just in case no one posted this yet!
http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/web/yourwords/article/0,16466,481682,00.h
tml
(ps -i think the quizno's commercial is HILARIOUS)


~~mumma, tandemstacker extraordinaire~~ 
(you think my hands are full, but you should see my heart)




what’s the worst thing that could happen if you…don’t breast-feed.
We have received a great number of reader letters about the August 2003 
feature “What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen...” specifically the section 
that addressed breast-feeding.

By saying that no great harm will come to your child if you are unable to 
breast-feed, Real Simple is not implying that it is better to forgo nursing. (In 
fact, in the article we clearly outline the benefits.) But not all mothers are 
able to nurse for the 12 months recommended by the American Academy of 
Pediatrics. The advice in the article is intended for those women — women who 
sincerely want to do the right thing but are defeated by circumstance and 
subsequently saddled by guilt. In no way are we suggesting that breast-feeding is a 
waste of time. 

Below is a sampling of the passionate letters Real Simple has received — both 
commending and condemning the way we have addressed this issue. Thank you for 
sharing your opinions with us.
—the Editors

the letters
I am writing about your issue containing the article “What’s the Worst Thing 
That Could Happen If….” As a midwife and a mother, I am appalled at the 
shortsightedness of advising women to stop breast-feeding as a timesaving device. 
Breast-feeding is probably one of the cheapest, easiest, healthiest, and most 
environmentally friendly way a mother can care for her child. There is 
voluminous data pointing to the physical and emotional benefits of breast-feeding. 
What is most disheartening is that your magazine, which seems to have a pretty 
valuable message about simplifying one’s life, has mistaken the notion of 
simplicity with that of speed. Just because bottle-feeding might be faster does not 
make it better or easier. Taking into consideration the amount of time you 
spend shopping, cleaning paraphernalia, assembling, tossing, working to pay for 
the formula, bottles, and gear…then dealing with increased numbers of colds, 
gastrointestinal problems, allergies, and constipation problems that are more 
common among children who aren’t breast-fed, I wonder how much time you save. 
Sitting in a chair, holding your child, giving her or him the best possible 
food there is, which happens to be free, is about he simplest thing I can think 
of. 
—Linda, Providence, Rhode Island

While I have never felt the need to write to a magazine before, I wanted to 
commend you for your comments on the “What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen 
If You...Don’t Breast-feed Your Child?” in the August 2003 issue. For me, 
personally, the article was a much needed blanket of well-timed support. I read 
the article after having unexpectedly given birth, prematurely, to my second 
child, a four-pound baby girl who was still in the neonatal intensive care 
unit. 

I had tried to breast-feed my first child when he was born, three years ago. 
For medical reasons, I was having a tremendously difficult time producing 
milk. I couldn’t produce more than an ounce of breast milk in a long session of 
pumping. Nonetheless, I spent the first weeks as a new mother doing nothing 
other than pumping, feeding, supplementing, hanging tubes down my chest attached 
to bottles of formula so it could “feel” like breast-feeding, and generally 
walking around the house all day with my shirt off and tears down my face. I 
sought the help of lactation consultants, who were merciless in egging me on. My 
husband watched in horror. I gave up when my son’s bilirubin reached 
dangerously high levels — and I’m not talking the common minor jaundice sort. The 
entire experience was emotionally and physically excruciating. 

Despite all this, with a confused three-year-old at home and a newborn still 
in the NICU, I decided to try it all again. But I had the same problems and 
realized that I needed my four-pound baby to eat, and I needed to know exactly 
how much she was eating. So I gave up again. I feel the guilt every day. While 
both my pediatrician and obstetrician have always been incredibly supportive 
of my decisions to bottle-feed (in fact, they thought I would be crazy to 
breast-feed), your article was the only other outside source of comfort, and I 
thank you.

