Maureen and all else,

You would think that we could sit down with an author, show him the
research, and get some respect for suggestions regarding serious errors
in his material.  I've certainly tried, and so have others.
Unfortunately, the response to those of us who have contacted Mr. Ezzo
has ranged from denial of problems to blaming the victim to patronizing
remarks about LC education and backgrounds. The bottom line? He can
never be wrong, he's just misunderstood. Now how do you work with that?

Interestingly enough, despite the fact that they have never acknowledged
any problems, changes that have been made do reflect some of the
criticisms we've brought up, though the original philosophy stands.

The reason simple facts don't work here is that there is an underlying
premise to all that Mr. Ezzo writes.  He believes that order and control
are godly goals and that babies will become bratty children if they are
not trained to fit into the family as opposed to having the family
change to accomodate the child. He also believes that "child-centered
parenting" is a major cause of failing marriages and fails to understand
that a young baby's needs are intense yet temporary. To Mr. Ezzo, there
are no gray areas in life..

At any rate, demand feeding and attachment parenting just don't fit the
bill, and never will. When religious beliefs are overlayed on parenting
choices in this manner, it becomes a matter of faith over "secular"
facts, which are considered suspect. Furthering the problem is the fact
that what he says "makes sense" to those who do not have enough
background in lactation physiology or child development and thus may
judge according to past cultural norms.  Mr. Ezzo has a two-dimensional
answer for a three-dimensional problem, and for those who do not
understand the complexity of mother-baby-family dynamics, two
dimensional is all that may resonate with them.

The best approach is to keep feeding good information and solid
documentation to parents. After all, it is the consumer who ultimately
has the power to demand change, and as we educate them--- thoroughly--
they are empowered to go back and challenge the status quo.

Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC