Dear all:

I sent in my comments to the Today show after reading Cary Natterson's tips
on the NBC website. I sent a list of about 7-8 highly inaccurate statements
in the website piece, including the bit about formula being nutritionally
the same as breast milk and the risks being the same.

At the same time, I'm always so hopelessly naive, I sent in a whole list of
pediatricians who actually know their stuff - all from the Academy of
Breastfeeding Medicine, including Nancy Wight.  Why could they not have
interviewed her rather than a pediatrician who clearly did not do any
research on the topic and clearly is out there to promote a book?

Of course, I always assume that humans should be rationale and when it is
pointed out to them that they are propagating information that could put
infants in jeopardy and given a way of correcting the situation that they
will respond by doing the right thing.

Then, I go on the website this morning only to find yet another book plug
from yet another pediatrician who is hopelessly ill-informed and also has
lots of information that is in direct contradiction to the American Academy
of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Medicine.

Having spent most of my life studying infant and child nutrition and
working on breastfeeding first in the public health arena and now in
clinical practice, I am just astounded at the ignorance of some
pediatricians when it comes to breastfeeding.  The pediatricians who were
interviewed on the Today Show know far less about breastfeeding than most
of the Ministers of Health and pediatricians I worked with when I was in
Niger, Cambodia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mozambique,
Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania & a few other countries that I'm
probably forgetting.

I'm amazed that they didn't ask the IBCLCs who they had on the show to
provide them with suggestions for pediatricians who really knew their
stuff.  Apparently the producers of this show don't understand that IBCLCs
have far more specific training in evidence-based management of
breastfeeding than your general book promoting pediatrician.  At the very
least, since they don't seem to get it that IBCLCs have a detailed
knowledge base, they could have asked the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
to suggest knowledgable speakers.

I'm totally disappointed that the Today Show squandered a marvelous
opportunity to provide women with helpful evidence-based information about
how to make breastfeeding work.

Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

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