> Heidi, go to Baby Milk Action's website for info on UK law.
> http://www.babymilkaction.org

Thank you.

> But I am curious about your last sentence - surely breastfeeding is very
> clearly a lifestyle choice in many ways.  I don't see why we cannot
> acknowledge this and accept it, and even encourage it.  What is 'wrong'
> about making a lifestyle choice to breastfeed? Health providers will get
> nowhere (IMHO) emphasising health benefits to the exclusion of the many
> social and lifestyle factors that influence parental decision-making.

Yes, this is true.  I guess I didn't state clearly what I meant.  There are
definitely valid lifestyle choices involved in choosing to breastfeed.  In
my experience, moms see formula as so closely matching breastmilk that they
often view the improved health outcomes of breastfeeding as minimal, thus it
becomes *primarily* a lifestyle choice.  When people believe "breast is
best, but formula is just fine, too" they base their decisions on things
like grandma wants to feed the baby and mom doesn't want to get up in the
middle of the night. The lowered health outcomes resulting from formula use
get swept under the rug in order to support mom's lifestyle choice to
formula feed without making her feel guilty.  I want to give more weight to
the health issues by showing people that our health care organizations and
even governments con't believe "formula is just fine" and consider it
important enough to health to instate policies to "protect and promote
breastfeeding".

~ Heidi

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