GainesvilleMoms.com

Great question, Stacy. I wish I knew! I do, however, have a theory.

With advances in technology and medicine and everything else, a lot of people think that we humans are better than, and above, the rest of nature instead of being a part of it. Yes, we are on top of the food chain, but we are still a part of it.

This mindset leads to a lot of problems -- breastfeeding is demonized and considered barbaric or just plain gross, because we have formula and bottle. So why do it the old way?

Why learn to cook when we can go out to eat?
Why learn to sew when there is Wal-Mart just up the road?
Why teach them to tie their shoes when there is velcro?

And so on and so forth. I think that breatfeeding becoming taboo is part of this way of thinking -- that the old ways are all bad, and that to be a good parent one must be modern and "enlightened" (cough cough)

I like your thinking Nate.

Our aversion to breastfeeding may have started with our parents. I was talking to my Nana and her oldest son is about 65. She was encouraged not to breastfeed because formula was thought to be better nutrition for baby. And it was probably considered something poor people were doing because they couldn't afford formula.
Of course, advances in medical research have shown that human milk is much more nutritious than the formula of that time. However, those same advances have led to better formula that is nearly as good as breastmilk. And babies are thriving on either.

Personally, I breastfed because I think it's something that all moms should at least try. (just like your veggies I was willing to supplement if it wasn't enough and it turned out, at least for the first few days, that it wasn't so both had formula. Also, I just flat out didn't want the extra expense of formula. If I had it to do all over, I would have tried harder to make it past the 6 months we got to with both girls, but I was working and it's a pain in the ___ to pump at work.

Here's a gallery of more of the pictures from the magazine. Brad Pitt is a great photographer! I think they're all beautiful and show some special moments between mom and children.

And Caryn, I'm right there with you on it being a pain to pump at work. I did it with both of mine until they were almost a year. I complained every day, but every night when I got home and cuddled up with my boys, I remembered why I was doing it.

I love how "normal" the family seems! It's great to see some down-to-earth celebrity families!