I am enjoying Nancy's updates from the AAP conference here in Boston. When it
was here several years ago, a number of breastfeeding organizations pooled
their resources to purchase an $1100 exhibit table to represent breastfeeding
in a sea of formula. Ross had a walk in exhibit that was two stories high and
gave out tickets to the Boston Pops concerts. Thousands upon thousands of
formula dollars pour into that conference every year. It is always so nice to
see the Breastfeeding Section of the AAP working so hard in an uphill battle.
If it wasn't for some of those physicians we would not see lectures on
breastfeeding and be making some of the progress that we have seen in the
last few years. Many of the members of the Breastfeeding Section will be
discussing with the AAP board the recent sell out when Ross purchased 300,000
of the new breastfeeding books from the AAP and put its logo on it for
distribution to mothers.

The Vitamin D issue was discussed at length at a US Breastfeeding Committee
meeting in Washington, DC last year. Many of the government agencies were not
convinced of the need to supplement breastfed babies with Vitamin D. This
recommendation would serve to keep babies out of sunlight for the first 6
months because sunscreen can't be used until then. Where is the proof that
babies will get skin cancer if they are exposed to small amounts of sunlight?
Some of this seems to me to be a knee-jerk reaction to a few case studies of
rickets. Since when do we base health care on a couple of case studies?

It is also interesting to note that the only commercial source of vitamin D
for infants in the US comes from Mead Johnson who will make a killing when
this recommendation is implemented. When NABA did the Code monitoring project
we picked up Mead Johnson's label change and reported it in Selling Out
Mothers and Babies. All of their products carry the name Enfamil on them,
i.e. Enfamil Vitamin D. How convenient that the name of the formula is now
part of the name of vitamin D and that formula already has vitamin D in it.

Take a look at the Mead Johnson discharge bags and note the insert explaining
how breast milk is deficient in vitamin D. "While breast milk contains some
vitamin D, there may not be enough for your baby, depending on how much sun
exposure your baby gets (this will be none according to the AAP!)." ..."It
may be hard to guess how much sun your baby is getting, that's why many
experts believe breastfed babies should be given a vitamin D supplement."
This of course comes with a coupon for $1 off on the purchase of Mead
Johnson's vitamin D preparation.

Iron supplementation can also be taken care of by Mead Johnson, with their
supplementation product that contains iron. I smell a rat.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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