I was listening to NPR the other day when I heard this story about the new book by political scientist Courtney Jung, Lactivism. Throughout the interview, Ms. Jung made statements that made my blood boil. While there may be bits of research out there that question the advantages of breastfeeding, the vast majority of it supports nursing as highly beneficial to both mother and baby. That does not mean every woman can or should nurse and I don't know many breastfeeding advocates who believe that every woman should or can. In 20 years as a birth worker, I have rarely seen the kind of pressure that Ms. Jung describes being exerted on women to nurse at all cost. Generally I see the opposite. Women are encouraged to try it (after generations of being told not to) and then given very little support to continue if or when it gets rough. The book and Ms. Jung's statements are often misleading non-science and opinion. I found the NPR conversation with Ms. Jung decidedly one-sided. What are your thoughts?
Click here to listen: