Dawn and Debbie - I am happy to see that your organizations have decided not
to have Medela exhibit at your conferences.  Almost one year ago, I urged my
ILCA affiliate to dialogue with the local Medela reps regarding the
company's violation of the WHO Code; NABA helped our board members look at
how Medela WAS in violation of the Code and what Medela could do to stop the
violations.  Three board members, including me, were not able to budge the
three Medela reps; they thought there would be no change on the part of
their company - and there has not been.  Neither NABA nor Marsha Walker nor
ILCA have been able to convince Medela to stop advertising and idealizing
bottles and bottle nipples directly to the consumers (deemed, by NABA, a
violation of the WHO Code).



In my area, I am involved in planning a conference in the beginning of May,
which is being presented by my ILCA affiliate as well as a neighboring one.
We decided several months ago not to invite Medela to exhibit - unless it
became Code compliant.  Medela has dug in its heels and does not seem to
care; it obviously does not need the lactation community to advertise for it
any longer.  Up until recently, we had an excellent relationship with
Medela; perhaps, we will again in the future.  It is up to Medela to change.



IMO, your organizations and our local ones have set an example of how to
protect breastfeeding by giving up funds from a pump company that is more
interested in the bottom line than in protecting breastfeeding.  Under
normal circumstances, it is not just about getting breastmilk from the
breast to the belly (as in pumping and putting breastmilk in a bottle); it
is about helping the babies get to the breast and breastfeed effectively.
My hope is that other ILCA affiliates will follow suit by discontinuing any
connection with Medela until it becomes Code compliant.  Also, many hospital
IBCLCs are members of ILCA and ILCA affiliates, and this may start to affect
how hospitals view Medela and its ethics.  The hospitals can look into the
ethics of other pump companies.  The babies need the protection.



Warm regards,

Lee Galasso, MS, LLLL, IBCLC, RLC

Westchester County in NYS, USA

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"Children Are Born with the Right to Breastfeed"




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