The big letdown : how medicine, big business, and feminism undermine breastfeeding

Pediatricians say you should but it's okay if you don't. The hospital says, "Breast is best," but sends you home with formula "just in case." Your sister-in-law says, "Of course you should!" Your mother says, "I didn't, and you turned out just fine." Celebrities are photographed nursing in public, yet breastfeeding mothers are asked to cover up in malls and on airplanes. Breastfeeding is a private act, yet everyone has an opinion about it. How did feeding our babies get so complicated? Journalist and infant health advocate Kimberly Seals Allers breaks breastfeeding out of the realm of "personal choice" and shows our broader connection to an industrialized food system that begins at birth, the fallout of feminist ideals, and the federal policies that are far from family friendly. __The Big Letdown__ uncovers the multibillion-dollar forces battling to replace mothers' milk and the failure of the medical establishment to protect infant health. Weaving together research and personal stories with original reporting on medicine, big pharma, and hospitals, Kimberly Seals Allers shows how mothers and babies have been abandoned by all the forces that should be supporting families from the start--and what we can do to help. Breastfeeding. The Mere Mention Of It Has Many Mothers Wracked With Anxiety (how Will I Manage With Work, Other Kids, What If I Don't Make Enough Milk?) Or Guilt About Not Doing It (will I Be Hurting My Child If I Choose Not To Breastfeed? What Will People Think Of Me If I Choose Not To?). This Hot-button Issue Is One We've Talked About Repeatedly In The Media And In Celebrity Culture. Remember When Angelina Jolie Posed For The Cover Of W Nursing Her Newborn? Oh, The Controversy! And When Barbara Walters Complained About The Woman Breastfeeding Next To Her On A Plane? She Was Forced To Issue A Public Apology. Or What About When Supermodel Gisele Bunchen Declared That There Should Be Worldwide Law That Mothers Be Required To Breastfeed Their Babies For The First Six Months Of Life? All Hell Broke Loose. This Topic Gets People Riled Up, And There Has Never Been A Narrative Account That Explores The Breastfeeding Big Picture For Parents And Their Children In Today's World. The Big Letdown By Author, Journalist, And Breastfeeding Advocate Kimberly Seals Allers Will Change That For The Better And Open Up A Candid Conversation About The Cultural, Sociological, And Economic Forces That Shape The Breastfeeding Culture And How It Undermines Women In The Process-- Doctor Who? The Medical Field's Influence On Mothers -- Milk Money The Big Business Of Bodies, Breasts, And Babies -- Scientific Breakthroughs Or Breakdowns? -- The Things Unseen: Battling Structural Barriers -- Nipple-omics And The Value Of Motherhood -- The Feminist Fallacy -- The Problem Of No Problem: The Breastfeeding Movement -- Boob Control: The Sexualization Of Breastfeeding -- Ending The Letdown: The Way Forward. Kimberly Seals Allers. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 269-280) And Index. "Breastfeeding. The mere mention of it has many mothers wracked with anxiety (how will I manage with work, other kids, what if I don't make enough milk?) or guilt about not doing it (will I be hurting my child if I choose not to breastfeed? what will people think of me if I choose not to?). This hot-button issue is one we've talked about repeatedly in the media and in celebrity culture. Remember when Angelina Jolie posed for the cover of W nursing her newborn? Oh, the controversy! And when Barbara Walters complained about the woman breastfeeding next to her on a plane? She was forced to issue a public apology. Or what about when supermodel Gisele Bunchen declared that there should be worldwide law that mothers be required to breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life? All hell broke loose. This topic gets people riled up, and there has never been a narrative account that explores the breastfeeding big picture for parents and their children in today's world. THE BIG LETDOWN by author, journalist, and breastfeeding advocate Kimberly Seals Allers will change that for the better and open up a candid conversation about the cultural, sociological, and economic forces that shape the breastfeeding culture and how it undermines women in the process"-- Provided by publisher

Pediatricians say you should but it's okay if you don't. The hospital says, "Breast is best," but sends you home with formula "just in case." Your sister-in-law says, "Of course you should!" Your mother says, "I didn't, and you turned out just fine." Celebrities are photographed nursing in public, yet breastfeeding mothers are asked to cover up in malls and on airplanes. Breastfeeding is a private act, yet everyone has an opinion about it. How did feeding our babies get so complicated?

Journalist and infant health advocate Kimberly Seals Allers breaks breastfeeding out of the realm of "personal choice" and shows our broader connection to an industrialized food system that begins at birth, the fallout of feminist ideals, and the federal policies that are far from family friendly. The Big Letdown uncovers the multibillion-dollar forces battling to replace mothers' milk and the failure of the medical establishment to protect infant health. Weaving together research and personal stories with original reporting on medicine, big pharma, and hospitals, Kimberly Seals Allers shows how mothers and babies have been abandoned by all the forces that should be supporting families from the start--and what we can do to help.