Karleen Gribble posted this a couple of days ago but no one has commented,
so here goes.  

http://www.themedguru.com/articles/breast_pumps_the_flexible_way_of_breast_feeding-86111778.html

It is a link to a pretty dismal article at a site called 'themedguru.com',
from India.  The article is thinly disguised advertising and puffery for
pumping and is really distasteful.  There is no really good info in it.  It
seems to have been planted to launch the idea of pumping as a more
convenient way to give a baby breastmilk, in a setting where pumping is not
(yet) widespread.  One way this could happen is that the site, in an effort
to get advertising income from pump manufacturers, commissions an article
about the advantages of pumping over breastfeeding, to make the site look
attractive to potential advertisers.  
Sadly, there is a photo of a woman using the latest model Medela pump,
illustrating the article, though Medela are not named in the text.
Since the privatization of the water supply in numerous parts of India,
there have been huge problems simply obtaining water for daily essential
needs.  It would take some very aggressive marketing to convince mothers in
a place where the water comes on and off at whim, and bottled water is at a
premium, to opt for a way to get their milk into their babies that requires
large volumes of clean hot water at virtually every feed.  
I assume Medela will be very eager to get the photo of their pump removed
from this highly unethical website, and I am writing to let them know about
it, in case they are unaware that it is being used.
Here is an excerpt from the 'article':
"Breast feeding while on one hand is an intelligent choice to make for your
baby, it is also a taxing one all the same. Many mothers have found respite
in the much needed flexibility that breast pumps offer, extracting nothing
from the benefits of breast feeding.
The new mother, who suddenly has her hands full with many tasks at the same
time, often finds herself completely tied to the baby, drained with the
demands that the commitment of breast feeding makes on her.
This is precisely why many women prefer to take to breast pumps, the manual
or battery operated suction systems which enable nursing mothers to extract
milk from their breasts and use it as per their convenience.
While breast feeding builds a strong bond between the mother and the baby,
in addition to providing nutrition which is pure, unadulterated and free of
contamination or infection to the infant, it does get a little difficult to
follow it as part of the daily routine all the time."

This seems to me to be a prime example of an attempt to expand one's market
by exporting technology which may have a role in certain settings, to a
setting in which its role is, at best, dubious, and at worst, a real threat
to child health.  They caution against the use of rental pumps because of
the risk of cross-contamination.  Naturally!  Everyone should own their very
own pump, so the sales curves can rise straight to paradise.

Oh, at the end of the article they emphasize that you should meet with a
lactation consultant 'for all your queries about breast pumps'.  I suppose
so, but I'd much rather help people with their queries about breastfeeding.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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