In “Adam Ruins Everything,” comedian Adam Conover brutally and hilariously takes down common myths and stereotypes.
Throughout the show’s run, Conover has “ruined” (through facts!) things like polygraph tests, nutritional psuedo-science, and diamond engagement rings.
In a recent episode, he took aim at something that has parents everywhere raising an eyebrow: baby formula.
That’s right. Contrary to popular belief, baby formula is a perfectly safe and healthy option for most new families.
The push in recent years to normalize and celebrate breastfeeding has been great, but one unfortunate side effect is that it sometimes leads to the shaming or even demonizing of parents who have to — or simply choose to — feed their babies formula.
The viral clip explains it perfectly:
The science is clear on this: Breastfeeding isn’t the only way to feed your baby. It’s not the only way to bond with them, either.
You may have heard that breastfeeding releases something called the “love hormone,” or oxytocin, which strengthens the mother-baby bond.
Welp. Conover is here to ruin that for you, too. Yay!
“Oxytocin is a hormone that gets released when you do things like hug or cuddle,” he says. “But that same hormone is released when you do things like fire a gun or watch porn.”
In other words, he says, there’s just no scientific evidence that formula feeding is detrimental to your relationship with your baby, physically or emotionally.
Most doctors still recommend breastfeeding, but it’s important to remember that this is a choice, not a mandate.
These myths about formula feeding have been long overdue for a good bustin’. And while many women can’t breastfeed for different physical reasons, it’s also totally cool to just choose not to.
Now that we know breastfeeding and formula feeding are both totally fine, safe, and healthy options, let’s just let moms mom however they want to mom.
