never thought of myself as a spy,but that's the role I took on
April 23 of this year. A 'Baby Seminar' was offered by Mead Johnson
(MJ) in the City of Scarborough. Although I was not 'expecting',
I decided to see if MJ was giving out breastfeeding misinformation
and formula gift packs.
"Pretending I was 14 weeks pregnant and proudly wearing my A-line jumper I joined about 100 women, obviously pregnant. Lorraine, the dietitian, representing MJ started the seminar with a presentation on infant feeding. I took down copious amounts of information. Lorraine went through the advantages of breastfeeding, the nutritional components of breastmilk and reiterated the phrase 'breastfeeding is the preferred method of infant feeding' at least five times.
"Not to be lulled into a sense of false security, I paid close attention to the language Lorraine used. Where there hidden messages? And yes, the subtleties were there. Several times I heard that 'a lot of women have a lot of difficulty with breastfeeding', for feeding multiples breast is best, but 'it was much too difficult'. To MJ the word 'wean' means to give formula in a bottle and much of the seminar was spent on the method to wean baby to the various products on offer. Expressing breastmilk as an option when returning to work was never mentioned. Questions about formula preparation were answered with an air of authority and confidence, not evident when responding to breastfeeding inquiries.
"Next came the hastiest CPR course I have ever imagined. Put on by St John's Ambulance, a co-sponsor, child safety was clearly not the focus of the evening. At the end, we were all handed the gift pack: Baby Steps Books, infant stimulation cards, 'nutrition' information and a can of formula.
"I cannot say that I am surprised that this happened. I believe that MJ has absolutely no business teaching women and their families about breastfeeding. They have flagrantly violated the International Code and for this I am furious and I have started my campaign of protest."
Thanks to Leigh Baetz, RN, BScN, IBCLC, Women's College
Hospital, Toronto. Ms. Baetz has: