El  "statement" de WABA en http://www.elogica.com.br/waba/wbw97/guidesp.htm
dice:
"Los materiales producidos por WABA no
deben ser utilizados en conjunto o por quienes tengan intereses comerciales
asociados con la producción o venta de los sucédaneos de leche materna,
equipos relacionados, _bombas de extracción de leche_ y alimentos
complemantarios. WABA no acepta el patrocinio de ninguna clase de estas
companías e invita a quienes participan en la Semana Mundial de la
Lactancia
Materna a respetar y seguir este principio ético."

The new WABA Statement states " Materials produced by WABA may not be
utilized together with or by those who have comercial interests asociated
with the
production or sales of breast milk substitutes, related equipment, _breast
pumps_ and complementary foods.  WABA does not accept the patronage of any
of these companies and invites those who participate in World Breastfeeding
Week to respect and follow this ethical principle."

I am translating this, as I only have read it in Spanish, not in English.

As this "lumping"  of breast pumps with formula companies caught us
completely by surprise, I wrote (in Spanish to Denise Arcoverde of Brasil
and then at her urging in English to WABA) the following:

__________

Dear WABA:

I am sending a translation of my note to Denise Arcoverde as she suggested.

In Puerto Rico, the breastfeeding rates of exclusive breastfeeding was 4%
in 1982 - and due to a joint effort of a great many people in private and
public organizations, we hope to be increasing it - but this is a very slow
process when NO ONE even remembers seeing a child who was exclusively
breastfed...

No mother can ask her mother or even her grandmother about breastfeeding -
all her neighbors formula feed and we have no protection from the
bombardment of formula given in hospitals, advertised in television and
magazines, etc.

We have introduced laws to follow the WHO code, but with formula
companies manufacture here - and have  LOTS of money to spend on
politicians
and public relations.  So far, we have not even been able to pass the law
allowing women to pump during their working day or making the Public Health
Policy on Breastfeeding a law...

We have joined together yearly for the World Breastfeeding Week activities
and slowly they have made an impact - now the mall which was afraid we
would "display breasts and breastfeeding" wants to be recognized as the
first mall which "supports breastfeeding mothers and children".

Then WABA tells us we are "doing it wrong"...  Only if you "walk in my
moccasins" do you understand what we have to cope with daily...

----------
> From: Marty & Jeanette Panchula <[log in to unmask]>
> To: Denise Arcoverde <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: costo de formula
> Date: Saturday, May 09, 1998 5:30 PM
>
> Denise,
>
>
> Por ahora, quiero decirte que estoy muy triste de no poder ser parte
> oficial de la Semana Mundial de la Lactancia Materna, pues con los
> requisitos de NO incluir informacion sobre maquinas extractoras de leche
no
> podria responder a una de las preguntas y necesidades mas grandes de
Puerto
> Rico.
>
I want to tell you how sad I am not to be part of the WABA official
activities, as the order that we not include information about pumps in our
activities would preclude us from answering one of the burning questions
women have here in Puerto Rico.

> Aqui las mamas no tienen mucho tiempo libre (6 semanas - y muchas veces
sin
> pago), asi que si no se les ofrece una manera facil y rapida de extraerse
> la leche, no lo haran.  Si no les ensenamos una manera de extraerse la
> leche en el trabajo en menos de 20 minutos - NI SIQUIERA COMIENZAN a
lactar
> (y si estoy gritando, pues me siento muy frustrada....)
>
Here mothers have very little time (6 weeks - and many times without pay),
so if we do not offer them a fast and easy way to express milk, they won't
breastfeed at all.  If we don't show them a possible way of extracting
their milk at work in less than 20 minues - THEY DON:T EVEN START
breastfeeding.  (Yes, I am yelling - I feel very frustrated...)

