Last night I had a dream that *this* was the article that was being reported
in Massachusetts newspapers...
My update to
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/7162347/detail.html?rss=bos&psp=news
Ban Would Have Ended Longtime Breastfeeding Support
POSTED: 4:30 pm EST February 17, 2006
UPDATED: 9:58 am CST February 18, 2006 by Sara Dodder Furr, MA, LLLL, IBCLC
BOSTON - Hospitals can continue to distribute gift diaper bags with
certificates entitling mothers to receive free breastfeeding support and
other goodies to new mothers after state health officials said Friday they
have dropped what was believed to be a first-in-the-nation ban on the
practice.
The ban was championed by formula companies as a way to promote artificial
baby milk (ABM), but it received mixed reviews from some new mothers who
said they -- and not the state - should decide how best to nurse their
children.
Although it never barred hospitals from giving free breastfeeding support,
the ban would have ended a longtime practice by volunteer breastfeeding
counselors and International Board Certified lactation Consultants (IBCLCs)
that ABM advocates said tried to lure new moms to a more healthy choice,
with an implied hospital endorsement.
It was adopted by the state Public Health Council late last year, but hadn't
been filed with the Secretary of State's office and hadn't taken effect. The
council is expected to approve revised prenatal regulations without the ban
on Tuesday.
The decision to abandon the ban was made after talks with Gov. Mitt Romney's
office, according to Donna Rheaume, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health.
An aide said Romney didn't want to block new mothers from receiving the gift
bags, and said any decision on breastfeeding should be left up to them.
"The governor was concerned that a benefit was being taken away from new
mothers," said Romney's communications director, Eric Fehrnstrom. "We're not
disputing the safety of ABM, be we think new mothers should make that
choice."
The gift bags are typically diaper bags or backpacks. Besides a certificate
for a free lactation consultation, the bags can contain notices for
mother-to-mother support groups such as La Leche League, a copy of a report
entitled, "Just One Bottle" by Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC (see
http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/images/Just%20one.pdf), coupons and
information about the relative risks of formula feeding and breastfeeding,
and freebies like photo albums and music CDs.
Breastfeeding advocates had objected to the ban, saying women should be
given all the support necessary to enable them to fully breastfeed their
babies. They said they are committed to the health of babies and mothers.
But formula manufacturers supported the ban. They say it protected new
mothers from being lured into relying on their own bodies to feed their
babies when early supplementation with ABM can also lead to babies who "do
just fine."
Marsha Walker, a lactation consultant and board member of the Massachusetts
Breastfeeding Coalition said most new mothers are capable of fully
breastfeeding their baby for the first six months. Most have already made a
decision about how to feed their child while still pregnant, she said. The
gift bags support that decision.
"They are designed to inform a breastfeeding mother about the risks of early
supplementation with formula and prevent the creation of a market where none
is needed," Walker said. "There are huge health differences between a baby
who is fully breastfed, partially breastfed or not breastfed."
According to 2004 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 74 percent of Massachusetts mothers breastfeed, but only 39
percent are still breastfeeding when the baby is 6 months old, below the
federal goal of 50 percent. Nationally, about 36 percent of mothers
breastfeed at 6 months.
*******************************
Sara Dodder Furr, MA, LLLL, IBCLC
Lincoln, Nebraska USA
>>>>>>>>>
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 17:12:23 EST
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Formula Discharge Bag Ban May be Rescinded
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition has just been informed that the
governor's office is petitioning the Public Health Council to strike the
section
banning direct marketing of formula in the new perinatal regulations.
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