Breastfeeding research is a complete and utter joke. Why? Because breastfeeding researchers ignore their OWN findings. Case in point: An exploration of pregnant women and mothers’ attitudes, perceptions and experiences of formula feeding and formula marketing, and the factors that influence decision-making about infant feeding in South Africa. Breastfeeding researchers set out to show that […]
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Lactivists and natural childbirth advocates are agents of the patriarchy
One of the worst aspects of patriarchal societies is that women are often pressured to meet male desires by being told it will “empowering” them. We see it, for example, in the health moralism around weight: Every woman is still expected to torture her body into the male ideal of thin, lithe and cellulite free, […]
Why did UK midwives promote normal birth? Medical imperialism.
Why did UK midwives campaign for normal birth? Why did they continue to promote it despite an ever rising death toll? The felt — and some still feel — duty bound to bring unmedicated vaginal birth to the benighted women who don’t understand its value. They are practicing a form of medical imperialism. The UK […]
Royal College of Midwives finally apologizes for its deadly Campaign for Normal Birth
Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of babies and mothers died because of the Royal College of Midwives Campaign for Normal Birth. Finally, FINALLY, the Royal College of Midwives has apologized. In todays Times of London: The head of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) today apologises for its part in promoting “normal” births that contributed […]
WTF is wrong with lactation “professionals”: Ukraine edition
Pardon my language, but what the fuck is wrong with these people? How can they be so so patronizing, so sanctimonious, so cruel? In the face of the growing humanitarian disaster caused by the Russian invasions of Ukraine, the Lithuanian Lactation and Breastfeeding Consultant Association issued this appalling statement (Facebook translation): ! IMPORTANT ! ! […]
Marsden’s Mendacious Mansplaining: the “optimal” C-section rate
Earlier this week, by rescinding and abolishing C-section rate targets, the UK finally acknowledged two things we have known for decades: 1. there is NO optimal C-section rate 2. C-section target rates lead to preventable DEATHS Why did anyone think that there was an optimal C-section rate? Because of Marsden’s Mendacious Mansplaining. In 1985 Marsden […]
UK: Cesarean targets are dead!
It’s tremendous vindication of everything I’ve been writing for years … but tragically it has come too late for literally thousands of babies, mothers and families. The Times of London article title says it all: Baby deaths force end to NHS targets for natural births. The subtitle contains the inevitable kicker, “Maternity units have been […]
Nearly everything you’ve been told about the “risks” of C-sections is wrong
A reader sent me the link to a comprehensive, deeply nuance article in The Guardian, Caesareans or vaginal births: should mothers or medics have the final say?. In the course of advancing the argument that medical autonomy REQUIRES that mothers have the choice of C-section on request it makes the point I’ve been making literally […]
The risk of neonatal harm from four alternative birth practices
I’ve often noted that most alternative birth practices — from eating the placenta to lotus birth — have little to no scientific evidence to support them. That wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that they also have significant, life threatening risks for babies. A new paper from the American College of Pediatrics, Risks […]
Yet another paper shows Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative DOESN’T increase breastfeeding rates
Yet another scientific paper confirms what we have known for several years: the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is a failure on its own terms. I’m not talking about the fact that it harms babies with its dubious “achievement” of making exclusive breastfeeding the leading risk factor for newborn re-hospitalization leading to tens of thousands 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
