I just received the August issue of Real Simple Magazine and was horrified to read their article entitled, "What's the Worst Thing that Could Happen if You..." One of their twenty items concerns breastfeeding.
The article begins on page 136 with "Here are 20 examples of what 'they' say--ironclad conventional wisdom whose time has come and gone."
excerpt: "Don't breast-feed your child...MOST LIKELY: "in the long run, nothing," says Boris Petrikovsky, chairman of the department of obstetrics-gynecology at Nassau University Medical Center, in East Meadow New York. When you're bottle-feeding you know exactly how much food the baby is eating, and Mom may be less tired because Dad has no excuse to sleep through 3 a.m. feedings. "There is also absolutely no conclusive data on breastmilk's effects on brain development," adds Petrikovsky. WORST CASE: "The biggest downside of not breeast-feeding is that the mother misses out on some bonding," says Petrikovsky. And since breast milk is specially designed to meet the nutritional needs of infants and contains antibodies that help protect them from a variety of illnesses, babies who are breast-fed are more likely to have a stronger immune systema and be sick less that formula fed infants."
Please write a letter to the editor at www.realsimple.com, choose the option that you've bought this issue at the newsstand and use "easyfood" as the code to get in as a reader.
I wrote,
"To whom it may concern:
As an educated mother wholeheartedly supporting the simple lifestyle, I was flabberghasted by your recent reference to breastfeeding.
Your August issue featured an article listing best and worst case scenarios to not heeding what "They" say. You irresponsibly quoted an OB/GYN as authoritatively clearing up the "myth" that breastfeeding has long-term benefits over the use of artificial breastmilk.
There have been multiple studies demonstrating breastfeeding's relationship to significantly lower obesity rates, asthma and food allergies and raise IQ points. These are long-lasting, life-altering repercussions.
How could a magazine for educated women seeking simplicity not advocate simple, natural infant feeding? No special equipment or chemical preparations are necessary. Trips and outtings are simpler. Nighttime feedings are the simplest possible.
There was no myth to dispell here. No service, no entertainment provided. Please use only accepted experts in the fields for sources, i.e. World Health Organization, La Leche League International.
I am disappointed that the myth of artificial breastmilk being equal to simple natural human milk was not dispelled.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Squires"
I am too nice. Please help.
The article begins on page 136 with "Here are 20 examples of what 'they' say--ironclad conventional wisdom whose time has come and gone."
excerpt: "Don't breast-feed your child...MOST LIKELY: "in the long run, nothing," says Boris Petrikovsky, chairman of the department of obstetrics-gynecology at Nassau University Medical Center, in East Meadow New York. When you're bottle-feeding you know exactly how much food the baby is eating, and Mom may be less tired because Dad has no excuse to sleep through 3 a.m. feedings. "There is also absolutely no conclusive data on breastmilk's effects on brain development," adds Petrikovsky. WORST CASE: "The biggest downside of not breeast-feeding is that the mother misses out on some bonding," says Petrikovsky. And since breast milk is specially designed to meet the nutritional needs of infants and contains antibodies that help protect them from a variety of illnesses, babies who are breast-fed are more likely to have a stronger immune systema and be sick less that formula fed infants."
Please write a letter to the editor at www.realsimple.com, choose the option that you've bought this issue at the newsstand and use "easyfood" as the code to get in as a reader.
I wrote,
"To whom it may concern:
As an educated mother wholeheartedly supporting the simple lifestyle, I was flabberghasted by your recent reference to breastfeeding.
Your August issue featured an article listing best and worst case scenarios to not heeding what "They" say. You irresponsibly quoted an OB/GYN as authoritatively clearing up the "myth" that breastfeeding has long-term benefits over the use of artificial breastmilk.
There have been multiple studies demonstrating breastfeeding's relationship to significantly lower obesity rates, asthma and food allergies and raise IQ points. These are long-lasting, life-altering repercussions.
How could a magazine for educated women seeking simplicity not advocate simple, natural infant feeding? No special equipment or chemical preparations are necessary. Trips and outtings are simpler. Nighttime feedings are the simplest possible.
There was no myth to dispell here. No service, no entertainment provided. Please use only accepted experts in the fields for sources, i.e. World Health Organization, La Leche League International.
I am disappointed that the myth of artificial breastmilk being equal to simple natural human milk was not dispelled.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Squires"
I am too nice. Please help.
It is one thing for an educated breastfeeding mom to read an article like this, but what about the millions of impressionable pregnant women out there?! Articles like this make mothers not even want to try to breastfeed! And what about all the moms out there who are struggling with breastfeeding and want to quit.....seeing an article like this will not help them out at all! And it isn't even true!! I wonder how much the formula companies paid them to print this load of BS. 
Even the formula companies will tell you that breastfeeding is best! Hopefull all of our letters will make them retract their false statements.
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