The Politics of Breastfeeding is a thought provoking book that should be read by everyone, regardless of how they choose to feed their baby. Shedding light on the actions of the formula companies, Gabrielle Palmer takes a detailed look at the history of infant feeding and the role played by multi national companies in undermining breastfeeding both in the West and in Developing countries.
Eva says "This is a brilliant book. I read the original when I was breastfeeding Maya a must read for everyone breastfeeding or not."
Synopsis:
As revealing as Freakonomics, shocking as Fast Food Nationand thought provoking as No Logo, The Politics of Breastfeeding exposes infant feeding as one of the most important public health issues of our time.
Every
thirty seconds a baby dies from infections due to a lack of
breastfeeding and the use of bottles, artificial milks and other risky
products. In her powerful book Gabrielle Palmer describes how big
business uses subtle techniques to pressure parents to use alternatives
to breastmilk. The infant feeding product companies’ thirst for profit
systematically undermines mothers’ confidence in their ability to
breastfeed their babies.
An essential and inspirational eye-opener, The Politics of Breastfeeding challenges
our complacency about how we feed our children and radically
reappraises a subject which concerns not only mothers, but everyone:
man or woman, parent or childless, old or young.
3rd fully revised and updated edition.
Reviews:
"This
book is the most profound exploration of the global and personal costs
of artificial feeding I have encountered. It is heartbreaking,
challenging, and a page-turner." Anna Swisher, ILCA
There
are many people who prefer to focus on the beauty of breastfeeding, and
don't want to look behind the scenes; don't want to look how, why, when
and where breasts 'are bad for business', or that a baby dies every
thirty seconds due to lack of breastfeeding and the use of bottles and
counterfeit milks. This is a book to awaken the masses, to make us sit
up and notice. If only we would. Countless breastfeeding books exist,
but few with the passion, integrity and importance of this one."Veronika Robinson - The Mother
"A truly 'life-changing' book." ABM
"It is a story that every food campaigner, indeed political activist in any field, should read carefully." The Food Magazine
"In
this most fascinating book, Palmer examines how it came to be that
lactation, one of nature’s star turns, came to be, culturally, another
human mess... I urge you to read this book. It is such a powerful,
eye-opening read for all of us and not just breastfeeding mums but
everyone, man or woman, who cares about children and all of society."
Breastfeeding Matters, La Leche League GB
Endorsements:
"This
book is authoritative about the evidence for breastfeeding, while
making one's blood boil about the folly and, alas sometimes, venality
of the social and commercial forces that stop this vital function of
early life and parenting from being the norm. It's a great read about a
vital public health service." Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, City University London
Contents:
preface
to the third edition | why breastfeeding is political | the right to
call ourselves mammals: the importance of biology | how breastfeeding
works – and how it was damaged | beauty, breasts and books | a taste
for infant feeding | it’s not just the milk that counts | your generous
donations could do more harm than good | hiv and breastfeeding | life,
death and birth | population, fertility and sex | from the stone age to
steam engines: a gallop through history | other women’s babies: wet
nursing | the industrial revolution in britain: the era of progress? |
markets are not created by god | the lure of the global market | what
is the code? | power struggles | dying for the code | documents and
declarations | work, economics and the value of mothering | ecology,
waste and greed | epilogue
0117 924 5080
