Farewell to "The Case Against Breastfeeding."

I hadn't intended to write more about the Atlantic article, "The Case Against Breastfeeding," but the New York Times picked up on the story (a little late in the game), and so I'm reluctantly summing up the story here with some links to the coverage.

I have to say that I'm impressed that one person could ignite such a debate, compelling major medical organizations to weigh in, and generating national news coverage. 

Responses supportive of the Atlantic article:

Judith Warner says "Ban the Breastpump" in the New York Times, saying that she "cannot judge" the accuracy of the scientific claims in the Rosin article, but restates them nonetheless. 

Mother Jones weighs in with "We over-privileged b**ches who dare not to breastfeed."  I appreciated her acknowledgment that the pressure she felt to breastfeed came from her "tony, Ivy League crowd."  We all understand that there are many, many different experiences of American motherhood, right?

The Today Show broadcasts a segment on the article, in which Dr. Nancy Snyderman says, “The science is not so strong.”

Responses critical of the Atlantic article:

The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote a letter to the editor of The Atlantic, concluding:

"The evidence for the value of breastfeeding is scientific, it is strong, and it is continually being reaffirmed by new research work.  The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages women to make an informed decision about feeding their infants based on scientifically established information from credible resources."

Moms Rising says "Case Against Breastfeeding Overlooks Big, Dirty Secret."  This is an excellent inventory of the barriers to breastfeeding.

My response, which was reprinted in Dr. Thomas Hale's newsletter, pointing out flaws in the reasoning behind the assertion that the evidence for breastfeeding is "thin."

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (representing ACOG, the Academy of Family Physicians, the National WIC Association and more), urges us to write letters to the editor of The Atlantic, and shares its own letter.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (an association of physicians) puts out a statement affirming the evidence for breastfeeding.

U.S. Food Policy Blog, which includes statements from the authors of one study Rosin cites, saying "We still think that breastfeeding has significant health benefits."  A comment by Susan Burger is also very interesting.

What have I missed?  Feel free to post links in the comments section.  And then, let's all get on with the business of supporting breastfeeding, and supporting each other.  There's a lot more work to be done.

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