When I was settling into the routine with my newborn daughter, a health visitor came to our house and said, in a finger-wagging voice, “You know breast is best.” I mentally rolled my eyes. Of course, I knew breast is best. Everybody who reads a newspaper or a baby book knows the evidence that shows breastfeeding imparts scores of benefits to your new baby.
Or does it? Listening to Joan Wolf speak recently challenged that thinking. Her book – Is Breast Best?: Taking on the Breastfeeding Experts and the New High Stakes of Motherhood – changed my mind. She examines the studies – and reveals that the proof is less compelling that many breastfeeding advocates maintain.
I caught up with Joan recently at a Parenting Culture Studies conference and she told me about the surprising ideas in her book.
