Haven't received my issue yet, but am chagrined to hear that Lansinoh has
now got the back cover for its expensive, at best unnecessary and at worst
harmful thingamajig called 'Latch assist'.  It seems the department
responsible for advertising does not read the journal itself, or they might
have realized that the reasoning behind Latch assist is the diametric
opposite of the reasoning behind reverse pressure softening, coincidentally
the topic of the JHL article by Jean Cotterman which was voted 'most useful'
the year it was published.

It is beyond me how anyone could argue that a device requiring cleaning,
assembling and probably two hands to apply, is less cumbersome than using
the fingers of one hand to exert gentle pressure to relieve edema while one
cradles the baby in the other.  Hands come free of charge already assembled
and cleaning is simple, as is storage in between uses.

The marketing materials for this product undermine breastfeeding by implying
strongly that breastfeeding is difficult, frought with problems requiring
technical solutions, and probably not even normal.  Rather than re-write the
WHO Code on marketing of breastmilk substitutes and feeding bottles and
teats, I would welcome a similar document on so-called 'breastfeeding
products' in which one of the first points would be that states should
forbid the sales of any such products whose safety and efficacy were not
demonstrated through well-designed independent research.

Harumph harumph.
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway, where spring has sprung

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