In my interview to the journalist writing about the (seeming) lack of
support for milk banks in Canada, I tried to drive home this point:

Human Milk Banks are an ESSENTIAL component of breastfeeding support and
promotion.  If we don't have access to human milk through milk banks, we are
just beating women up with our breastfeeding promotion and education.

We all agree that breastfeeding will not be considered "important" as long
as we only talk about "benefits", rather than informing people about the
"risks of formula".

And if we DO talk about the "risks of formula" openly, without offering
those few mothers who cannot breastfeed any option other than formula, then
we are just "beating them up".  How cruel, to tell them that formula is 4th
choice by WHO standards, and has considerable risks, but then offer then no
other choice than formula???  (I'm not being sarcastic, I'm being serious
here).

So we need many more milk banks here in Canada (and in the US), so that
human milk is readily available to all babies who need it.  The existence of
the Milk Banks themselves, would send a strong message in itself, to the
medical system and general population.  Then we will have "no excuse" for
formula.

Janice Reynolds

(So which comes first, the chicken or the egg?  HP's I know say that first
we must get the milk bank, before we can fully educate about the risks of
formula, as per the arguement above.

I say, maybe if we DID educate the public about the risks of formula, (and
the lack of milk banks and options to formula) then maybe they would be so
outraged they would DEMAND milk banks be organized.  So our recent Cdn
National TV (CTV "Success Story") of 12 moms donating privately to a mom who
needed milk, would be seen rather as the "Health Care System Failure Story"
that it is.)

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