Sick of the Whole "Breastfeeding is Best" zealots

Let me start by saying that I really do appreciate the movement to encourage women to breastfeed their children. HOWEVER, on behalf of all mommies out there who can't or choose not to for whatever reason, I am sick of the zealots that make you feel like you are a horrible mother because you aren't breastfeeding your baby. First off, these people never even stop to ask WHY the woman isn't breastfeeding. This is a huge thing to me. There are many, many reasons why a mother may not. The most important being medical. What if a mommy can't breastfeed because she cannot discontinue the use of a medication that is essential for her health and well-being? (this is actually my situation, so I figured I would start with this one) What these people fail to realize is that I would be practically useless to my kids (not to mention I would be unable to enjoy all the wonders of their precious childhood) if I were to have tried to discontinue my meds to attempt breastfeeding. So I am stuck with the constant barrage of media and opinion everywhere that I've somehow the wrong or selfish thing. To go to the other end of the "those who don't" spectrum, let's say a woman just chooses that breastfeeding is not right for her, her child, and her family. Maybe she feels completely uncomfortable doing this (or at least in public). This is a legitimate reason because part of the added benefit attributed to breastfeeding is "building a closer bond". However, if this poor mother is so uncomfortable doing it, all the stress she feels is only transferred to her baby despite being well-intentioned. And, as a biologist, I scream every time I hear that breastfeeding is so superior to the formula that's available on the market today. Things like suggesting that formula-fed babies are more likely to be obese. Both my kids are formula-fed and both are at the small end of the growth scale. It's genetics, people--FACE IT. Both my husband and I were tiny, tall, thin kids. And guess what? Our kids are, too. Shocker. How about suggesting that breastfed babies are less likely to succumb to SIDS? There is a huge deficit in actual research to substantiate this outrageous claim. Therefore, it is merely a scare tactic. Also, let's look at the so-called claims about intelligence (both supposedly proven and inferred). My children have met all their milestones way early. My daughter had already learned everything that she would've been taught in 3-yr-old preschool before she was even old enough to be enrolled. She has a better vocabulary, speech, and conversational skills than any other kid of her age I know. All this has nothing to do with formula vs. breastfeeding. It again comes back to GENETICS and also, in this case, parental involvement. Both my husband & I have post-graduate educations, so I would safely say we are of above-average intelligence. Thanks to genetics, it appears our children will be as well. Again, shocker. Furthermore, we both work very hard to provide educational toys, programs, opportunities, and interactions for our children. We don't just get them the flashy or favorite or most popular toy on the market. We go for traditional things that don't have all the sounds and things because it helps foster their imaginations, their logic, and problem-solving skills. Anyway, I know this was quite a rant, but bottom line...before you judge someone for doing something different with their lives than you would with your own, at least try to get some information about WHY they chose their path. You may be very surprised to find the time, effort, and emotion that went into the decision. Oh, and it's not your life, so let them live their own.