72: “Breast is Best” is the Worst with Mallory Whitmore

If you are a parent or have spent time with expectant and new parents, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Breast is best.” The phrase is used to promote breastfeeding as a superior way to feed a baby, and it has terrorized many new parents along the way. My guest is Mallory Whitmore, “The Formula Mom,” who is a passionate advocate for formula-feeding parents. Join us for the discussion! 

Show Highlights:

●      How and when “breast is best” originated and became a popular slogan

●      The tragic and manipulative history of formula marketing

●      How “Breast is best” has come to symbolize superior parenting choices and not merely nutrition

●      How breastfeeding is often the first failure in parenthood and one that causes extreme mom guilt

●      Mallory’s take on the question: Is breast best?

●      Why most parenting choices are a cost/benefit decision

●      The truth about the data behind “Breast is Best”---and why the research is skewed

●      KC’s personal experience of struggling to breastfeed and switching to formula

●      Why the fundamental issue here is a woman’s bodily autonomy, something most people support in every other circumstance

●      Why the “lacti-vism” movement is wrong in assigning moral superiority to the act of breastfeeding

●      The realities of life around breastfeeding on the job and a lack of empathy

●      Why Mallory’s mission is to support and empower formula moms to combat the shame—not to convince people not to breastfeed

Resources and Links:

Connect with Mallory: Instagram, TikTok, and Milk Drunk

Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook

Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning

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