Teresa G -

Where do we draw the line?  A lot of the benefits of breastfeeding are
missing in this article.  We have books with almost nothing but the benefits
of breastfeeding.  I am really angry when I see bad breastfeeding
information, just like most of the folks on this list.  I am concerned
though that we do not alienate those who are trying to do well.  It is
certainly appropriate to encourage more positive representations of
breastfeeding in the media.  I applaud anyone who has the gumption to write
letters to the editor.  If you have said your piece though and the article
is basically positive and without glaring inaccuracies perhaps we should
support the authors.  If it is wrong, the mistakes must be corrected before
you should support it.

The breastfeeding things in this article seem basically positive.  The
advantages of bottle-feeding or "Bottle-feeding Benefits" is a phrase the
rubs me a bit raw too.  But, if it is written for a primarily American
audience, then it probably addresses the things that concern lots of
American women.  It would be nice to mention that if the baby is nipple
confused, she can get help.  It would be wonderful if they mentioned that if
mom goes out and wants to bring a bottle or dad want to feed, a bottle of
breastmilk can be used.  These are probably minor things though.

People tend not to read long articles.  If there was too much information,
the reader would probably skip the entire article and not see the benefits
of breastfeeding either.  Many educated people who are not in the
"breastfeeding community" (for lack of a better term) might disregard an
article that did not even give lip service to bottle-feeding benefits.  They
would probably see it as biased and possibly providing unreliable
information.  Remember, when formula companies advertise, they tell parents
that breastmilk is best.  And, although I am NOT recommending that all
breastfeeding articles talk about bottle-feeding benefits, short articles
like this may actually positively influence the undecided more than ones
that do not address bottle-feeding at all.

Linda Pohl, IBCLC
Phoenix AZ