Hi Magda,
This has certainly been a concern of mine since I became an IBCLC.
 There is a shared sphere of interest between pump companies and LC's,
Diane Wiessinger once described it as a Venn diagram of two intersecting
sets, with a small shared overlap in the middle.  That said, pump
companies only make money if breastfeeding moms spend time apart from
their babies.  While this is a cultural and financial necessity in some
cases, it does not honor the needs of the infant and mother for
togetherness.  Many LC's would like to see cultural changes that would
allow women's work to be valued, whether paid or unpaid; and also allow
women to integrate paid work and infant care.  This might not be in the
best interests of commercial entities that make money from mother-infant
seperation.

The danger when one accepts a gift is that one will become beholden to
the giver, at least psychologically.  One begins to think of the giver
as benificent and caring.  This is accentuated when the company's public
face is a sociable, likeable salesperson.

It is important for LC's to keep in mind corporate motives when
interacting with these companies.  When our priorities and needs
dovetail, we can work together.  BUT - we should always be mindful that
their corporate bottom line is their priority, not breastfeeding
promotion per se.

Warning signs of undue influence might be a "warm fuzzy" feeling about a
company, or an uncritical preference of all their products over all
their competitor's products.  Of course, the best way to not become
unduly influenced is not to take personal gifts, and to realize when
taking conference sponsorships, or paid employment, that the company
does these things for it's own benefit.
Catherine Watson Genna, BS, IBCLC
Please note my new email address  mailto:[log in to unmask]

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