I read that book as soon as I could get my hands on it. While the first 1/2
of the book held a few "amen to that!"'s for me, I was left very
disappointed, and with a subtle gloomy feeling about what I have to look
forward to (I am 25 weeks pg.)  She makes the already mentioned "dis" of LLL
- but also has a very casual "either/or" attitude toward formula use - she
gave the impression to me of breastfeeding being a nice warm fuzzy (which it
is, for sure) but of formula being the neutral norm. She herself
interchanges formula and breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeders are
apparently too "crunchy" to be in her elite clique LOL.

As far as birth practices go, she came SO close to getting it - her
criticisms of the American birthing model were right on but then she
completely fell short of realising the answer is not just in polishing up
the stainless steel - like her outright dismissal of LLL, she considers
natural childbirth advocates "just as bad" as the high-tech paranoid types,
and called those in fields which support normal childbirth "naturalist
zealots". Anytime I have ever seen terms like this used (zealot, fanatic,
nazi, gestapo etc.) it almost always covers some sort of guilt and/or
defensiveness. As I have said before: degrade the messenger, degrade the
message. It's too bad.

I suggest anyone reading this book also read the excellent article by Connee
L. Pike-Urlacher which appeared in Midwifery Today issue #47 (Autumn 1998) -
called "Middle Class Beliefs: How they Define Normal Birth". It helps put
the author's point of view into perspective.

Michelle DePesa

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