Marsha Walker writes about infant formula:

"Babies may grow on it, but they grow and develop differently than if they were
fed human milk. "

Of course this is true - but in my experience (and I know for sure I am not
alone here!)  this is very, very difficult for people to accept, even
(especially? ) medics.

I  wonder, sometimes, if it is worth spending a lot of energy trying to
convince people of this.

We have all come across doctors who will not even read the evidence, or the
details of good practice, when it is waved right under their noses.

If you could round 'em all up with a cattle prod and force 'em to sit in a
room where the evidence was *surgically transplanted into their brains*,
they still wouldn't change.

Yes, we have to keep up to date with our information and share it wherever
we can. Institutional and commercial practices that put up barriers (like
scheduled feeds, and 'free' ABM) need to go, of course, as well.  But the
real change will only take place when other social and emotional barriers
to bf are removed - and that, I think, will only come when women themselves
are empowered to do it.

And then, when all this happens,  women can tell their doctors (or anyone
else, for that matter) who tell them any different to,  er....well, insert
your own delicate euphemism here!  In the UK we'd say, politely, 'take a
running jump'.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK