I want to respond to the prolacta thing. Prolacta is doing something
somewhat similar to what is done with blood. People donate it for free,
it is then processed and SOLD to hospitals to use. Prolacta has
invested lots of money in equipment to process breast milk into human
milk fortifiers for human babies. I have a friend who did a research
project showing that if all babies were given only human milk and human
milk-derived fortifiers, it would reduce the NEC ratio by somewhere
around 50% at a huge monetary savings for NICU's etc. I have no
financial interest in prolacta, don't collect milk for them, don't like
their pumps. We have had big discussions about prolacta some time back,
not interested in debating it again. I might point out that it is to
society's best interest to PAY for anything that helps breastfeeding
succeed including adequate money for lc's peer counsellors, etc. What
is free is sometimes not respected! Human milk fortifiers from cow's
milk are not cheap. The formula industry is making huge inroads into
NICU's promoting adding powdered formula to breast milk (where's the hot
water here?) giving advice to MD's, little prescription pads for their
stuff (where's the research to even show this is safe?) I don't want to
be abrasive here - but the world is not getting better for birthing.
It's going to take people getting realistic, taking off the gloves off
with the formula companies and quit killing our own! It may seem to an
ethical battle sometimes - should people profit from breastfeeding - but
EVERYONE has to eat, pay utility bills, etc. WE all have prejudices,
experiences, points of view we bring to the table. I for one am glad
that companies like Prolacta and Medela and whoever else puts some hard
cash into research and development so that people that need help - can't
just pop the baby on the breast after a nice home delivery - can STILL
breastfeed their babies and overcome difficulties. I was just told
today that it is expected that C-Section rates will climb to 50% in the
US. Nobody cares about csection reduction, induction reduction - just
safe birth. The higher these rates go, the more we will need lactation
support to help moms overcome these obstacles. I can't do anything
about this. But I can keep on helping one baby, one mom at a time.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lee Galasso
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 3:17 PM
Subject: FW: Breast pumps and formula interests
Regarding the post from Marsha Walker: "The major formula manufacturers
in the US are Mead Johnson (Bristol Meyers Squibb), Ross Products
(Abbott Labs), Nestle, and PBM Nutritionals. PBM Nutritionals bought the
old Wyeth manufacturing facility. Wyeth no longer makes or
distributes?formula in the US. The only formula company that made or
distributed breast pumps was Ross Products who over the years has
distributed hand pumps from other pump makers such as White River.
Gerber makes a pump and distributes formula in countries other than the
US. Most of the pump makers are not?owned?by formula companies. While
some pumps on the market are certainly more like toys than medical
devices, formula companies have little to do with them."
Hi Marsha - I wanted to add to your post. A few years ago, Ross,
manufacturer of Similac, went into a business deal with the then CEO of
the White River pump company. The White River manual pump was
distributed by them to moms through some WIC programs. It was an
inexpensive pump that could be sold for under $10, but we did not know
what Ross was paying White River for each pump. I never heard a
positive comment about how the pump worked, and I was concerned that the
Similac logo was placed on the part of the pump that faced the mom the
entire time she would be pumping. (Need I say more?)
Corporations have been doing very well financially by being "friends" of
breastfeeding. Although Prolacta does not sell pumps to the public
(only to the hospitals?), it does reap huge monies by obtaining FREE
breastmilk from well-intentioned women and SELLING it to NICUs at the,
last I heard of, rate of over $35/ounce; it might even be up to
$40/ounce by now (according to reliable hearsay). Is that ethical even
in a capitalistic society? The Human Milk Bank Association of North
America (HMBANA) is a much smaller organization but it does not sell
breastmilk to the needy; HMBANA only charges a processing fee to those
who can afford to pay it, and it is only $3.50/ounce. Why the huge
difference in price between the two establishments? Why are NICUs so
interested in purchasing the breastmilk at an exorbitant rate when they
were not so interested at the much more reasonable rate? Is breastmilk
better when it costs so much more? It seems to me that the NICU
hospitals think so, especially when some well-known breastfeeding
advocates endorse Prolacta and are/were on its scientific advisory
board! You can go to http://www.prolacta.com <http://www.prolacta.com/>
and read for yourself - under "About Prolacta"
click on Scientific Advisory Board and on Executive Team.
Warm regards,
Lee
Lee Galasso, MS, LLLL, IBCLC, RLC
Lactation Specialist
Lactation Center of Westchester/Putnam
Westchester County in NYS, USA
914-245-2206
[log in to unmask]
Vice-President
Westchester/Putnam/Rockland (WPR) Lactation Consortium
"Children are Born with the Right to be Breastfed"
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