This was by far the most innacurate and damaging portrayal of the overall
breastfeeding issue in the mainstream media in ages. It's clear that the
negative bias was well-thought out (your average hospital show writer has
never *heard* of Baby-Friendly, yet they managed to malign it and misconstrue
it repeatedly). I did not write a letter before the show. I will be starting a
letter writing campaign now. Ironically, the show's producer kept insisting
that "the critics haven't even seen the episode". Well, now that I've seen it,
I am incensed, as I am sure most others of you are.

Not only do I plan to contact the show's producers, I plan to contact the CBS
entertainment division executives.

Also, was anyone but me bothered by how quickly M*****, the breastpump people,
jumped in to air an "educational spot" after the show? The whole gotta-have-a-
breastpump mentality is wrong-headed. Women need social-economic conditions to
allow them to put their babies to breast...at home, at work or wherever they
need to be. More breastpumps means more bottles which means fewer nursing
babies, IMO. Sometimes I am disturbed in the same way by the breastpump
manufacturers as I am by the ABM companies. It was fascinating (and telling)
to me that, in a show *revolving* around breastfeeding, not a single
breastfeeding pair was shown. On the other hand, you saw lots of pumping and
bottles *even when the baby and mother were right there together*.

Lastly, (and not having anything to do with Lactivism), I hated seeing infant-
actors being allowed to fuss and cry as part of the script. How can their
parents stand to let a stranger (the actress playing the mom) handle their
infant as she squalls and looks miserable?

Katie Allison Granju
Knoxville, TN