[schredder]

Yes we absolutely should encourage bonding and normalize public breastfeeding. But cut out the other breastfeeding nonsense.

The evidence is not at all overwhelming, and flies in the face of a couple of generations of formula fed people who turned out fine.

All anyone does by repeating that line is make people feel bad when they can’t or don’t want to breastfeed. Especially women.

[kalleboo]

The generations who were raised in the fumes of leaded gasoline also seemed "fine" but the long term statistics after we switched to unleaded gasoline show that we're way better off now.

[schredder]

An equivalence that does not bear out for baby formula.

Whoever wants to feed their baby breast milk or formula, do what you want. There’s enough anxiety in raising a child, we should be aware of when we might be increasing it in others for no good reason. GP could’ve supplemented their baby’s diet with formula while his wife was gone and everyone would’ve been fine.

[Breza]

Well said. I'm aware of one large-scale randomized control trial of breastfeeding. It found a slight reduction in ear infections and other infections early in life, and no change in IQ in the teenage years. So yes, breastfeeding has benefits, but the amount of pressure people feel to breastfeed is disproportionately high.