I have been speaking at our local Babies R Us on a regular basis for 
several years now. Our coordinator always has a nice table of fruit and 
little coffee cakes (ours is always on a Saturday morning) and bottled 
water (I have never bothered to look at who makes it). Ours also gives out 
the Avent box, which I believe is the little storage bottles for pumped 
milk. Ours also gives out a folder with breastfeeding information in it.

Personally, I don't care what they give out. I am there to talk about 
breastfeeding and give some pointers to get women off to a good start. I 
also bring some of my regular teaching materials and some handouts to 
leave there as well. I encourage all the attendees to go to a full length 
breastfeeding class (mine that I teach is monthly and 3 hours in length)
somewhere, as my presentation at the store is only meant to be a teaser 
and is only about 30 minutes in length. I always stay after to answer any 
questions. 

I have asked that they NOT do the pump demonstration when I speak and they 
have honored that. I have also asked them to consier getting a better 
selection of breastfeeding books and they have asked me to give them a 
list of possibilities. I also ask them to turn off the overhead 
paging/music system when I am speaking and they have honored that as well.. 
I take my business cards with me and have them available.

I try to concentrate on giving good evidence based information and 
encouraging people to consider breastfeeding no matter how long they 
choose to do so. Why worry about what the store does? You're the expert 
and you are there to talk about the actual breastfeeding. Reality is that 
many of the women you speak to are going to be going back to work so 
bottles will at some point be necessary.

This is one of those times when we need, as LC's, to just extoll the 
virtues of mother's milk and not worry about how people choose to get this 
into their infants.

You don't have to say anything about bottles: that's not your job. 
Marketing is their entire job and it is also their right to do so. You are 
working as a complimentary TEAM. Better you are there and giving out 
information than NOT being there at all. Better Mom stores her milk in 
those little Avent storage containers than uses formula.

Just enjoy going to the store and think of the fact that you are probably 
interesting some mothers who might never have considered breastfeeding had 
they not heard you at the store.

Betsy Riedel RNC,IBCLC
Connecticut

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