This may be old news.  I did a quick search in the archives and did not
see this topic mentioned as I flashed scrolled through the topic of
"ointment". However, the cursor may have been moving too fast for my
eyes.  If you are aware of this, just scroll down to the nest topic.

I noticed a type of "lock" on a gift bag.  In a weak moment, my
curiosity overcame me and I opened one of these "breastfeeding
instruction" bag from a company that has the cutest little teddy bears
on a lot of its labels, brochures, etc..  (Please don't alert the police
that I broke that plastic clasp without authorization!).  Inside, there
was a note which stated to this effect:    "We have sealed this bag to
you can be assured that the items inside have not been tampered with.
We have done this for YOUR peace of mind.  By the way, if you notice
that your FREE SAMPLE of FORMULA is missing, please alert the nurse who
gave you this bag."  I was almost moved to tears at this display of
*surely* genuine concern for the safety of the mothers and infants.

Also inside this little purple and white bag was a tube of  ointment,
which looks a lot like lanolin, and which is supposed to promote healing
of sensitive skin.  A pamphlet in the bag also discusses its healing
properties, how the "closeness" of a mother and newborn can bring about
some sensitivity...all of this sandwiching a picture of a baby
"breastfeeding" or at least mouthing the tip of the mother's nipple.
Too bad the baby was in the procees of releasing  a latch when the photo
was taken.  That's OK,  since we all, including any new and uninformed
mother who sees this photo, will KNOW that the baby had been correctly
latched just moment before, and that this picture only shows a very poor
latch which would like cause severe nipple soreness and even fairly
severe trauma.


Is it possible that whoever put this thing together  had good legal
counsel?   I ask this because  NOWHERE does it say..."put this on your
nipples".  Yet, nowhere does it say "DON'T USE THIS on your nipples".
Yet the wording and picture -- and the very fact of its presence in a
"breastfeeding bag" can easily lead the mother to assume that this
product is designed to prevent or treat sore nipples.  However, some of
the type was so small, I might have missed a warning against using it on
nipples.

The primary ingredient is petroleum.  Nice.   Must taste great to the
baby.  The ointment also contains, among other things, alcohol.  Even
better.  Kill those nasty germs on the nipples.

I'm so confused.  Certainly  a company which claims to support
breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition would not intentially plan
to distribute something  which might have the potential of encouraging
breast rejection (due to smell or taste of this stuff on the breast) or
sore nipples  (haven't we all leaned that alcohol is a "no-no"?  And
what about that lovely picture?)

No, I simply must reject this idea, even though when I was speaking to
someone in the medical services department of another, yet very similar,
company last week -- they have the cutest little green bags with a
story-book rabbit on it! -- I was reminded by that person that I needed
to remember that they were "in the business to sell formula"  (I had to
think about that on a minute because I personally call it "commercial
baby milk").  Now, I have nothing against the selling of this stuff, as
long as those marketing it practice absolute truth in advertising.
Until babies who are not getting their mother's milk for maternal health
or personal choice reasons have ready access to safely processed human
milk, there really is not much else to choose from.

So, to be fair, and not to condemn this practice in error, I sent an
e-mail to Consumer Reports, quoting the information in the bag, listing
the ingredients in the ointment, and asking them to consider testing the
product and examing the marketing method to see if it could possibly
negatively affect breastfeeding.  I thought that they might be
interested in this since they did a study on the effects of various
types of plastics in baby items, including bottles in which commercial
baby milk (they call it formula, too)  was sterilized, and published it
in May of this year.

If any of you have the uncontrollable urge to break open that sacred
plastic tie on one of those bags, and take a good look at what is
inside......I promise not to tell.  Maybe you can explain to me why it
looks like a set up for breastfeeding failure, even though I'm *sure*
that was not the intention.    And, if you do any discharge teaching or
breastfeeding classes, you might want to show the mothers a sample of
the ointment and brochure, so they know in advance that the product and
accompanying information will be well protected from tampering because
of the bag design.    Don't forget to point out how cute the baby in the
picture is.

Sandy Hess

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