The Skeptical OB

Let the lactivist whining begin! I wrote yesterday that the Royal College of Midwives issued a statement of what should have been obvious all along: Bottle feeding is a woman’s right New mothers ‘should not be shamed into breastfeeding’ Bottle feeding mothers’ ‘choice must be respected’ midwives advised Prof. Amy Brown, like most professional lactivists, […]

Hallelujah! According to The Independent, Midwives told they must respect mothers who decide not to breastfeed: Mothers who decide not to breastfeed their child must be respected for their choice, midwives are being told. New advice from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) stresses new mothers should be given appropriate support if they make an […]

“Unvaccinated is the biological norm for human beings. Natural immunity, the sole source of infant/child immunological protection in nature, has evolved as a result of 200 million years of Darwinian pressure to become the perfect defense against disease. When we move away from this biological norm, it is up to us to research the effects […]

The headline, Infant formula could change gut bacteria, contribute to childhood obesity, is alarming. The findings are worrisome: [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If they had used a growth chart of how all infants grow, not merely breastfed infants, the title might easily be ‘Exclusive Breastfeeding and the Risk of Underweight in the First […]

Breastfeeding initiation rates in the US are the highest they have been in nearly 50 years. As this chart from the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Breastfeeding demonstrates, the rise has been dramatic, tripling from 1970 to 2007: But you’ll also notice that breastfeeding rates fell off dramatically by 6 months both in 1970 […]

I just came across a post on Reddit that perfectly captures the negativity about Fed Is Best (the Foundation and the philosophy). It’s entitled Sick of the negativity about breastfeeding. The writer whines: [pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Mothers should make feeding decisions based on infants’ need for food, not lactivists’ wish to be […]

When one of my sons was four years old, he made a decision. He told me, “I’m never going to work as much as Daddy! He works too hard.” My son did eventually become a lawyer like his father, but he avoided big firm law, choosing a job with lower pay but much better hours […]

I read a terrific new book this weekend, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. John Carreyrou of the Wall Street Journal tells the story of Theranos, a company with a brilliant idea that promised a revolution in healthcare but ended up as a billion dollar scam that delivered nothing. [pullquote align=”right” […]

It’s no surprise that a privileged, white natural childbirth advocate would deny my claim that white privilege plays a large role in natural childbirth advocacy. I am surprised, however, by the weakness of her denial. As the title of her piece, The Obstetrician Who Cried “White Privilege”, indicates, history Prof. Lara Freidenfelds considers my claim […]

Writing on The Conversation, three UK scientists make an elementary error. Their piece is entitled Jaundice in newborns could be an evolutionary safeguard against death from sepsis. In newborn babies, jaundice is so common as to be termed physiological. It affects around 60% of term babies and around 80% of preterm babies in the first […]