I couldn't say anything nice to the Abott representative who tried to compliment me.

[Belle]

Yesterday we went to a baby and family fair at our local mall. There was a booth from Abbott nutrition there with lots of formula cans including their new packaging with the scoop in the can and everything. At first I ignored them. Then dd1 (being the gregarious person that she is) ran up to them and introduced herself. They asked how old she was and asked how old her baby sister (riding on my back) was. She then looked at me and said "Oh, you're out of the formula phase then" Both my dh and I said we've never used formula.

She then smiles really big and said "Wow, that's great. I am seeing less and less moms who can make it all the way"

I couldn't say anything nice to that. I know she was trying to compliment me, but Oregon (the state we were in) has one of the highest rates of breastfeeding in the country and has an excellent support system in place. Also with her working for a company that aggressively markets its products does not put her in a good position to evaluate breastfeeding rates.

I just kind of said "Uh-huh" and moved on. But I really wanted to say more to her.

[Swan3]

OOOOH! Just what you'd expect from a formula company, to tell you that breastfeeding is on the decline.

My answer would have been (of course, if I'd thought of it on the spot) "Really? From what I hear breastfeeding rates are improving so much it's giving you guys a run for your money."

Honestly, maybe I'm a pessimist but her little comment would have sounded more like a dig to me than anything else.

Don't feel bad about not saying something nice, I don't think she was expecting it.

[velcromom]

I couldn't have either, you at least were civil. I recently sat next to an Abbot rep on a flight home. We made small talk at the beginning of the flight and he told me about his two little ones at home. Then he pulled out his laptop and started doing some work and I saw the company name on his stuff... He didn't say much to me after he saw dd nursing. Maybe he realized he was sitting next to the competition, lol.

[mntnmom]

You probably gave the best answer. You made her feel a little like an idiot, without engaging her and giving her a "breastfeeding nazi" story to tell her friends.

[guestmama9920]

Ok I'll risk it, but maybe the person was sincere? as much as we are pro bf'ing many mothers just dont want to and they need something to feed their babies.

I try to stress the benefits of bf'ing vs anything else.


maybe living somewhere where no one is supportive of bf'ing taints my view.

[Tine]

Originally Posted by Swan3

Honestly, maybe I'm a pessimist but her little comment would have sounded more like a dig to me than anything else.

I don't think you're a pessimist. That comment raised my lactivist hackles too. It's this woman's job to make sure less moms "make it all the way." So yeah -- it was either a dig, or an attempt to neutralize the OP's good example.

[MommyofAngelBabies]

Originally Posted by Tine

I don't think you're a pessimist. That comment raised my lactivist hackles too. It's this woman's job to make sure less moms "make it all the way." So yeah -- it was either a dig, or an attempt to neutralize the OP's good example.

I agree. I would take that as a sarcastic dig, under the guise of a compliment.

[Belle]

Originally Posted by Swan3

Honestly, maybe I'm a pessimist but her little comment would have sounded more like a dig to me than anything else.

Ok I'll risk it, but maybe the person was sincere?

I think that she was sincere about the compliment, but it was the fact that she was there representing a company that is doing its utmost to prevent moms from "going all the way" that raised my lactivist hackles. I'm of the mindset that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. I had tons of things that I could have said to her that would have corrected her mistaken notion that breastfeeding rates are falling.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

"Tell that to my LLL(breastfeedin support) group!" would be a good response

[miche28]

I think you can safely assume that was both sincere and a dig - she probably honestly believes that you're a freak .

I had an experience at a rtecent show with some Nestle reps in my booth - nothing I happened to have around was particularly "lactivist", but they were chatting about the natural products and how nice it was. After watching pregnant women walk by carrying 'free samples' all day, it was all I could do to simply ignore them.

[*MamaJen*]

She probably thought she was being nice. She was probably a nice human being. But she still works for a company that uses insidious advertising practices to undermine breastfeeding. And they've done a heckuva job for decades at sabotaging nursing.
It's so hard in a situation like that when you're talking to a person with such a dramatically different frame of reference. It's like you're speaking different languages or coming from utterly foreign cultures.

[Belle]

Originally Posted by tbone_kneegrabber

"Tell that to my LLL(breastfeedin support) group!" would be a good response

OP here. I'm a LLL leader.

She probably thought she was being nice. She was probably a nice human being. But she still works for a company that uses insidious advertising practices to undermine breastfeeding. And they've done a heckuva job for decades at sabotaging nursing.
It's so hard in a situation like that when you're talking to a person with such a dramatically different frame of reference. It's like you're speaking different languages or coming from utterly foreign cultures.

: Exactly.

[annie_noah]

I would have said "that's really too bad - perhaps more needs to be done to support breastfeeding mothers instead of undermining them".

[APmomto3boys]

Originally Posted by annie_noah

I would have said "that's really too bad - perhaps more needs to be done to support breastfeeding mothers instead of undermining them".

yes... maybe a "way ta go with those formula samples!"

[Tine]

Originally Posted by annie_noah

I would have said "that's really too bad - perhaps more needs to be done to support breastfeeding mothers instead of undermining them".

Oh man, that's perfect! :

[Janice in Canada]

Firs thing that came to my mind -(which I probably would have blurted out, too) is

"that works out pretty good for you, then doesn't it"

(meaning more sales for her and her company)

Janice

[Ruthla]

She might have been completely honest- she might personally be in contact with very few women who nurse for at least a year- and chances are, she HAS been in contact with fewer confident breastfeeders since she started working for a formula company!

Mostly, she was probably concerned about what passers-by might think- what if a potential customer overheard your exchange?

[leila1213]

It sounds to me like a "standard reply" that she has come up with (intentionally or not). I mean, really, if you were hocking formula, wouldn't you need to have a good line to say to EBFers that would further your cause but not sound totally snarky? Maybe that's the salesperson in me, but I would want to know what to say to "the competition" if I came across them, wouldn't you?