>  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


Nina, I agree with you. It does seem that the US authorities were 
'knobbled' by industry when the ads were being tried out, and 
obviously that's unacceptable.

But I would not want UK equivalents of log-rolling or bull-riding as 
a means of promoting breastfeeding here, for the reasons you outline. 
I suppose here it would have to be something like playing rugby when 
heavily pregnant  :)

In fact, I would strongly resist them. The very meanest, unkindest 
trick you can play on a mother is to tell her she 'should' do 
something for her baby for her baby's health,  and then do nothing 
about the barriers in place that prevent her from doing it

  i) without pain ii) with restrictions on where it is socially 
acceptable iii) without information that helps her assess  its 
effectiveness iv) responsively (so she is criticised for 'feeding 
that baby again!!!')  v) for as long as she wishes to do it   vi) 
without pressure to use formula

  ....and so on and on.

Of course mothers need to know the risks associated with formula 
feeding, and to be fully aware of how they can avoid them, but to 
present formula feeding as something only reckless and possibly 
stupid mothers do is a guarenteed way of imsulting mothers who do use 
formula - for whatever reason. It also compounds the sadness of 
mothers who wanted to breastfeed but found the barriers to it too 
difficult to overcome.

Breastfeeding promotion should, instead,  take an *enabling* 
approach, and for every breastfeeding poster, slogan or cute sticker, 
there should be a compulsory training course for a health 
professional, an employer or manager, and a member of parliament.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT breastfeeding counsellor, tutor, UK

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