I've come to realize that my recent post about the 'benefits' of breastfeeding doesn't align with a new current of thought (or better, of "phrasing") in the breastfeeding community that states that the motto "breast is best" is actually misleading.

These advocates argue that rather than emphasizing the benefits of breastfeeding, we should be highlighting the health risks associated with formula feeding. As breastfeeding should be considered “the norm”, presenting it as an added bonus perpetuates the idea that formula and breastmilk are comparable and could eventually discourage mothers from addressing eventual challenges leading them to simply switch to formula.

I still don't know how I feel about this.

To be honest I wasn’t feeling good about my last post anyways.

(Not that I think many people are reading my words atm but it still matters to me).

I was feeling weird about my ode to breastfeeding because what good does it do to all the women who, despite their best efforts, couldn't manage to breastfeed?

The last thing I want to do is to add even MORE pressure on women, or worse yet GUILT!

I genuinely wonder how one can effectively promote a cause without inadvertently offending or triggering anyone – it’s really delicate.

I was recently at a conference about parenthood and in my head it was all I was thinking about.

I admire, for instance, the effort of some of the speakers to underscore for example that exclusive breastfeeding is always reccomended if feasible and desired by the mother. This caveat, I believe, is the crucial aspect that sets the tone.

Similarly, I was surprised today to hear the ending of the speech given by Carlos Gonzales, pediatrician, writer and most importantly founder of an association devoted solely to the promotion of breastfeeding (Asociación Catalana Pro Lactancia Materna).

He concludes that breastfeeding is simply an ingredient in the development of a healthy attachment between mother and baby. One of many.

It's a refreshing perspective. All I've been hearing for months is that if you don't breastfeed the bonding with your child will be heavily compromised.

Or even worse, that you could still be screwing it all up even if you are breastfeeding...A pediatrician and IBCLC told me, for example, that "a one-year-old who is sucking its thumb is a baby who’s self-soothing to compensate for the lack of care from its mother". What should happen instead is that the baby should be suckin on the breast (the so-called "non-nutritive sucking").

As if this were a viable option for everyone.

And don't even get me started on the demonization of pacifiers…

It’s all so "breastfeed or die."

It's starting to make me feel a bit queasy, especially considering how this rhetoric might be what's actually alienating many women in the first place.

With breastfeeding rates as low as they are, we, as healthcare workers, need to rethink our approach.

We must make our messaging more inclusive for those who may be struggling with breastfeeding and more appealing to those who may not initially be interested.

I think it’s really something we should be giving more thought to.