“Because breasts can produce milk, it is commonly assumed that they are naturally intended for breastfeeding. However, as Lisa Kreuzmann’s book reveals, this notion is entirely unfounded,” writes Missy Magazine.

“Kreuzmann offers a brilliant exposition of how infant feeding has evolved into a worldview: she tackles the issues of power and breast milk with great seriousness and depth. This is a striking, long-overdue, feminist work!” — Mithu Sanyal, a multi-award-winning German cultural scholar, writer, and journalist who has contributed to West German Broadcasting (WDR), Southwest Broadcasting (SWR), Deutschlandfunk, Der Spiegel, the Federal Office for Civic Education, and other institutions.

★ Deconstructing the “Natural Breastfeeding” myth, this book is a practical guide to “renewing breastfeeding culture”! Drawing on historical sources and wielding the scalpel of sociology, it dissects the seemingly gentle yet deeply oppressive narrative that “breastfeeding is the most natural.” It reveals the intricate webs of power, economics, and emotion that underpin the notion of “naturalness,” bringing one of the most invisible forms of labor into the open. Breastfeeding is not merely a feeding method; it is a complex negotiation over time, money, and dignity.
★ A dual lens—scholarly insight meets maternal experience! The author is both a sociologist and a mother of two, blending academic rigor with the raw realities of parenting. The writing combines cool, analytical precision with heartfelt emotional resonance, capturing both the warmth of breast milk and the sharp edge of critical thought.
★ Moving beyond the binary of “breastfeeding vs. formula,” this book neither romanticizes direct breastfeeding nor champions formula. It is addressed to all parents and extended families, not just mothers. It also offers replicable, small-scale solutions for homes, workplaces, and policymakers, aiming to free “breastfeeding” from its role as a straitjacket for individuals, return “parenting” to the public sphere, and shift the focus from “what to feed” to “how to provide support.”

Breastfeeding directly from the breast or bottle-feeding? Few topics concerning newborns have sparked as heated and enduring debate over the years as this one. But let me be clear: this book is neither an advocacy for nor an opposition to breastfeeding. It is a exploration of what lies beneath the assumption that breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, and of the consequences this has for mothers and birthing people. Lisa Cruzmann delves deeply into this debate, dismantling patriarchal narratives and entrenched paradigms. The discussion goes far beyond mere questions of how to feed an infant; rather, it centers on power dynamics, the division of labor, the distribution of wealth, systems of value, beliefs about progress, and yearnings to return to an imagined past. At its core, this is not simply about breastfeeding—it is about whose time matters less, whose careers can wait, and whose exhaustion is taken for granted…
“My body, my choice,” Cruzmann’s widely acclaimed work of nonfiction reexamines breastfeeding with sociological force, calling for a new way of thinking: a narrative that includes all parents and children, empowers them, and treats them as equals; a discourse that engages with bodies while also accounting for real-life practices. We still have a long way to go before we achieve a modern breastfeeding culture—one that is renewed and that affirms greater bodily autonomy for women.

Lisa Krüsmann
Lisa Krüsmann was born in Wiesbaden in 1989 and studied social sciences, business administration, and European studies. She works as a freelance journalist and writer in Cologne and Bonn. She contributes articles to ZEIT ONLINE on family politics, pop culture, and workplace hierarchies, and produces multimedia reports and radio programs for West German Broadcasting (WDR). She is a mother of two young children and advocates for the right to make free and autonomous decisions about one’s own body.