It's only natural: on the fantasies and fallacies of breastfeeding

The ideas expressed in the above statements - plucked from myriad 'official' examples - will likely be familiar to readers. They reflect two key assumptions that permeate the provision of maternal and infant care in Australia and throughout the Global North. The first is that breastfeeding constitutes the optimal foundation for a child's development. The second is that a mother and baby share an 'inseparable' dyadic attachment. These assumptions are presented as ahistorical universal truths. In fact, they are radically new.