The Big Letdown: How Medicine, Big Business, and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding

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Breastfeeding. The mere mention of it has many mothers wracked with anxiety (how will I manage with work or 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.

Reviews

"With abundant research to back her narrative, journalist Allers, who has two children, shows how and why American women have been made to feel ashamed of breast-feeding...Allers makes the message loud and clear: since breast-feeding provides the most benefits for mother and child, for those who are capable of doing so, it should be the feeding method of choice. Easily digested research and personal stories in support of breast-feeding and its importance to mothers and their children." -Kirkus Reviews

"Formula companies make millions by convincing women they aren't capable of one of their most basic bodily functions, and have spent millions of marketing dollars aimed at women, doctors, hospitals, scientists and policymakers to hammer this point home for the past century. Allers is...transform[ing] the narrative surrounding breast-feeding into an empowering message." - The Washington Post

Author Bio

Kimberley Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, and leading breastfeeding commentator. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, CNN.com, Ladies Home Journal, The New York Daily News, Real Simple, Fortune, Pregnancy and others. She appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Anderson Cooper, Fox News, Huckabee, and NPR. She is the author of The Mocha Manual series and the co-author of Giving Notice: Why the Best and Brightest are Leaving the Workplace.