Just thought I would chime in about writing letters to the editor, something I do daily it seems! American Baby Magazine reaches about 80% of the families in the US with babies. I saw this figure in a publication called "Marketing to Women." American Baby articles are often written by free lance writers who have no background in health care, they want to sell a story. They typically interview experts to get real information and then edit it to fit into something they can sell. The regular columns in the publication are usually written by physicians who have little knowledge about breastfeeding. The magazine relies on advertising to exist and cannot afford to bite the hand that feeds it. I have had several letters to the editor published by this magazine. The latest was in the November 1995 issue on page 39. Sometimes they print my letters and sometimes they don't. Your best bet to get one printed is to keep it very short, offer an address or resource, or mention that some information may be harmful. Do not get discouraged if they don't print your letter. Here is my letter: "I agree with Charles E. Schaefer's advice about responding quickly to a young baby's cry ("How Do You Deal With a Crying Baby?" August 1995). But his statements about restricting feedings to "more normal three-to-four hour intervals," and that frequent feedings delay a baby's beginning to sleep through the night are not substantiated by reseach. Parents who follow this advice could place a breastfed baby at higher risk of inadequate weight gain. Breast milk is digested in approximately 96 minutes, 60 per cent of the time required for formula (about 156 minutes). A breastfed baby can certainly be hungry in an hour and a half, and should be fed." If we do not like the information contained in this publication then we can suggest that childbirth instructors, physicians, and clinics re-evaluate the benefits of giving this freebie to their patients and perhaps suggest an alternative with a better balance of real information.