Breastfeeding controversy

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A controversial paper on breastfeeding has been published calling on health professionals to stop calling breastfeeding ‘natural’, arguing the term gives the impression that natural parenting practices are healthier.

The medical experts who wrote the article have started a public campaign to end the positive use of the word ‘natural’ when referring to breastfeeding. The article, said “promoting breastfeeding as ‘natural’ may be ethically problematic and even more troubling, it may bolster this belief that natural approaches are presumptively healthier.”

“Praising something as natural, it can be interpreted as implying what’s natural is healthier and of course things we perceive as natural are not always healthier.” Says researcher Anne Barnhill.

According to the article, using the term ‘natural’ indirectly fuels concerns over other aspects of health that are seen as ‘unnatural’ aspects such as childhood vaccination. While the study says referring to breastfeeding as natural may be damaging to other help practices, some experts say its creating the breastfeeding renaissance we have today.

“I think it’s important to distinguish between the word natural and normal. So what we do here at St. Joes, is we really work to normalize breastfeeding.”

The researchers say they aren’t making any statements against recommendation of breastfeeding overall, but are instead suggesting that the language of ‘the natural’ in breastfeeding promotion is potentially harmful to other public health goals.