It is important to remember that the WHO code states that only parents who decide not to breastfeed should be taught how to use artificial baby milk by a health care provider. 

In practice this means that parents who decide to forgo the natural developmental task of breastfeeding have the right to be taught how to use artificial products. This therefore, indicates that the complexity of artificial feeding as well as the potential dangers of not using the product correctly, are recognized by the World Health Organization. 

Second and very important, parents should be taught by health care providers and not by those who main aim is to promote and sell a product i.e. artificial baby milk sales people. This includes sales people who might also hold degrees or professional certificates in any health related field. Thus, even if a sales person is also a nurse, for example, he or she is not qualified to teach about the use of their product due to issues of conflict of interest. One can not adequately take into account the best interests of clients when one is ultimately interested in selling a product. Therefore, there should be no contact between clients and sales people of any kind.

My former experience as a lactation consultant, in a very resistant hospital environment that changed due to efficient interventions, has taught me that lactation consultants also should not have contact with artificial baby milk company sales people. It is important to remember that effective learning occurs through the transfer of unspoken messages. The obvious lack of contact between a lactation consultant and a sales person sends an important message to staff and clients alike. Accordingly, the separation of breastfeeding at all levels, including staff connected to breastfeeding, from artificial feeding conveys an unspoken, yet very strong message that nursing and artificial feeding are not connected. 

Keren Epstein-Gilboa MEd,BScN,RN,LCCE,FACCE,IBCLC
(PhD Candidate)

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html