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From:
Marsha Glass <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 8 Jun 2004 00:33:42 -0500
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I haven't posted in some time (amazing how busy you can be when you
aren't "working"!) but I wanted to chime in here.  My youngest graduated
from high school on Friday and, what with having a car accident on
Thursday (no one hurt) and witnessing one on Friday (making us almost
late for graduation); I didn't have time to be on my computer at all for
a few days.  So I didn't know about the 20/20 program.  Not, that is,
until my dh and I were having a quiet, late supper at a restaurant after
the graduation (while dd was visiting friends) and the TV that was
mounted over my dh's head showed something to do with breastfeeding.  As
the sound was not on and it wasn't closed captioned, I had to catch a
waitress and ask for the sound to be turned up.  It took a few minutes
for all this, so I missed some of the program, but I caught much of it
and boy, was I astonished!  My dh and I were just talking about the ad
campaign. Then, Saturday I got my kit in the mail.   So, tonight I'm
catching up on my LN's (weekend was full!) and I caught this post which
I wanted to respond to.

<<We are at war with big business.  The formula companies and all the
pharmaceutical companies don't want the US to have higher breastfeeding
rates, it's not good for their bottom line.>>

I don't make a point of defending big business because I usually agree
about their tactics.  However, I feel compelled to say please be careful
about making a blanket statement like this one.  My dh works for Eli
Lilly, which is a breastfeeding-friendly, family-friendly company.  They
have pump rooms and pumps and an LC you can contact for help (not me!).
Let's just be careful to assign blame where we know it belongs.  Not all
pharmaceutical companies have ties to formula companies.

On a related note, I have been occupied of late with the committee that
put out our state's safe infant sleep brochure and which has been tasked
with revamping it.  I am on this committee along with Dr James McKenna
(a real saint!) and we have both once again been subject to some pretty
hateful slings and arrows!  I am still astounded, after having been
through this before, with how predictably biased some doctors can be!
This issue is similar to the formula issue in that the physicians who
align themselves "against" us, pick and choose which research they will
believe and which they will not.  And they are not even nice about
disagreeing!  (This also happened to me in my previous hospital job
where the neo/peds would just say they didn't agree with xyz research
that I showed them if they didn't like what their conclusions were!)  We
must be so careful what we say and how we say it.  They do not care.
They talk to us like we are ignorant morons.  They accused us of having
an agenda that colors our views, yet absolutely will not accept that
this is true of them.  One of the physicians made this statement, "one
infant who dies of suffocation is one too many."  I asked her if she
would make the statement, "one infant who dies from solitary sleeping in
a crib is one too many", because this has happened.  She did not answer
me.  We have at least all agreed to add something about the infant lives
that can be saved by breastfeeding, which is a major victory!  Still, as
I told Dr. McKenna, it makes me want to go back to planting flowers.  At
least they don't call me names!  I'll post the link when we finish this
brochure.  It's shaping up to be something I'll feel good about and
that's no small accomplishment for this committee!!!

We need more stories like the 20/20 one.  I especially liked the line by
Dr. Gordon about how money does influence medicine.  That needs to
become a huge issue.  I am afraid, though, that with the passing of a
former, much-loved president the day after this 20/20 show and at the
launch of the campaign, some publicity over this issue will be lost
which we could really use.

Marsha, who is also preparing for older dd's wedding in 3 weeks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Marsha Glass RN, BSN, IBCLC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future
generations as all other earthly causes combined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~John S. C. Abbot~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




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