>From: Pamela Mazzella Di Bosco <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Lactation Information and Discussion ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: ILCA Conference Exhibits(long) >Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 01:07:29 EDT > >This was my first conference....As I walked by Avent and Playtex I shook my >head knowing that this would be a Lactnet discussion to be sure. >Personally, >I took their cups...lots and lots of their cups, not enough to make them >bankrupt..but enough. Wanted to be sure their exhibit cost them as much as >possible. Taking these things will not encourage me to encourage moms to >use >them. Maybe the difference is just that. I see the exhibits at a >conference >as sort of show and tell...I don't think it means we have to become their >salesperson. Maybe because I believe in free trade and capitalism, >marketing >really does not bother me. I have no problem with products being marketed >to >professionals. Now, if this conference were for parents as well as >professionals and the products were being sold...humm, that may make me >less >happy about it. I cringe when I see bottles used as representative of >babyhood for health fairs for that reason....but this was not a health >fair. >I do understand the concern about bedfellows but have to trust that the >line >might have been walked on, but not crossed over. I will give it more >thought >and might decide that the line was crossed afterall. > >As for Peter Hartman....Research is not free. Somehow someway we need to >come to grips with the reality that research cost money and someone needs >to >pay for it. I would much rather that be a company trying to make a product >that helps babies get their mother's milk than a company trying to be sure >it >never happens. The comparison of pump companies to formula manufactures is >really unfair. The belief that no one should be making money via >mother/baby >feeding practices is not only unrealistic, it is hypocritical if you are >receiving payment for your services as an LC. My goodness, we could carry >that to so many extremes in the medical world. Why should it cost money >for >by-pass or transplant surgeries? Why can't it all be free? Well, it would >be nice if the world somehow operated without money and we all ate and had >medical care and housing at no expense too. But, that is not the reality >of >life especially in the USA. If there is going to be research done in the >field of lactation I would prefer it to be done by companies trying to make >breastfeeding possible and not by companies trying to isolate what they can >patent next to reproduce!! and sell to make breastfeeding less likely if >not >impossible. That said, I am going to repeat what I was told by Peter's >research team members and by Medela .... The funding of the research was >to >understand how the breast functions in terms of production and milk >ejection. > That knowledge would be used to create technology that could duplicate it >as >close as possible. We also get a chance to add to our knowledge of how the >breast functions and add a piece to the science puzzle of human lactation. >We may never need to use a Medela product, but we will still have the >information. > What about Paula Meier? Her work has changed NICU care and breastfeeding >for premies...she too is part of the research. What do you want exactly? >How do you want technology to advance? How do you want this science >learned >about and researched? This is not just about the art of breastfeeding, >this >is about the science of the human breast and mammalian function and this is >not going to be understood without research...and again, research cost >money. > Lots of money. > >What I find acceptable at a professional conference and what I find >acceptable to the public at large in terms of marketing are quite >different. >I prefer to trust the professional to make decisions based on more than >marketing ploys and to be able to know the difference between advertising >and >fact. When you have access to all the information, when you can see, touch, >try all that is available, you have an opportunity to learn about it, make >choices and decisions for yourself based on information. I consider >myself >an adult capable of making decisions (not always good ones, but at least my >own) and don't need to be protected from the "world of marketing". The >difference as I see it between formula companies and their cozy >relationship >with the medical world and ILCA getting cozy with pump companies (any and >all >of them...not one in particular) is if we get too cozy or the marketing >gets >too intense mothers and babies around the world will get to breastfeed! > >Not true with formula reps and docs. I know there are those who don't >believe in any marketing of any products and like to blame the product and >the marketing instead of the professional for choosing to push it, but I >don't see it that way. The fact that doctors have allowed the formula >companies (and pharmaceuticals in general) to sway their care for their >patients is not the fault of free enterprise and marketing, it is the fault >of the doctors for forgetting first do no harm. I do not hold formula >companies responsible for wanting to get rich, I hold the medical world >responsible for making it so easy. However, this is not the same attitude >I >have about marketing to the public. >And I believe the Code was meant to prevent companies from profiting ...not >from the choice to breastfeed or not... but from being a reason the choice >is >'not'. And to be sure mothers had the ability to choose with all the >information they needed without practices that made breastfeeding difficult >even when that was their choice. > >I don't think we can say no one should profit from the choice to breastfeed >or not unless we don't want to be a paid profession. In reality, LC's >profit >from a mother's choice to breastfeed. If mothers chose to turn to formula >every time there was a problem, then LC's would not be needed. But, we >have >created a profession that wants to help mothers choose to keep >breastfeeding >by helping them succeed at it. Isn't that "profit" due to "choice"? Does >not our very existence as a source of help influence the decision to stop >or >continue? Perhaps the slippery slope is not so slippery at all in the >"paid >world". Perhaps we just need to keep our guard up and be sure that we see >the difference between helping to make breastfeeding work and helping to >make >it not work. > >Best, >Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC FL, USA > > *********************************************** >The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned >LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) >mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: >http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Well said! LuAnn _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html