Hi Jackie
(Are you the Jaqueline Wolf whose work on the history of infant feeding I
have devoured, excitedly and cited in presentations and papers for some
years? )
Of course you are right about the interference of industry with the BF
Awareness Campaign.  I saw (but could not save) the original adverts when
they were leaked  and I do wonder (we'll never know) if the approach wasn't
flawed from the beginning.  That said, the vigour with which it was opposed
by industry suggests otherwise.  My take is that the risk based message was
aimed at mothers - implying that mothers were either uneducated or unwilling
to do the right thing by their babies.  And that infant feeding is solely
determined by maternal choice.  I don't know about American moms but Aussie
mums want to do right by their babies but there are too many barriers placed
in their roads.  Here, I think it is government, community and health
systems that need to understand the risks (ie costs) associated with a
failure to provide adequate resources for supporting mothers to
breastfeeding. Actually I think it is cruel to inform mothers of the risks
associated with artificial feeding without changing their environments to
make it possible for them to achieve exclusive breastfeeding. I wonder if
even the Ad Council got snagged in the very powerful patriarchal ideologies
surrounding motherhood.  Until we challenge the idea that infant feeding is
a mothers' choice, I don't think that we will be able to see real change for
our dyads.
warm regards
Nina Berry 
Australia 

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