Here’s an angle I hadn’t thought of:
I’m personally thrilled to see these [ads] curtailed but not because I’m a big formula fan. My wife had medical issues that made breast-feeding virtually impossible. Not just uncomfortable mind you, debilitatingly painful despite multiple trips to doctors, rentals of high quality pumps, etc. I know other women who’ve had similar situations. She made it for 10 weeks but then had to switch to formula.
Those ads were very hurtful because they basically told her she was endangering our child (on the same level as giving her drugs from a syringe) if she didn’t keep breast feeding. It’s one thing to encourage breastfeeding as the preferred option. It’s another thing to paint it as the only responsible option.
And another:
When our daughter was born, we were forced, by plain circumstances, to supplement her milk with formula – my wife simply couldn’t make enough. She was outraged when I first suggested it, when I noticed that the baby always seemed hungry, even after feeding. She was then ashamed, though I told her it wasn’t her fault…These ads are a slap in the face to a lot of mothers who are in the same position.