Fed Is Best: The Unintended Harms of the "Breast Is Best" Message and How to Find the Right Approach for You and Your Baby

From the founders of the Fed Is Best Foundation, this comprehensive and compassionate guide offers a revolutionary look at what defines “best” infant feeding for every family.

For babies, like for all living things, fed is best. But the current stringent emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding is putting some babies at risk by depriving parents of a full understanding of how to tell when breastfeeding alone is not enough—and what to do about it.

Backed by scientific research and written by healthcare professionals, this guide will help any new parent make informed choices and feel empowered, not shamed, about how they feed their baby. This groundbreaking book debunks widely taught myths about breastfeeding and destigmatizes supplementation, a practice that has been employed throughout human history to protect infants when breastfeeding was not enough.

In these pages, Christie del Castillo-Hegyi, MD, Jody Segrave-Daly, a neonatal registered nurse and retired IBCLC, and Lynnette Hafken, MA, IBCLC provide a clear-eyed look at the current messaging and latest scientific research around breastfeeding and formula feeding to show that the best way to feed a baby can be different for every family.

Part eye-opening exposé, part practical, judgment-free feeding guide, Fed Is Best:

• Breaks down everything you need to know about the dangers of insufficient feeding in newborns and infants
• Reveals myths around colostrum and the expectation that mothers will “naturally” produce all the milk their baby needs if they follow current guidelines
• Provides detailed guidance for how to tell if your baby is getting enough to eat, particularly in those crucial first few days of life
• Shares supplementation strategies that protect and encourage continued breastfeeding
• Details what parents need to know about combination feeding, with sample schedules

Let Fed Is Best help you find the feeding method that’s right for you and your baby—whether that’s exclusive breastfeeding, exclusive formula feeding, or anything in between.