Missing You - Ruth A. Lawrence, Doctor Who Championed Breastfeeding, Is Dead at 101 : Shared by Viviane Sakkal

 By Michael S. Rosenwald – The New York Times

Click here for the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/health/ruth-a-lawrence-dead.html

Summary
Ruth A. Lawrence, a pioneering pediatrician who transformed breastfeeding from a marginal practice into a recognized medical specialty, died on Oct. 12 in Rochester, N.Y., at 101. 

She founded one of the first academic breastfeeding centers, authored the field’s leading textbook, and helped establish the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. A mother of nine, all breastfed, Lawrence combined clinical rigor with lived experience, championing breastfeeding as “Mother Nature’s plan” while acknowledging its challenges. Her decades-long career reshaped medical education, public health priorities, and support systems for nursing mothers in the U.S. and globally.

She chaired or advised numerous boards and initiatives, including:

• The United States Breastfeeding Committee.

• The International Society for Research on Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML) from 1987-1990. 

• She was a founding member (and President 1996-97) of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. 

Quotes
“She really set the path for creating an entirely new medical field to the benefit of so many women and children.”

“It’s not just what’s for lunch. It was Mother Nature’s plan to protect the child, to facilitate the best growth possible.”

“We tried to help mothers feel comfortable with their babies… and we gradually got a breastfeeding culture here.”

“My purpose was not to make a bundle of bucks. My purpose was to spread the knowledge and to make people aware, and to put some science behind it.”

“If you’re going to cook dinner, you might as well cook a lot of it.”