Several years ago, the US government spent over $2 million on a breastfeeding campaign, yet the US has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in all industrialized countries.
There is talk of pressure put on mothers to breastfeed. Proponents say this "pressure" is just information about the evidence.
In a 2006 interview for ABC news, Dr. Myron Peterson of the Cato Institute, a private research foundation, disagrees. "It's basically negative advertising and it's designed to frighten people," he said. "One of the worst things you can do is to force or coerce or cause a woman to breast-feed when she really doesn't want to because that's a recipe for disaster."
Conversely, in today's US hospital there is an undercurrent of what some call sabotage on the part of nurses toward breastfeeding mothers. Regardless of policy and practice standards, nurses are still giving exclusively breastfeeding babies water, glucose water, pacifiers or formula. Could this not be construed as a recipe for disaster also?
Here are some well-known and not-so-well known facts about breastfeeding:
1) Breastfeeding is cheaper by 1/3. Ref: San Diego Breastfeeding Coalition.
2) Breastmilk contains the perfect nutrition for the age of the child as he/she grows plus antibodies to protect from illness and diseases. Ref: World Health Organization.
3) It is not the mothers who consciously decide to use formula that feel guilty or are unhappy about it. It's the ones who tried to breastfeed, but didn't have the support they needed to keep going. First these mothers feel guilty, then they may get angry. They were denied their right to make an informed decision and have that decision respected. Ref: Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre Ltd.
4) Obstetrical practices sabotage breastfeeding and bonding opportunities. Ref: Dr. Marsden Wagner
5) Breastfeeding mothers have a lower instances of certain breast and ovarian cancers. Ref: US Department of Health & Human Services
6) Breastfed babies have less chance of SIDS. Ref: US Department of Health & Human Services
7) Breastfeeding has NUMEROUS benefits for babies...and mothers. Ref: American Academy of Pediatrics.
8) A to Z: 26 Benefits of breastfeeding Ref: La Leche League International
9) Breastfeeding rates in 1999-2006 were significantly higher among those with higher income (74%) compared with those who had lower income (57%). Breastfeeding rates among mothers 30 years and older were significantly higher than those of younger mothers. Ref: CDC/NCHS Data Brief
10) The impact of medical interventions during the birth of a baby significantly impacts initial bonding, and breastfeeding. Ref: Impact of Birth Practices on Breastfeeding (available 10/1/2009)
As a maternity researcher for over 30 years, I find the evidence irrefutable. The key is to do as well with marketing the hard evidence as the formula/pharmaceutical companies did marketing their products.