Sharon has asked a good question regarding the microscope breast milk and
breastfeeding lives under and the carpet beneath which formula thrives. NABA
conducted an extensive monitoring project on formula company Code violations in
the US, published the country report, "Selling Out Mothers and Babies",
published the Executive Summary with reproducible action strategies, and participated
in a press conference in Geneva when the report first came out. I was involved
in the Fox Undercover report on the side effects of the new fatty acid
supplemented formula that was aired May 5 in Boston and the previous week in
Minneapolis, Atlanta and a few other cities. Copies of the video from this TV news
report may still be available from Fox.

NABA has been working very hard to help health care professionals,
legislators, policy makers, and regulators look at the spectrum of formula company
marketing and the resulting effects on breastfeeding. We conducted a Code
monitoring workshop and would be happy to do another one to produce another snapshot of
a major barrier to breastfeeding. We have complained to the Federal Trade
Commission about the false and misleading advertising. The FTC needs hundreds of
complaints before they will act on anything. How many people have filed
complaints with the FTC? The FDA's MedWatch program and the formula companies need
to be informed each time a baby suffers an adverse reaction to one of the
supplemented formulas. How many reports have been sent in?

Addressing the current slings and arrows from the environmentalists regarding
toxins in breast milk requires a different strategy than attacking formula,
as formula is not really the issue. Sweden may have used breast milk as its
biomonitoring vehicle but breastfeeding is much better accepted and supported
there. Here in the US, any whiff of a potential "problem" with breastfeeding
sends people flocking to formula as if this would help reduce undesired health
outcomes in infants. It provides a media circus and food to fuel newspaper and TV
stories while confusing mothers. We all work so hard in the day-to-day
support of breastfeeding mothers that it sometimes leaves us without energy to
tackle one more obstacle. If we don't pay attention to the concerted efforts that
are happening to discredit breastfeeding, ignore its value, and eliminate those
who support breastfeeding, we won't have to worry about sore nipples in
breastfeeding mothers--there won't be many women left who breastfeed!

If you are interested in these topics please visit the NABA website at
www.naba-breastfeeding .org or feel free to contact me for more information.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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