Breastfed babies have better sight?

I think most of us would prefer to breast feed but there are many reasons why this may not be feasible for an individual. A mom who wants to breast feed but can't already feels disappointed about it. Lacto-nazis' passing judgment on formula feeders is unproductive and insensitive.

For example, the woman raising a baby may be a foster or adoptive mom who has never had a biological child. Breastfeeding may be possible but she may never produce enough milk to obviate the need for formula. What is the point of getting an attitude about that? Until the lacto-nazis know the specific reason why each infant is drinking formula at a particular time, and can honestly say they would have managed to breastfeed in each of those situations, they have no right to judge.

The goal of disseminating information about the wonders of breastfeeding is a good one. But do it in a positive way, not by attacking people.

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Well said, SKL.

Which brings up an interesting point I'd like to make. How many of you, that have said all that you've said about formula (and how awful us mothers are who have had to use formula), have ever fed your child/ren processed foods. Any dyes, chemicals, additives, perservatives, processing, unnatural ingredients in the foods you have fed them since breastfeeding? What about unbalanced diets? Are you feeding all organic unprocessed balanced diets? Just because you were able to breastfeed successfully, doesn't mean that after breastfeeding you continued with 'perfect' foods. Are children live many many years *beyond breastfeeding* and all the choices made therafter will, in fact, affect the health and well-being of your child. And that's not even taking into consideration all the harmful cleaning products, dyes and chemicals in clothing and bedding and toys. I could go on ... so are you perfect after breastfeeding as well? ; )

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The point, Monica, is not that we as parents have to be perfect 100% of the time. We can make mistakes (even knowingly serve our kids partially hydrogenated products) and still be good parents. It is very difficult (not impossible, though) to steer clear of all processed foods; it is very simple to breastfeed for the first 1.5 years. Making the (correct) choice to breastfeed doesn't preclude future bad decisions and mistakes - prolonged breastfeeding (and by "prolonged" I mean until the baby weans itself) is an easy, immediate choice every mother can make which results in present and future benefit to the child.

Also, your post suggests that the only important benefit of breastfeeding is to the baby's health - breastfeeding is also healthy for the mother! In fact, at least 2 recent studies indicate that breastfeeding prolongs the MOTHER'S life by several years. Not to mention the psychological and emotional well-being of baby and momma that accompanies breastfeeding.

Your post was short-sighted, Monica. You tried unsuccessfully to find a logical fallacy in the pro-breastfeeding argument.

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Difficult to steer clear of processed foods? You obviously haven't tried hard enough, mind you it is your choice, no? It's so easy though. Much easier than what I have heard many mothers go through with breastfeeding woes. Don't forget, there is a world outside of your own personal experience.

You seem to keep saying the same thing over and over again about breastfeeding being a choice. I would like to recommend to you, that instead of jumping to closed-minded conclusions in regard to a stranger you don't know and don't know the circumstances post-partum, you need to accept that you don't know all. You have no clue why some people had to use formula. It's either formula or death, no? I chose life. Breastfeeding is NOT a choice *for some*, there is no need to mock or ridicule - unless that is something you have a hard time letting go of in the way you communicate with others. I often wonder what it is that makes someone behave that way. What could be going on in their life that they feel the need to be like that? Why the NEED to be so harsh, it's a choice to be like that.

It's hard to believe that some of you really are mothers with such evil attitudes towards others.

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Yvonne,

I don't think Monica was disagreeing with breastfeeding. I think she was pointing out that nobody, ahem, NOBODY is perfect. Each of us is "holier than thou" in some areas and less successful in others.

For some women, it IS harder to breastfeed than to buy all-natural foods. But that is just one example of the "judge not" / "get the log out of your own eye" philosophy which applies here.

I personally believe in breastfeeding until age 2 if possible. Should I be attacking everyone in your club who stopped between 18 and 24 months? I would not do that because I understand that every individual needs to weigh the pros and cons of every parenting decision.

The lacto-nazis' obsession with breastfeeding, to the exclusion of mutual respect for other mothers, is unhealthy in my opinion. I only hope your kids don't pick up on it as they suckle.

