Well, that didn’t take long, did it? The potential association between a Zika virus outbreak in Brazil and a startling increase in the serious birth defect microcephaly had barely reached public consciousness and anti-vaxxers were spinning a startling new conspiracy theory: the rising incidence of microcephaly in Brazil is caused, not by Zika virus infection, […]
Latest News
Breastfeeding in Parliament is defeat for women, not a victory.
Australia’s Parliament recently voted to allow female representatives to breastfeed in the chamber. Lactivists are hailing it as a victory. It’s not; it is, paradoxically, a defeat. Why? It undercuts the professionalism of women and it is a poor exchange for what they really need: generous maternity leave. Women have struggled for decades to be taken […]
Contemporary lactivism: ugly, ugly, ugly
When it comes to discrediting lactivism I get lots of help from an unlikely source, lactivists themselves. For sheer viciousness, it’s hard to top Kathy Dettwyler, Associate Professor, Supplemental Faculty, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Delaware, Newark, who is known for her cultural work on extended breastfeeding and weaning. You may remember the nasty comment […]
Saving babies’ lives. What’s breastfeeding got to do with it? Not much.
On Friday I wrote about the Lancet series on breastfeeding. The authors claim that exclusive breastfeeding around the world could save 800,000 babies each year. I pointed out a paradox that undermines the authors’ contention: the countries with the highest infant mortality rates already have the highest breastfeeding rates. We shouldn’t be surprised. There once […]
If breastfeeding saves lives why do countries with the highest infant mortality rates have the highest breastfeeding rates?
It sounds spectacular. The headlines in The Guardian are typical, Breastfeeding could prevent 800,000 child deaths, Lancet says: If almost every mother breastfed her children it could prevent more than 800,000 child deaths a year, yet governments are failing to promote and support breastfeeding, with rates remaining far below international targets, new research has found. […]
Meditate on this Marianne Williamson: it’s irresponsible to put your financial health ahead of women’s mental health
One of themes of this blog is that natural parenting renders women’s needs invisible. Whether it’s childbirth, breastfeeding, or attachment parenting, women’s pain, distress and mental health are ignored. Why? Follow the money. Natural childbirth advocates ignore women’s pain in labor because they can’t treat it effectively; lactivists ignore women’s pain, frustration and inconvenience with […]
Zika virus tragedy offers a history lesson for anti-vaxxers
Brazil is experiencing a massive increase in a rare, devastating birth defect. The journal Science notes: Brazil is facing a disturbing spike in a severe birth defect called microcephaly. Babies are born with heads that are far too small, a sign that the brain failed to fully develop. Doctors there have reported nearly 3000 cases […]
Progress ending lactimidation, but there’s still a long way to go
Kudos to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for taking a small step toward ending lactimidation, the ongoing lactivist campaign to “encourage” women to breastfeed by shaming and browbeating them into making the choice that the intimidators approve. In a Practice Bulletin entitled Optimizing Support for Breastfeeding as Part of Obstetric Practice, ACOG […]
Homebirth is a business
In today’s NYTimes, pediatrician Aaron Carroll wonders How to Make Home birth a Safer Option. Noting that a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed out of hospital birth in Oregon doubles the risk of perinatal death, Dr. Carroll makes it clear that he and his wife did not think that homebirth […]
Natural parenting is a risk factor for tyranny
Homebirth, and natural childbirth advocates insist that “Peace on Earth Begins With Birth.” That’s not what my research shows. I’ve discovered an astounding fact about natural childbirth, breastfeeding and attachment parenting: all are risk factors for tyranny, mass murder and a variety of other ills. Consider: [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#00A8BD” class=”” size=””]Almost all of […]
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
