Has Mother’s Milk Gone Sour?

"A new book argues that the science of breastfeeding is ‘very disappointing.’ Researchers in the field beg to differ."

"I spoke with Jung about the criticism from Meyers and Kramer. She says she was "really surprised and bummed" by Kramer’s assessment, because she had made changes to the manuscript based on his feedback. (Kramer describes those changes as minor.) Since her Times essay was published, Jung says, she’s heard from women who felt shamed for not breastfeeding, and they’ve thanked her for speaking out. "I think Dr. Kramer and Dr. Meyers may have less appreciation of what the social impact of really zealous breastfeeding advocacy is," she says. "I think turning it into a public-health issue and erasing the idea of choice is not helpful to the discourse."

Both Kramer and Meyers said they don’t believe it’s necessary to breastfeed in order to raise a healthy child, and they acknowledge other factors that can be important, along with the many pressures and obstacles that mothers face. But they don’t think that the choice between formula and breast milk is a toss-up. What would the world’s most prominent breastfeeding researcher say to a mother on the fence about how to feed her child? "I wouldn’t hesitate for a second," Kramer says. "You should breastfeed your baby. And you should do it exclusively."