So what’s the best thing that can happen if you don’t breast-feed your 
child? You could have a happier mother, which always translates to a benefit for 
baby.
—Jennifer, Chicago, Illinois

I love your magazine, but I was dismayed by the article in your August 2003 
issue. Please do not group decisions such as sneaking food into a movie 
theater, choosing between red or white wine, and matching shoes to a handbag with a 
decision to breast-feed. There are many obstacles to breast-feeding, and 
reducing it to a funny, one-liner, no-brainer decision does not help a woman make an 
intelligent decision about her health and the health of her baby. While I 
appreciate the comments about the superiority of breast milk by your expert, 
there are also many studies that indicate that breastfeeding for two or more years 
can reduce a women’s risk of breast cancer. If we need to keep the facts real 
simple, breast-feeding eliminates the cost of formula, bottles, liners, 
nipples, etc. Breast-feeding eliminates the need to keep formula cold and then warm 
it up. There is never a late-night run to the store because you ran out of 
formula. There is never a threat of possible contamination. My point here is not 
that every mom needs to breast-feed for years but that every mom deserves the 
information and most of all the support to make and execute her decision. 
Your magazine did not do a service to women facing this decision.
—Gina, Glastonbury, Connecticut

What a shame that in this day and age, women are encouraged not to 
breast-feed their babies. If I had a subscription to this magazine, I would cancel it 
immediately. My daughter is 12 months old, and I breast-feed her with pride. It 
is not time-consuming or a nuisance — it’s an honor and a privilege. Look 
around at all the children who are pushed aside and placed into day cares or 
raised by other caregivers so that mothers can go back to their “normal” lives. 
Why do you think our children have such problems? Children today are killing 
themselves and each other at alarming rates. I say bring back the mother who 
takes the time to hold her child to her breast and revel in herself as a mother 
and a woman completely capable of giving life and sustaining it. Our children 
grow up so fast. As mothers, we need to be encouraged to cherish every moment 
of time with them, because as soon as we turn around they are not children 
anymore. Women should be proud to breast-feed their babies and not be told that it 
is a waste of time.
—Lisa, Birmingham, Alabama

I think the article on breast-feeding made many good points — and I’m a 
breast-feeder. Too many breast-feeders go overboard trying to justify nursing as 
some kind of contest. It’s a shame all moms can’t just help and support each 
other in mothering, no matter what the feeding choice is.
—Arlene, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I applaud the motivation behind the position you took on breast-feeding. 
Alleviating the guilt some mothers who cannot breast-feed might feel is a good 
thing. I think, however, that there is tremendous benefit to providing support 
and information to those women who have to return to the workplace before they 
are ready to wean their child. Perhaps, for them, your magazine would publish a 
list of tips and tricks to make working and pumping easier. As a starting 
point, I have canvassed about 40 women I know who pumped for their babies, and we 
have come up with the following suggestions.


Find a group of women who have pumped or are pumping for their babies. Their 
knowledge, support, and encouragement will be invaluable. 
Rent or buy a good pump. Medela Pump-in-Style is a solid, efficient, and 
effective consumer-level double-horned electric pump. The Avent hand-held pump is 
an excellent nonelectric option. Hospitals or lactation consultants rent 
hospital-grade pumps. 
During the time you are away from your baby, pump about as often as your baby 
would nurse, at least twice during a typical workday if possible. 
Relax. Read a magazine while pumping, surf the Web, or try to get some work 
done. Put a cloth of some sort in your lap to catch any spills or overflows, so 
you don’t have to watch the bottles constantly. 
Pump for as long as you can during each session — even after it seems you’re 
not getting any more milk. The stimulation from the pump will help to 
maintain your supply so that you can continue to nurse your baby when you’re 
together. 
To save time, store your horns with your milk, reuse them throughout the day, 
and wash them at night at home. Run the dishwasher every night, even if your 
pumping supplies are all that’s in it. 
If you cannot pump in your office or in a room specifically designated for 
nursing mothers, get creative. Borrow friends’ offices, use conference rooms 
between scheduled meetings, or pump in your car.
—Liz, Needham, Massachusetts 








 

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