"Stating that IBCLCs have attended these conferences
as well physicians from the AAP and ABM is used to validate that the
lectures
are somehow OK. Do you see the image transfer? Both the speaker and the
formula company can now state that the lectures are appropriate because
IBCLCs go to
them!"

Thankyou Marsha! Now the eurocent has dropped for me. Ok I'm not an IBCLC
(not yet anyway ;-) but do run the science info library for a Dutch bf
organisation and am a bf counsellor. I have been approached by email by a
dietist from a ABM company here in NL who want loads of info on breastmilk
and formula (comparing the makeup of the two - that's a difficult one!) plus
other stuff like medicine use by bf mothers, trends in bf, storage of
expressed breastmilk. She (as a breastfeeding dietist from a formula
company) wants to give a talk to her colleagues about breastfeeding -
heavens above!

Now you would think that such a company would have all that info at their
fingertips. Which I believe they do. But they want to cosy up to us
(actually squirm would be better, isn't that what worms do?) and a good way
to do this is to employ innocent young dietists to squirm up to us. And I do
believe that the dietist is just an innocent pawn in their murky game. I
believe it is just a ploy to maybe 'take a look' at our inside workings,
what sort of research do we keep our eyes on etc (not that it is a big
secret)

This dietist is also not that bright, and clearly did not get my mail
address from our organisations quarterly journal because she did not address
me by name. She mailed weeks ago and I have no intention of doing any leg
work (sorry mouse work) to get her a literature list out off ref man. But I
am still trying to think of a polite, business like, neutral way of turning
her down. Trouble is, can only think to send her a copy of the WHO code and
a weblink to the dangers of formula!!!

Of course my troubles are not on the same par as the conference / sponsors
controversy, but it does highlight the fact that THEY try and sneak in at
ALL levels -beware!

groetjes

Sara Bernard
paranoid in The Netherlands

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