>Lactation nation
>A few things I wish the brest-feeding advocates had told me
>
>http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/02/19/lactation_nation/
>
>Boston Globe
>By Joanna Weiss  |  February 19, 2006

Here is the response I sent to the Boston Globe and Ms. Weiss:

Editor,
Re the article "Lactation Nation": I wish I knew what alternate 
reality Joanna Weiss inhabits.  Where I live, no one needs a 
lactation consultant to spell out for them that a little formula 
won't kill their baby.  Indeed, the prevailing belief is that formula 
is every bit as good as mother's milk.  Parenting magazines with 
circulations in the millions run articles every month saying that 
sure, breast is best, but don't sweat it if you can't or don't want 
to nurse your baby -- he or she will be just fine.  The same 
magazines feature plentiful advertising for infant formulas, 
extolling their "comfort proteins", new additives, and 
ever-increasing similarity to breastmilk.  TV commercials show 
bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked babies being fed bottles of formula by 
their lovely mothers.  Almost every expectant mother finds free 
samples of formula delivered to her doorstep, with coupons for more 
arriving monthly throughout the baby's first year, accompanied by 
helpful guidelines for weaning from the breast and starting solid 
foods at 4 months.  Doctors' offices and hospitals give the formula 
companies an advertising assist by distributing glossy booklets and 
more free samples, thus implicitly endorsing formula-feeding as 
normal and healthy.

In my world, there are a minority of healthcare providers who go 
against this roaring cataract of commercial advertising to tell 
mothers the truth about infant feeding -- that exclusive 
breastfeeding makes a measurable difference in outcomes compared to 
partial or no breastfeeding; that yes, even one bottle of formula 
negatively affects a baby's health; and that featuring the latest 
novel additive does not make formula virtually the same as 
breastmilk. 

I'm puzzled why Ms. Weiss thinks breastfeeding advocates should 
soft-pedal the mounting evidence about optimal infant feeding. 
Informed consent means knowing and understanding the ramifications of 
our choices.  It seems to me that formula makers are so effective at 
communicating their message that the efforts of 
breastfeeding-friendly healthcare providers too often amount to a 
whisper in comparison.  But maybe that's just where I live.

Sincerely,
Margaret Bickmore

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