Just in case anyone thinks I was overreacting with the previous post - modern breastfeeding advocacy has become dangerous. Even in that previous post, the language made it clear that using any amount of formula is ‘failing.’ Supplementation is an ages-old tradition, that has become safer for everyone involved with the development of modern formula. Formula supplementation has even been shown, in some studies, to increase the success rate of breastfeeding - only the lactivists don’t ‘count’ that because any amount of formula is considered to be a ‘failure.’
When combo feeding is actually the best of both worlds for a lot of lactating parents.
The discordant sibling study is one of the few studies that even tries to control for confounders, and the ‘benefits’ of breastfeeding drop to the level of statistical noise (in that study, some of the outcomes switch to favor formula - which is exactly what you see when you’re looking at statistical noise). Since then, there have been more studies that dare to examine this dogma, like the recent Korea study showing that breastfeeding has no impact on cognitive development when you control for confounders. The confounders that go into being able to successfully exclusively breastfeed are absolutely massive.
On the flip side, exclusive breastfeeding is increasingly being recognized as leading to jaundice, excessive weight loss, and hospital readmission. Using a little formula prevents babies from suffering.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876285917305661
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2673720
The 1970s were the nadir of breastfeeding in the United States. It has been steadily increasing, to the point where the percentage of babies in the 2000s exclusively breastfed for 6+ months is about equal to the percentage of babies who got any breastmilk at all in the 1970s. If the lactivists were right, we should be able to see a dramatic decrease in chronic diseases and obesity across that time period. We don’t.
Breastfeeding is great and every person who wants to do it should be supported. People who need to breastfeed in public should be able to do so without harassment.
Don’t lie about it and say it’s better than it is. Let it stand on its own merits. And FFS, don’t shame people who don’t want to do it, or pressure them into it. Let everyone do what’s best for them.
