Dear Lactnuts,
Barbara Whitehead told of standing near an ABM rep at a conference and how
she stayed polite and calm and set a great example for us all. I am not
such a good person as Barbara, as you will see.
I just returned from the annual meeting of the Norwegian Society for
Perinatal Medicine, a multiprofessional group which hosts a good conference
every November and which has many industry reps (ICU equipment, electronic
scales, breast pumps, cod liver oil capsules, no kidding). This year for
the first time there was a rep from a large company which markets infant
formula and industrially prepared infant foods. The rep identifies herself
as a health visitor (public health nurse for you N.Americans) both orally
and on her business card with the company logo. I was looking over the
abundant literature she was giving away and not eating the goodies she was
serving to visitors to her stand, and she engaged me in conversation. I
said I was one of the few people there who was opposed to her having a
stand, and when she asked, I told her it had to do with her company's
marketing practices in other countries. She got very hurt, as she is a
public health nurse who has been involved in work for improved infant
nutrition for 22 years. 'My goodness, our company SUPPORTS breastfeeding!
Our recommendations are completely in keeping with what Norwegian
pediatricians say!' I said I didn't agree, but I took some of the
literature. I am now much better informed, and can tell you all just
exactly how they support breastfeeding. The following is from their book
'Food in the first years', my translation, as close to word-for-word as I
can make it.
'It is an advantage to breastfeed the baby when new foods are introduced.
Breastmilk should always be given first before other food until the age of 9
months (according to the Norwegian Health Board).
Suggestion for food for one day for children 4-6 months of age.
Use the suggestion as a guideline for what a child of this age ought to eat.
The basic need is four to five meals in 24 hours.
2 meals of iron-fortified cereals, preferably morning and evening (not too
late).
One dinner (and a few pages later their jars of pureed mixed vegies, or
vegies plus chicken or veal or beef, for babies from 4 months, are pictured
in color for your convenience).
As the fourth meal and the fifth, if one is needed, either breastmilk alone
(or artificial baby milk), or with baby cereal.
Cod liver oil, 5 ml daily.
Breastmilk is the best thing your baby can get. Continue to give as much
breastmilk as possible...'
I'm sure many of you see this kind of thing all the time, but let me just
say we are not used to this blatant stuff here. We are so innocent and
unsuspecting here that the Perinatal Medicine society had not subjected any
of it to a review before letting this company rent exhibit space at our
conference.
I did inform some of our eminent BF-friendly pediatricians about what this
company was saying. They had the decency to act embarrassed and I hope they
will do something.
Galvanized into militant action
Rachel Myr, editor, midwife, IBCLC
waterlogged in Kristiansand, Norway
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