My daughter took her daughter to the pediatrician last week, she gained
beautifully on her mother's milk and grew almost two inches. I must be
making some influence on her as she pointed out the booklet with the baby
Emily's weight and immunization schedule is put out by the formula
company, Ross. So now, I will ask her pediatrician why they use this
booklet instead of the NYS booklet.

The day before, I had my teenage son to the same pediatrics office for a
sore throat check up, and noticed the formula rep there, from Mead
Johonson, dropping off his Lipil ( one of our woman pediatricians in
another practice noticed it rhymes with nipple - some marketing accident?,
also, noticed a lot of diarrhea from it in the practice already, and it
not advising it). It occurred to me that as LC's, we don't stop by every 2
weeks at the hospitals or pediatric offices like the formula reps to
promote our product, breastfeeding. We sure have a lot of competition to
overcome!

Another formula magazine came to my daughter's home today, unsolicited
from Nestle, called Your fine baby, I think was the name. It was all about
your one month old, which my granddaughter will be on Saturday. The bulk
of the information was about supplementing formula if you are going to
work and including dads and siblings to feed baby. I was so outraged, I
told my daughter I was going to call to see how she got put on the list. I
did, and had to listen to an obnoxious message about Carnation "comfort
proteins" and then a sales person came on. I gave them the number on the
magazine, after two calls, the person was pleasant and wanted to know what
I found wrong with it. I told her it was unsolicited how did her name get
put on. She didn't know and gave me another, not toll free, marketing
number. There is no end to the tentacles of the formula companies!
Now I know why I have boycotted Nestle since the 70's when my daughter was
born and I learned about the company tactics.

I have a copy of Marsha Walker's "Selling Out Mother's and Babies", and
really see the need to keep up her crusade against the companies,
especially since I see my daughter up against this firsthand. I knew it
was out there, and always warn prenatal classes, but didn't realize how
rampant the advertising really is and can certainly target susceptible
innocent mothers and babies.

I will stop for now, need to get some sleep, but I am having sleeplessness
over this. Sorry I got carried away but it is so fresh in my consciousness
now, and you lactnetters are my most understanding sounding board now. We
are definitey needed for the preservation of breastfeeding. I am only
keeping sane now knowing my daughter is doing such a wonderful job
mothering and nursing her own child. It is a wonderful feeling to be near
her and hold this little one often. I just had a few days off and don't
want to miss seeing her tomorrow but, I ,also, have some clients tomorrow
who I know are committed to their breastfeeding relationship with their
babies.

Warm regards in the deep freeze of NY,
Ellen Mahony, RN, MS, LCCE, IBCLC

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