Natural birth?
If you mean truly natural birth then yes in nearly all cases it is the best choice for mom and baby. If you mean what passes for natural birth in a hospital than no.
Home birth?
Is the right of every woman to have the option of a safe home birth
Pain medication for labor?
Its stupid to make this decision ahead of time. That's like me saying you are going to have a headache next month are you going to take one tylenol, two tylenol , or nothing without giving you any information about how serious the head ache will be. If you need it fine, but understand the risks first.
Breastfeeding?
Breast milk is the right of all babies, in cases where the mother can not nurse as a society we have the responsibility to provide safe banked human milk. We don't use artificial blood products in nearly all cases because they "aren't good enough" and yet formula is considered "ok".
However until such time as the support is there so most women can and will choose to breastfeed where possible and actually have the help needed to succeed we must make infant formula far safer than it is now. And frankly I feel like I am the only one advocating for sterile powdered formula, no BPA in can linings, reduced heavy metals, and open information on where the ingredients in formula are coming from so parents can make a more informed choice.
Formula feeding?
See above. But I would add that I am sick of parents not bothering to learn how to prepare the darn stuff properly
Breastfeeding in public?
Is a non issue. It is legal, it should be legal, and if we have to put in laws making it illegal to harass a woman for nursing in public then shame on us but we should do it. Where I live it is technically illegal to harass a woman that is nursing but you have to take the incident in front of the human rights tribunal which is a) complicated and b) they have other things to deal with.
Breastfeeding past twelve months?
I refuse to acknowledge 12 months as any sort of logical weaning age. Breastfeeding past 12 months is NOT "extended" breastfeeding -its perfectly normal average plain old breastfeeding.
Male lactation (daddy breastfeeding)?
I wish more men would, but they won't. So instead myself and many of my friends are forced to make agreements with our friends that if anything happens to one of us the others will do their best to provide breast milk to that person child(ren)
Dream feeding (feeding while baby sleeps)?
Just bedshare, its where baby belongs any way.
Starting solid foods before six months?
Is stupid. Humans are not the only mammal so defective we needs something other than breast milk before we can feed ourselves something other than breast milk. And basically no babies will actually swallow food before 6 months -even those that pick it up and chew it.
Piercing baby's ears?
Not my thing but I don't care what other people do.
Male circumcision?
Legally its unlawful to have separate laws for men and women so either its illegal to circumcise a minor (adults can do any foolish thing they want as far as I am concerned) or it should be legal to remove the clitoris and clitoral hood of girl babies. Clitoredectomy has fewer side effects (when done medically), removes fewer nerves, fewer structures, etc.
Cry it out method?
If its wrong to do to an elderly person its wrong to do to a baby. Its wrong to leave a senior who can't get around freely calling out for 12 hours just because its night time and its just as wrong for a baby.
Co-sleeping?
Is the right choice for most families except those where one parent smokes. Co sleeping includes room sharing.
Gender-typing (boys in blue, girls in pink)?
I wish I could let my son where pink Kai Lan dresses as it would make him very happy, but I can't. I'm not saying that I don't use pink sleepers around the house, and of course I let him wear dresses in dress up.
Organic foods?
Organic is a myth. Yes foods should and could be a lot safer than they are, however its far more effective to severely limit pesticides, herbicides and "unnatural" fertilizers then it is to attempt to eliminate them completely and then using them in "emergencies". Truly efficient, safe farming that produces low cost foods in amounts sufficient to feed the world is possible -but not if we are "organic extremists" as with many things fanaticism doesn't work.
Fast food?
Is tasty on occasion?
Cloth diapers?
Are a great choice but not always feasible and not always better for the environment depending on local factors
Disposable diapers?
Should be safer than they are and all components should be biodegradable (and yes I understanding nothing breaks down in a dump but where I live disposable diapers do not go to a dump they go to a high heat composting facility)
Baby sign language?
Is fun if parents want to do it
Spanking?
Doesn't work but I understand parents that do it as a last resort.