Once again Consumer Reports deserves a big fat “F” for its series on C-sections. Why? Because it starts with a conclusion and works backward to support it. “Everybody knows” that the C-section rate is too high, and Consumer Reports is no different, but as is the case with many pieces of conventional wisdom, what “everybody […]
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The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative bullies babies
In the dystopian novel 1984, George Orwell introduced the idea that vocabulary has the power to control thought. In 1984, the government, in an effort to control citizens and force them into submission, subverts the meaning of common words and phrases to promote approved views. This type of language manipulation is also known as “doublespeak,” […]
Have women been tricked into giving up real power for “empowerment” through childbirth and breastfeeding?
Imagine for a moment that you were a men’s rights activist (MRA). You know the men I mean, the ones who are whining about Femi-Nazis and how white men such as themselves are victims of discrimination. Imagine that you felt profoundly threatened by women who were smart, talented and powerful. How might you convince them […]
Our breastfeeding fetish
There once was a time when all babies were breastfed … and they died in droves. That’s because the benefits of breastfeeding are very small. Breastfeeding can’t overcome poor sanitation; it can’t prevent or treat deadly childhood diseases; and many women don’t make enough breastmilk to fully nourish a child. [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” […]
Lactivists unwittingly reveal their true goal: forcing women back into the home
A political analyst once defined a gaffe as a politician accidentally telling the truth. The lactivism industry has just committed a gaffe. As Pediatrics Professor Steven Abrams writes, Guidelines for Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Nutrition Have Value But Go Too Far: [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]In a society where women can no longer […]
PUSH BACK media round up
PUSH BACK: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting was published on Tuesday and there’s been quite a bit of media surrounding it. Here’s a recap: A Reddit AMA: more than 3000 up votes and over 2000 comments. I was typing for 6 hours straight! Apparently it was such a great AMA that both Salon,“There […]
How did you PUSH BACK against the pressure of natural childbirth, lactivism and attachment parenting?
I’ve done a dozen interviews this week for PUSH BACK: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting and I’ve repeatedly been told, “I wish I had this book when my children were small; I thought I was alone.” It’s very gratifying to hear this, but it’s also distressing. So many new mothers feel battered down […]
Researchers who questioned the public framing of breastfeeding get death threats? Naturally!
Over the weekend Jessica Martucci, medical ethicist and feminist historian, reached out to me on Twitter to ask how I deal with hate mail. Recently she’s been getting a lot of it, death threats included, in response to a paper she and colleague Anne Barnhill wrote in the journal Pediatrics. Death threats about breastfeeding? Naturally! […]
I am not a better mother than you!
I did six radio interviews yesterday to promote my new book, PUSH BACK: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting. Most of them were for drive time radio so it was very important that I condense my message to as short a time as possible. I had my spiel prepared: [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” […]
A special thank you to the readers of my blog
PUSH BACK: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting is here! It’s now available on Amazon and everywhere else. I wanted to share two things from the book with my readers, many of whom have become my virtual friends. First is the dedication page: For my husband, Michael. Thirty-five years after our wedding, I still […]
Amy Tuteur, MD
Dr. Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician gynecologist. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1979 and her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1984. Dr. Tuteur is a former clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. She left the practice of medicine to raise her four children. Her book, Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting (HarperCollins) was published in 2016. She can be reached at DrAmy5 at aol dot com... More
