The LC in the original post is in a tough spot, since the formula
company will proceed with the brochure and its wide distribution,
regardless of her input.  It tortures her to think of passing up a
chance to get information to so many mothers.

Perhaps it would help to realize that a formula company brochure is not
going to let her say some basic, helpful, well-documented facts, such as
 -- breastmilk is a living substance, with immunological factors, active
hormones, etc., which can't be duplicated in any manufactured product
--  supplementation often leads to low supply and early weaning
-- the AAP and WHO guidelines for exclusive early feeding and long
duration
-- the benefits of the act of breastfeeding itself
Any Lactnetter can continue the list..

These aren't obscure little factoids -- they're rock-bottom information
you'd want to get across to any mother you were helping.

I doubt if the company would be willing to guarantee in a written
contract that this specific information would be included, and that the
LC would have final approval of the manuscript.  Such facts would just
makes too strong a case against their product.  All they would want for
the brochure would be lot of techy "how-to's" that might only serve to
make breastfeeding sound too complicated.

Mothers who want information can get it -- that pamphlet is not going to
be the sole lifeline to successful breastfeeding.

And the formula company publications dept. certainly has equal access to
breastfeeding information -- they could spend 20 minutes on the LLL site
and have exactly what they need, and just pay a writer-for-hire to
nicely re-package it.  What the company is looking for is not
information, but an endorsement.

Margaret Wills
LLLL

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