of the other gazillion items that children will require when both parents can’t be home – not to mention the take-out because I’d be too tired to cook.
While the breastfeeding part of this issue really upsets me, because I believe children are entitled to breastmilk the same way they are entitled to clothes and a place to live, I am really offended that Rosin continues to perpetuate the “Mommy Wars,” by saying that somehow I matter less because I choose to stay home and do these things.
Further, the idea that she doesn’t breastfeed her son “slavishly,” is even more offensive. Being a mother is nurturing, loving, supporting and while sometimes it does feel like we get left behind, if we remember that most women take on those roles of support – even in the workplace – we can rest assured that even a paycheck doesn’t determine our maternal nature.
Meagan Francis says:
Good points! And anyway, her point about work is false. I consider nursing “meaningful”, but I’ve also gotten plenty of paid work done while nursing my baby. More than ever, computers make this possible.
Even if a child is bottle-fed, *somebody* has to give them that bottle, which is also time consuming. Is she suggesting that every feeding should be outsourced in order to maximize the economic value of a woman’s time? I’m all for using help when you need it, but shoot-isn’t there also something “meaningful” about caring for your baby?
6th April 2009 at 12:09 pm
Veggiemomma says:
The sheer outrageousness (on so many levels!) of Rosin’s article is angering to say the least. I agree with you completely. Especially the line “…I believe children are entitled to breastmilk the same way they are entitled to clothes and a place to live”. I completely agree with this–although saying so gets me in plenty of trouble with other moms who don’t share my sentiments or who believe “everyone should have a choice, no choice is better than another”. Well–when you stock up the science/experiences/emotional benefits–it’s pretty obvious that there is a better choice!
6th April 2009 at 7:13 pm
Tatyana says:
Im actually disappointed that people can be so selfish as to say breastfeeding is slavish. I believe you do create a bond with your child through breastfeeding and it is no more a “chore” than all that is associated with bottle feeding. I have friends from both sides of the spectrum. Those who chose to stay at home (or work) and breastfeed and those who chose formula so they keep their full time job. I tried both. I decided to breastfeed before I had delivered and enjoyed it (after the first 3 days..ouch). After maternity leave ended and I went back to work, the hassle hit me hard. To wake up earlier to get my fussy sleep deprived child up and bundled up so I can drop him off with a stranger so I hopefully be on time, then struggling at work to not worry or stress. I decided I needed to stay home. (Best decision I have made for my life now) Childcare is expensive, formula is expensive, the moments you miss away from your baby are expensive. I breastfed for 6 months(I wish it could have been longer) and started supplementing with formula.
Last week I sent my husband for formula for the first time. A 26 dollar container that lasted us less than a week…he was shocked. He had not realized the price of what I had been giving our son for these past months…
I am sad to hear that women look to breastfeeding so carelessly. It is the best thing you can give your babies. I noticed if Im sick my child doesn’t get sick, and if he does get sick it goes by quickly. You cant engineer antibodies. And has anyone ever glanced at the list of ingredients on a container of formula? There is a reason for the name “formula”. It is a mixture of 50 plus ingredients. Just to produce the inadequate of what God provided women with to sustain children for the first year of life. I agree with Meagan, being a mother is meaningful. If someone believes that children are asking too much to be given nutrition or making their mothers “slave” over them, maybe they should wait to have children. Good for you to all the breastfeeding moms!!
6th April 2009 at 10:54 pm