Heh. I'll only post on public policy aspects of the issue, I promise.

Hmmm. I don't mean to jump on your reply, james, but let's just call it using it as a springboard.

Public policy issues? Are we conflating public policy issues with health issues? I would think, absent government exerting it's power into the realm of healthcare, that public policy issues as related to breast feeding would be limited to breast feeding in public, wherever that conversation would lead. But is the choice to breast feed or not, rightly labeled a public (Government) policy issue?

Glad to hear Kim is willing and able. You'll all sleep soon enough!

Samuel, the baby in the photo, never really took to breast feeding. He was a small baby and found it difficult to latch on. This caused stress to him and his mother. From day one my wife wanted to breastfeed, we went to several breastfeeding clinics to try to resolve the problems. Occasionally he would latch on, but it was a long drawn out process. In the end my wife resulted in using a pump, I remember after Samuel's night-feed my wife would get the pump out whilst the rest of the family was sleeping. She would use the pump several times a day, it was a long drawn out process but she was determined to give Samuel breast milk for as long as she could. She managed until just past the recommended six months.

In conclusion, I am proud of my wife's determination to provide Samuel with breast milk by any means for as long as possible. There is a great stress on mothers to provide breast milk for their babies, but alas sometimes life is not that easy. If Samuel had breastfed naturally and easily from day one it would of been so much easier for everyone.

There's actual pressure applied to some new mothers these days, by THEIR mothers, to use formula.

What? I found the pressure on the mrs. to breastfeed simply unbearable. As did she: it was so stressful she just said the hell with it and went to the bottle. (no, not that bottle)

The dangerous flipside of the constant you're not a good mother if you don't breastfeed browbeating

No kidding.

Oh, and congratulations :-)

So it's not only an aesthetic or a choice of convenience, and portraying the decision only on that spectrum can hurt newborns.

There's actual pressure applied to some new mothers these days, by THEIR mothers, to use formula.

As James mentions, the convenience of formula is perfectly obvious. And I have ZERO problem with society applying a bit of pressure to "do the right thing," in this case, breastfeed.

Note, however, that some women for medical or other reasons CANNOT breastfeed or cannot do so sufficiently, and we should be aware of that before implying that women who feed formula are bad. Because some women have tried hard, failed, and feel really bad and inadequate because of it.

You want more controversy? My sister breastfed her kids until they were around 4 years old. Now it turns out this has been done for millions of years and in many other current cultures, but everytime I mention it, people freak out and say "that's wrong!" It isn't.

As a male, I'll simply say it's convient not to have to go to the store at 3AM in search of formula or worry that we packed enough in case a simple trip to the store became something more. Have wife, will travel.

Let's just say I lost the bet.

Heh. I'll only post on public policy aspects of the issue, I promise.

I think convenience of breastfeeding verses bottle feeding is really a matter of opinion than fact. I'll take the convenience of breastfeeding any day over that of bottle feeding.

I think the question is with career moms who leave the kids with a nanny all day and thus have to pump to ensure there's milk available. Also, as noted in the excerpt, formula-fed kids tend to sleep longer at night since formula is more filling.

I think convenience of breastfeeding verses bottle feeding is really a matter of opinion than fact. I'll take the convenience of breastfeeding any day over that of bottle feeding.

a subject that became of sudden interest to me with the birth of our first child seven weeks ago.

(Chuckle)

I can remember having a simuilar conversation with my wife on the matter a few years ago. And recently I had showed her the pics you posted and at the time she wondered to me if we'd hear about breastfeeding in the blog.

Let's just say I lost the bet.