Dear Friends:
Thanks to everybody for their posts about my letter.
I was reacting to Dr. Sears defense of taking formula company money,
which is at the site www.askdrsears.com/formula.asp
He defends it by giving 4 reasons: 1) he needed the money, 2) that he
wanted to reach more mothers, 3) that he is trying to improve formula by
getting manufacturers to add DHA, and 4) that he wants to make cheaper
formula available to more people. Now how will that help breastfeeding? My
reference to Clinton was made to use the most obvious example of how
prominent people split hairs to defend their actions.
I just checked the website, and that page is not available at the moment.
So I have included the text of Dr. Sears response to being questioned about
the formula advertisments on his website. I encourage everybody to go through
the site, and see for yourself how Dr. Sears supports breastfeeding.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you for taking the time to write me with your thoughts and concerns
about our new website, AskDrSears.com. Martha and I have spent a lot of time
building this site. We feel as though we have just delivered our ninth child.
In response to your concern regarding bottle-feeding, I hope it is clear
AskDrSears.com strongly advocates that breastfeeding is best. That's why
LLLI is prominently featured as a banner advertiser. And, for the record, we
have donated this space to their cause. As we have always done, we encourage
our patients, and now our site viewers, to breastfeed for as long as possible.
Our site's main goal is not to promote formula, but to promote attachment
parenting, to help parents get quality medical care and to do our small part
to help parents become experts in their child's development. I appreciate
your concern regarding commercial formula advertising on our website.
Initially, I was leery of allowing formula advertising to be included.
However, we decided to do so for many reasons:
3. First and foremost, we need to expand our audience base. One of the
problems with our books, magazine articles and other parenting resources is
that we are now preaching to the converted. While our promotion of
attachment parenting (especially breastfeeding) will always be priority, we
realize that we are failing to reach millions of bottle-feeding parents with
attachment-parenting messages.
If a bottle-feeding mother uses AskDrSears.com and therefore reads our books
and uses our site, this family is more likely to practice the other baby B's
of attachment parenting, and may even breastfeed their next baby.
2. Secondly, we needed financial support. It's a reality that very few dot
coms are profitable. Consequently, many fail. And, the days of aggressive
venture funding are over. To be successful today, dot coms must generate
revenue and cover their expenses. In order to offer free access to our site,
we have to accept advertising from all reputable organizations and
institutions.
By not limiting advertisers, we are able to have a more comprehensive and
updated site, and, in turn we are able to share our thoughts and childcare
advice with parents throughout the country. Now, with the help of
advertisers, more parents will learn about the advantages of wonderful
parenting practices such as proper nutritional guidelines and attachment
parenting principles.
3. Third, formulas must improve. With the birth of our adopted daughter,
Lauren, we had to research infant formulas and we became concerned by what we
found. As a "cause" - oriented family, we not only wanted to continue
promoting that breastfeeding is best, but also wanted to do something to make
infant formula better. We found that all infant formulas made in the USAare
missing essential omega-3 fatty acids, namely DHA - the brain-building
nutrient probably responsible for much of the intellectual advantage that new
research shows breastfeeding babies enjoy. The crime is that 60 countries now
allow formulas to include DHA, but not the U.S.
My dear friend and mentor, the late Dr. Frank Oski, Professor and Chairman of
the Department of Pediatrics at John Hopkins University, had for nearly ten
years taken on this cause - to get U.S. formula companies to add DHA. I
pledged to him I would continue this fight. I am now working only with
formula companies who have agreed to push the FDA to allow them to put DHA
into their formulas.
4. Lastly, I also have a personal issue with the big name U.S. brand
formula companies. Despite my promotion of breastfeeding, some of my
patients elect to bottle-feed. These families end up paying over $1,200 a
year for formula. I believe this is exorbitant and a needless waste. By law,
all term formulas are nutritionally equivalent. If parents must use formula,
then they should use the store brand formulas and save up to 40% over the
cost of expensive brands. The saving can ease the economic burden that many
low-income families face. This, too, is a cause worthy of my attention.
Again, thank you for writing to share your thoughts with us. I hope that
this explanation will help you understand the intent of our website
practices. And, if you can look past our formula banners, I hope you
continue to access the content offered by AskDrSears.com.
We welcome your comments about our site as it grows.
Best personal regards,
Dr. William Sears
Warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MSN, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner; childbirth educator
Elkins Park (a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; northeastern USA)
supporting the WHO Code and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative
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