11/02/2025
Yikes, y'all. IBCLCs and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) have had tense relations for many years and it's sad because it impacts lactation care: how it is viewed, how it is covered, and much more. This journal article is from 2016 and just being brought to my attention. Here's an excerpt: "Promoting breastfeeding as “natural” may be ethically problematic, and, even more troublingly, it may bolster this belief that “natural” approaches are presumptively healthier."
Medical and public health organizations recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed for at least 6 months. This recommendation is based on evidence of health benefits for mothers and babies, as well as developmental benefits for babies. A spate of recent work challenges the extent of these benefit...