Valley Advocate: Feeding Frenzy
: "Feeding Frenzy
How big business and politics conspire against breastfeeding mothers
by Maureen Turner - April 15, 2004
" A couple of months before your due date, you sign up for a childbirth class. In addition to the usual stuff -- practicing diaper changes on a much-handled rubber doll, sitting on the floor with your partner breathing your way through make-believe contractions -- there's a special session on feeding your baby. You can sign up for one of two classes: breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. You pick breastfeeding. The night of the class, the instructor asks each mom-to-be to introduce herself and say what she's looking forward to about nursing; most say bonding with their babies. A few women have brought along husbands or partners. They don't say much, except for one guy, who wears a fanny pack and looks about a half-generation older than his wife. He talks about how his mother didn't breastfeed him and how glad he is that his wife plans to breastfeed their baby...."