The One Best Way?: Breastfeeding History, Politics, and Policy in Canada (Studies in Childhood and Family in Canada) Review

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(More customer reviews)The One Best Way? Breastfeeding History, Politics, and Policy in Canada, By Tasnim Nathoo and Aleck Ostry, is an excellent read. It is well written, engaging, and informative to say the least.
Breastfeeding practices are relevant to every single one of our lives. Questions and debates as to "the one best way" to nourish babies have been heatedly discussed and contested over the years. To this day debates about the appropriateness, acceptability, and regulation of breastfeeding are still in the forefront of our daily lives. Given all of this historic and on-going controversy--and the undeniable reality that this topic will surely remain pertinent for many years to come--this book is both fascinating and timely. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and recommend this book to anyone from the casual reader with passing interest, to the avid intellectual engaged in the area of infant feeding.
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In recent years, breastfeeding has been prominently in the public eye in relation to debates on issues ranging from parental leave policies, work−family balance, public decency, the safety of our food supply, and public health concerns such as health care costs and the obesity "epidemic."

Breastfeeding has officially been considered "the one best way" for feeding infants for the past 150 years of Canadian history. This book examines the history and evolution of breastfeeding policies and practices in Canada from the end of the nineteenth century to the turn of the twenty-first. The authors' historical approach allows current debates to be situated within a broader social, political, cultural, and economic context.

Breastfeeding shifted from a private matter to a public concern at the end of the nineteenth century. Over the course of the next century, the "best" way to feed infants was often scientifically or politically determined, and guidelines for mothers shifted from one generation to the next. Drawing upon government reports, academic journals, archival sources, and interviews with policy-makers and breastfeeding advocates, the authors trace trends, patterns, ideologies, and policies of breastfeeding in Canada.

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