The concerns that I have about ABM manufacturing companies producing and
distributing breastfeeding materials are multiple, not the least of which is the
very complexity and subtlety of the issues. The ABM companies are well aware,
through constant marketing research easily paid for with the substantial profits
generated by this industry, that the mother WHO BREASTFEEDS is the primary
purchaser of their products!! Not only have  these women made a greater
commitment to their infants' nutrition by breastfeeding, but when the
breastfeeding relationship *fails* for whatever reason - and those of you
reading this are more than well aware of the low statistics on exclusive
breastfeeding until cup/table food introduction -  these mothers use ABM
products, they  use them exclusively (no colas, teas, kool-aid drinks, etc.),
and they use them for the whole of the infant's first year. These women are the
key targets of the ABM advertizing campaigns. All one has to do is sit through a
semester or two of a marketing class at the graduate level to understand the
sophistication with which these products are marketed. There is a whole aspect
of the marketing discipline that interfaces with the psychology field to further
their goal - which is to CREATE A NEED for the products (not to fill an existing
need, as so many of the general public think). Even if the breastfeeding
materials produced by these companies were of the highest caliber, a provider of
health care should use extreme caution. Lets be very clear who is a slasesperson
and who is a health care professional. This industry generates substantial
profits, not only in the direct sale of the products to parents/hospitals (were
hospital to purchase their supplies!!)/WIC in the US, etc., but additionally
through the sale of expensive pharmaceuticals needed to combat many of the
illnesses caused and exacerbated by an ABM diet. Prevention and good nutrition
advocacy will never produce even a large fraction of these dollars. And
unfortunately in a society that is taught consumerism first: to work for the
money to buy what we need, we will continue to see parents looking to *purchase*
the answer to their problems, rather than ones who are ready to re-evaluate
their expectations and re-adapt their lifestyles to the needs of an infant (I do
recognize and applaud all those wonderful, motivated mothers who work tirelessly
to overcome breastfeeding problems). These are just a few of the concerns about
the issue of ABM companies marketing strategies... and I know with the length of
these digests you don't want me to get started...

Jeanine Klaus, MS, IBCLC and LLLL
Oakville, Ontario
recovering from a long flight home from a most stimulating breastfeeding
conference held at Grant McEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta (as an American I
think that those in the Northwest US missed a golden opportunity, with the
current exchange rate, to attend a great conference!)