> Se que se puede usar la mano - pero tambien podemos escribir a mano,
coser
> a mano, tejer a mano, caminar, etc.  -  en nuestra cultura usamos
maquinas
> para escribir o computadoras, maquinas para coser (o compramos la ropa ya
> hecha), compramos sueters ya hechos y usamos carros, "escalators"
> acensores y hasta aceras electricas - si una mama cree que no podemos
> ofrecerle nada mas que "vete a la farmacia y compra lo que ves" - va a
> comprar una maquina Gerber o Evenflow y causarse dano a sus tejidos y a
la
> vez darse por vencida.  Cuando esto ocurre, se lo dice a todas sus amigas
-
> quienes entonces deciden no lactar tampoco...

I am very well aware they can extract their milk by hand - I did in the
70's when I had children - we can also write by hand, or sew by hand, or
knit or walk - but in our culture we use machines to write, and computers,
we use sewing machines (or buy our clothes ready-made), we buy machine-made
sweaters and we use cars, escalators, elevators and even moving sidewalks.
If a mother thinks we can only offer her hand expression or the options
available in the pharmacy, she will buy a Gerber or an Evenflow pump -
which cause damage to her tissues and cause her to quit.  When this
happens, she tells it to all her friends - who in turn don't even try to
breastfeed at all...

>
> Siento mucho que WABA nos ha puesto en una "esquinita" como que debemos
de
> sentirnos abochornados por ofrecer maquinas efectivas y con una variedad
de
> precios - y - horrores de horrores, en algunos casos (no para mi, pues mi
> salario viene de fondos federales) personas reciben sus salarios y hacen
> ganancias con estas ventas.  Ya que vivimos en un pais capitalista, no
> creemos que esta incorrecto el recibir pago por ofrecer un
> servicio/producto - siempre y cuando la persona que pague sienta que ha
> recibido valor por su pago...
>
I am sorry that WABA has placed us in a corner with a dunce's cap -
punishing us as if we should be ashamed of ourselves for offering women
choices of machines of different prices.  And (horror of horrors) in some
cases - not in mine, as my salary is through a federal grant - people's
living is earned through the sale of these products.  We live in a
capitalistic society and we don't believe it is wrong to get paid for
offering a service or a product - as long as the person who pays for it
feels they are getting their money's worth.

> Siento que no podremos participar en la Semana Mundial de la Lactancia
> Materna este ano...  Pero aun asi, tendremos una Semana de la Lactancia
> Materna en Puerto Rico celebrado en "Plaza las Americas" - y ofreceremos
> charlas, talleres, educacion (si, hablamos que se puede extraer la leche
a
> mano y tenemos 3 videos que lo demuestran...), un dia para hablar con
> pediatras, otro dia con
> Obstetras y parteras, y grupos deapoyo...  Participaran hospitales,
> medicos, parteras,  enfermeras, WIC, nutricionistas, educadoras de parto
> psicoprofilactico, la Academia Americana de Pediatria, La Liga de La
Leche,
> la Escuela de Salud Publica, y companias
> tan diversas como Clorox, Kelloggs, Kimberly Clark y Kodak...y Medela,
> White River, Nurture III, etc.
>
I am sorry we will not be able to participate as full members of the World
Breastfeeding Week activities this year...  But we WILL have a Puerto Rican
Breastfeeding Week in one of the largest malls, and we will offer talks,
education (yes, we speak about hand expression and have 3 different videos
which demonstrate how it is done), one day will be lead by the
pediatricians, another by the Obstetricians and midwives, support groups,
etc.  With us will be hospitals, doctors, midwives, nurses, WIC,
nutritionists, childbirth educators, the American Academy of Pediatrics, la
Leche League, the Graduate School of Public Health, and companies as
diverse as Clorox, Kelloggs, Kimberly Clark and Kodak...and Medela, White
river, Nurture III, etc.

> Que pena que no seamos "suficientemente puros" para WABA!
>
It is such a pity we are not "pure enough" for WABA!



Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, IBCLC, LLLL
[log in to unmask]
Project Director - Proyecto Lacta - Puerto Rico
http://netdial.caribe.net/~prlacta/
Lactancia Materna '98 - La Mejor Inversion