I'd like to comment on the 6/14/98 ad in the NY Times for your University Institute for Children's Health. The ad showed a doctor holding an infant. At his feet were an oversized baby bottle and a large teddy bear. The ad copy reads "All babies need food and love to grow. Bruno also needed complex intestinal surgery." The symbolism is clear; bottle = food, teddy bear = love. This symbolism, showing bottlefeeding as the norm, and so pervasive in the media, needs to be changed. The AAP Policy Statement recently urged pediatricians to "encourage the media to portray breastfeeding as positive and the norm." I know that not all babies are breastfed. However, health care providers all need to work together to increase breastfeeding rates. And surely breastfeeding and breastmilk would benefit a child needing complex intestinal surgery. Therefore, I recommend that either a breastfeeding photo be used, or the bottle left out of the ad. As for the teddy bear - OK, I know some kids have them as "loveys" - but let's not substitute that for the baby's parents! Laurie Wheeler, RN, MN, IBCLC Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch Coordinator 3408 Acorn Dr Violet LA 70092 mailto:[log in to unmask]