The Cons of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is not all it’s cracked up to be. And the reasons for breastfeeding that most people give are not very smart, unfortunately.

Reason #1. “It’s best for my child! Studies show it is!”

Answer: These studies are stupid. Sorry, but there it is, and here’s why: they all assume that correlation equals causation. I dare anyone to show me a study about breastfeeding that doesn’t do this. Guess what else breastfeeding correlates to? Being educated and having money. So what really makes the difference – are smart, healthy children smart and healthy because they were breastfed, or because they were raised by educated, middle-class parents? Who knows? Breastfeeding “research” sure doesn’t.

Reason #2: “Well, even if it doesn’t necessarily make my baby smarter, it DOES make it healthier!! I care about my child’s health!”

Answer: Again, I dare you to produce research that doesn’t assume that correlation equals causation. I double dare you to produce research that compares breastfeeding to modern formulas (most studies are longitudinal and therefore compare breastfeeding to the formulas of 15 or 20 years ago).

Reason #3: “But the American Academy of Pediatrics/Dr. Sears/my mom/my OBGYN/La Leche says so!’

Answer: Appeal to authority is no argument. All those people are wrong unless they have thoughtful, logical research to back them up.

Reason #4: “But it’s good for the mom too! It helps her lose weight and stuff, and keeps her from getting cancer and stuff.”

Answer: Sure, maybe. Care to show me the research (remember, nothing that assumes correlation equals causation).

What about the downsides to breastfeeding?

Downside #1. Breastfeeding takes Dad out of the equation and makes bonding all about mommy and child, not parents and child.

Downside #2. If you work, you have to pumps. Pumps aren’t cheap, despite Mrs. Obama’s laudable efforts to make them a little more affordable. Pumping can be a logistical nightmare.

Downside #3. You must spend more time with the baby – whether you have that time or not and whether the baby needs you, specifically, or not.

Downside #4. Pushing breastfeeding as the ultimate Unshirkable Responsibility is not only based on ignorance and poor research, but it makes women who can’t breastfeed feel terrible.

There are reasons to breastfeed – it’s free, for one. But like anything else it has its downsides, and its strident champions need to be more compassionate, and more knowledgeable.

Are We Equals?

Birth Control and Dignity

Birth control is one area of life where women in the U.S. and other Western countries often have little dignity.

Consider some questions. Why do you need to get a pap smear to get birth control? Why is it often difficult for a young woman to get an IUD? Why do doctors seldom, if ever, mention non-hormonal methods of birth control? Why is hormonal birth control only available by prescription in the first place?

The answers to these questions are not what you think. IUDs are not particularly dangerous; pap smears have no relation to birth control; non-hormonal birth control can be very effective; and doctors are not looking out for your health when they prescribe birth control, because they never conduct tests to see what type and level of hormone would work best for you and if they refuse you birth control, it is for political, not health, reasons.

There really are no tests to determine which pill (or patch, or ring) would work best for a particular woman. It’s plain old trial and error. The doctor just guesses, maybe throwing in a recommendation for what she likes best or has the most samples of or flyers for. Insurance companies, by and large, don’t reimburse doctors for writing a birth control prescription (and since it’s just a flying leap in the dark, I am not sure that I can blame them) and yet doctors do like to get paid for their time, so the mandatory pap smear came into being. Doctors justify it “for your health.” That’s nice, but if men couldn’t get birth control unless they were tested for a cancer that affects less than 1% of the population, it wouldn’t be so nice.

The whole system is not without its benefits. But it could be so much better.

Women, know your options. Research everything I have just said. Research non-hormonal birth control. Make an informed decision (because your doctor won’t). There is nothing elegant about a woman flat on her back “for her own good,” or a woman nodding uncomprehending “yes”s. You should have knowledge, because knowledge is both power and dignity.

Here are some starting points:

Toni Weschler, Taking Charge of Your Fertility. This book is one of the most informative and useful I’ve ever read. The accompanying website, tcoyf.com, lets you chart anywhere for free.

LadytoBaby.com. This is a Canadian website, where you can buy, among other things, the FemCap without a prescription.

Some interesting articles:

• “Let the Pill Go Free.”
• “Should the Birth Control Pill Be Sold Without a Prescription?”