Susan writes:

>   My internal sense is that so many women feel fundamentally 
>threatened by all the criticism that comes with being a mother, that 
>infant feeding decisions have become so volatile that some women 
>cannot even discuss any deviation from what they think is right -- 
>no matter what the evidence.


I have the same internal sense.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/breastfeeding-forced-feeding-2193232.html 
is a recent article (see the article itself and the comments below 
it) which expresses this feeling of threat.

I engage with women (and men) on line, and with the emails that come 
to my organisation from parents who feel very threatened by the idea 
that formula may not be a perfectly fine alternative way of feeding 
babies.

It's very common to hear 'they made me feel I was giving my baby 
poison!' or 'formula is not poison!' or similar - very dramatic, 
angry, hurt and defensive responses that are always more dramatic and 
more angry than anything I normally hear from breastfeeding advocates.

I hope you follow through with your disquiet about US UNICEF, Susan - 
I am relieved to see that UNICEF UK has a link 'breastfeeding' on the 
home page (takes you to Baby Friendly) http://www.unicef.org.uk/, so 
the US site is not the same everywhere.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
-- 
http://www.heatherwelford.co.uk

http://heatherwelford.posterous.com

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