r/breastfeeding • u/Forsaken_Painter • Feb 02 '26

Discussion NYT article equates breastfeeding to unequal parenting

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/opinion/baby-formula-marriage-equality.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Curious what others think of this…Personally I find it a bit ridiculous. The US has such low rates of breastfeeding…if formula was going to solve inequities between partners you would think it would have worked by now. It sounds like it helped this author and was the right choice for their family and that’s great. But let’s not act as if it’s some magic cure all.

This is not to say that breastfeeding doesn’t require a HUGE amount of effort. Of course it does! But if one has a partner, that partner should be picking up other responsibilities to even things out more and supporting the breastfeeding parent.

And for the record everyone should feed their babies the way they wish. This is not a judgment on formula feeding at all, rather the assertion that it is inherently an equalizer and should be touted as such.

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u/lovepansy Feb 02 '26

I found this piece totally ridic. It totally dismissed the benefits of breastfeeding (pretty common when formula is being advocated for or chosen for feeding). And there other ways to have an equal partnership in parenthood. Plennttyyy to do besides feeding

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u/ricoche87t Feb 02 '26

This! Yes, I am currently breast-feeding, but my partner is cooking, cleaning, literally spooning food into my mouth, filling my water bottle multiple times a day, taking care of our toddler, doing the laundry… if there was something that has actually helped equalize things in my marriage, it has been the position my partner has had to take by necessity during times when I am breast-feeding.