Last year a group of my students wrote a paper on Promoting breastfeeding,
they assembled a gift pack for breastfeeding mothers that included:
Video information cards on breastfeeding available through INFACT, Canada
(Infant Feeding Action Coalition Canada)
Cloth breastpads and diapers to save the environment and pocketbook.
Coupon for $5 off commercial pads (incase you are not so ecologically
concerned!)
Coupon fo $5 off breast pump rentals.
Fridgemagnet with important breastfeeding resource numbers.
A breastfeeding booklet either from INFACT or a local health dept.
Newly developed breastfeeding fact sheets (a local survey found that mothers
rated fact sheets on common breastfeeding problems as most helpful)
A list of breastfeeding myths.
A list of breastfeeding books available.

Have any LC'c thought of developing their own gift certificates for a visit
with an IBCLC, and marketing them to Grandparents, friends etc?

My other suggestions to fight fire with fire, includes IBCLC's getting
together to offer free information sessions to prospective parents.  One of
our local IBCLC's attended a Mead Johnson Nutrition information session
recently (she had just had a baby) the dietition started out with of course
how to breastfeed.  She gave inaccurate breastfeeding information i.e.
colostrum is present for 6 months! Most mothers were there with
breastfeeding questions many had had other children, they spent most of the
evening discussing breastfeeding issues, the audience were better informed
than the speaker.  To me this demonstrates a need so why not volunteer an
evening, try to get a community centre to volunteer space and offer an
information evening on breastfeeding by the experts.

The other beef I have is the conflict of interest that ABM companies feel
they can educate women about breastfeeding. No other business would tolerate
their opposition telling them about their product.  If they would just focus
on trying to do a better job of what they are supposed to be doing, i.e.
reducing contamination etc. Okay I'm off my soap box.


Susan Moxley IBCLC
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