The article in the Boston Glove regarding how breastfeeding is really not
effective or worthwhile has been identified for what it is, an angry parent being
given a huge amount of space in a newspaper to vent his frustrations and make
himself feel better by dismissing breastfeeding as not worth it. I asked the
editor of the Science/Health section where the column was published if I could
reply to the misleading and inaccurate parts of the column. I was promptly
refused! I mentioned that I found it quite a coincidence that this column ran so
close to the launch of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign. The
best I could do was write a letter to the editor. Letters to this doctor are
fruitless, making him dig in his heels even more. This is the letter I sent:

The Pediatric Perspective column, "Sure breast is best, but is it worth it?"
in the Health/Science section on Feb 3, 2004, is a rather misleading
indictment of breastfeeding. As a registered nurse, lactation consultant, and health
care professional, I can empathize with mothers who have great difficulties with
breastfeeding, having assisted so many over the past 28 years. However, this
column paints a misleading and inaccurate picture of the public health
implications of breastfeeding (or not breastfeeding). Scrutiny of the research that
looks at populations shows a much different picture. Infants not breastfed
exclusively for 6 months are about:
40% more likely to develop type I diabetes
25% more likely to become overweight or obese
60% more likely to experience recurrent ear infections
30% more likely to suffer from leukemia
100% more likely to suffer from diarrhea
250% more likely to be hospitalized for asthma or pneumonia

I would hope that parents take very seriously the decisions they make for
their infant children. Mothers who experience insurmountable difficulties with
breastfeeding should be proud of their efforts. Sometimes it is the health care
system that lets them down. Withholding information from women because they
might feel guilty is patronizing. Women are strong and do not need to be
protected from the outcomes of their decisions. I find it highly suspicious that this
diatribe against breastfeeding was published on the eve of the launch of the
Department of Health and Human Services' National Breastfeeding Awareness
Campaign.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC



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