Guilt

One of the most common push backs that breastfeeding advocates face is the idea that we should not encourage breastfeeding because we will make mothers feel guilty if they ultimately feed their child formula. Despite having heard it time and again, it’s an argument that still baffles me.

As a Pediatrician I provide my patients with evidence-based advice and counseling at every visit. I repeatedly suggest that parents quit smoking while evaluating their children. Teens regularly suffer through my sex talk; heavy on self-respect and condoms. And if that teen is using illegal drugs, they receive an unambiguous statement from me that their choice is medically unwise and unsafe. Every new parent is told to put his or her baby “back to sleep” and always travel in a car seat. Never is there an outcry that I could be making the patients or parents feel guilty about these choices.