I found this news item surprising and pretty discouraging:
From November 1, 2003, through May 21, 2004, 875 pediatrician members of the AAP completed the follow-up survey.
The 2004 survey showed that compared with the results of the 1995 survey, pediatricians were less likely to believe that the benefits of breast-feeding outweigh the difficulties or inconvenience...and fewer believed that almost all mothers are able to breastfeed successfully. In 2004, more pediatricians reported reasons to recommend against breast-feeding.
If there's a silver lining, here it is:
In 2004, however, pediatricians also were more likely to recommend exclusive breast-feeding...and to follow supportive hospital policies. Compared with the 1995 survey, the 2004 survey showed that respondents with personal breast-feeding experience were 2.3 times more likely to recommend supportive policies...and that those with no personal breast-feeding experience were also slightly more likely to recommend these policies...
What do you think is going on here? Is it a backlash against recent breastfeeding promotion campaigns? Is it due to formula company marketing of newer formulas? Is it a generational shift?
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