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Can we please stop using the term "nazi" when referring to people with strong opinions or personalities?

The Nazi party was all about killing people who it deemed a threat or unfit. Millions of people were killed and damaged by the Nazis. To refer to Soup Nazis and Lacto-natzis is insulting to the victims of the Holocaust and it really chaps my hide that people toss the name of that despicable movement around, simply to insult other people and appear witty.

Seinfeld is Jewish...I don't know what the hell he was thinking.

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Let me be clear. I have no problem with non-breastfeeders who CANNOT, for physical reasons, breastfeed. These mothers, however, represent a tiny, tiny percentage of non-breastfeeders.

Monica, you want to go on and on about choice. And you seem to suggest that moms who cannot breastfeed have made the choice not to. Au contraire. That's the reason I don't have a problem with such mothers not breastfeeding - because they simply cannot.

The vast majoritty of women who do not breastfeed choose not to - they can, but for whatever reason they decide not to. This is completely different than not having the ability to.

And Sandyone - great point about the use of the word "Nazi"

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Why do you care so much about the difference Yvonne? Why do you try to be the way you are being about it all? Any self-respecting lactivist promotes breastfeeding in a positive, welcoming, thoughtful and compassionate way. Why turn off so many people from something that could be said in an empowering way? If you truly are a lactivist, then why no be thoughtfully encouraging to mothers who may have had the choice but did different. Wouldn't your goal be to make them feel empowered enough to try harder the next time around if they have more children? Why the fear and guilt tactics? Do you really think they help people in a positive way? There is something to be said for those who give lactivism a good name - such wonderful compassionate and helpful women. Shame on you for taking the other path. What IS your purpose? Are you promoting breastfeeding or promoting the stoning of women who *either* CHOSE or HAD NO CHOICE to use formula. There's something here to be learned by you today. First, figure out what your true purpose and goals are, then you will know if you are actually deserving of the title 'lactivist' or deserving moreso of a title suited to describe your heartless, thoughtless tactics.

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Sandyone,

I had no intention of being disrespectful to Jews. There are many words that trigger feelings in some of us though most of us would not ever dream of that association. To me, "nazi" represents the attitude that "everyone should be like me, I am the supreme human being, everyone else is dirt." I think that application applies to anyone who goes beyond positively promoting his beliefs and instead attacks others just because they have different beliefs. Although I rarely use it, I thought it was apt here because of the holier-than-thou attitude I am observing here. The lactivists have selected this one aspect of parenting in which they feel superior, and decided it makes them better overall parents and qualified to condemn other parents. That goes way beyond "activism" and deserves a critical term.

I too have Jewish heritage and hearing the term "nazi" does not wound me. That said, I shall try to remember that some people take offense at the "loose" use of the word.

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SKL, et al, while I see your point, please don't tar an feather all Lactivists with the same brush. As I said before I advocate and agitate for better health care for women and children. One aspect of that is the promotion of breastfeeding. It is the same for many, many women who work to increase breastfeeding success for families.

I can also understand where Yvonne comes from, perhaps mistrusting the instincts of parents who make choices that have very clear and empirically proven drawbacks with little or no thought. (I have a similar knee-jerk reaction when I hear women casually remarking on how they'd like to be hooked up to epidurals in the hospital parking lot, but it's knee-jerk and I recognise it for what it is.) Others might provide examples of continuing to use walkers for pre-walking toddlers, or not using car seats or even something I'm pretty sure we can all agree on is a bad idea, smoking in the home.

But, you know, none of us is perfect. I'd like to see the name-calling and the continued "you're a jerk" line of commenting discontinued.

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I agree with your initial and final comments, Mamaloo. I did not mean to imply that all "lactivists" are on the attack against formula feeders.

Of course it would be much more constructive if we could all approach topics, even controversial ones, with mutual respect. Each of us have strong opinions but also have a lot to learn from each other.

Right or wrong, I do sometimes feel compelled to jump in when someone is personally attacking someone else for having honest opinions or feelings. Admittedly, this rarely does any good aside from lending moral support to the underdog . . . .

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