Dear Lactnetters:

Our annual meeting of the Pediatric Association was ended in Apr. I was
glad to meet Debbie McClurg-Hitt there. It's so wonderful to make friends
with  people who have the same interest in breastfeeding through
Lacnet.

I'd watched all your post about the dilemma of giving breastfeeding
lecture supported by infant formula company. Acutely, the same condition
happens frequently in Taiwan. Last Mar, one of our famous pediatric
gastroenterologist gave a leture about how to promote breastfeeding in
Taiwan. But in the same semina, there were other speakers talking about the
importance of beta-carotine and nucleotide.(I did not attend.) You can image
which formula company supported that semina.

In our annual meeting, when I went to the check in table, there were
"company nurses" all around. They hand out packages full of growing up
formula free samples to every physician. It's so common(physicians go to the
meeting and take many free samples and presents from different companies)
that everyone take it for granted.I also received one. On my way back home,
I kept on thinking, even I, who actively supported and promoted
breastfeeding, received the package without hesitation. We actually
unconsiously supported the infant formula. I were acquainted with many
people from formula companies long before I got involved into breastfeeding.
But I know now that the marketing of infant formular to both publics and
physicians is a big obstacle to our promotion for breastfeeding. Next time
I should say" No, thank you. I don't need it."  to the company nurses.

I'd tried to put some exibition about breastfeeding(with the help of ILLL)
in that meeting. But the manger gave me a small area on the wall, which was
opposite to the table of a formula company. And there were exibition of
other formula companies besides the wall. The manager said that the arrange
was so nature--"Breastmilk first,then formula." The atmosphere was so queer,
so I rejected the exhibition.I do want tomake another exibition in the next
scientific meeting. I need your experience and suggestion in how to arrage
such condition. BTW,all formula companies give big support to the finance
of our Pediatric Association.

Excuse me for my poor English.


Chen Chao-Huei, M.D. <[log in to unmask]>
Department of Pediatrics. Taichung Veterans General Hospital
Taichung 407, Taiwan, Fax 886-4-3591498,