Where are those new ads?

Good question -- I actually saw them on my local news cast on Friday night (an ABC affiliate station) but then missed the full story on 20/20 because I fell asleep nursing my dd -- is that ironic or appropriate? Anyway, the ads were pretty shocking -- it's pretty unnerving to see women who look very pregnant (8 months at least) in a roller derby, log rolling and riding mechanical bulls. It reminded me of the ads with the egg in the frying pan ("this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs"). It is so obvious that the formula makers used money to get these new ads watered down to the point that they will probably be ineffective. The only way things will probably change (that is, ads like they were originally designed can run) is to have some big lawsuit against the formula companies like the tobacco lawsuits. I'm not promoting litigation (we have far too much of that here in the US and not enough personal responsibility) but the form companies have too much power, money and influence. And, as a result of our changing culture and use of technology and science, whole generations have bought into the idea that formula is just as good as bm and now there is so much misinformation about bfing that needs to be overcome.

Granted, unless we go back to wet nurses being available as part of our culture or someone figures out how to make money with milk banks (so that donated milk is more available and economical), we need formula to exist. However, too many women barely give bfing a try (like a cousin of mine) and their children are paying the price. And, we seem to be delivering so many more premie babies (which makes establishing a bfing relationship more difficult), that the situation will only get worse. I did use formula when my dd was first born but stopped as soon as I could pump enough for her (born 6 wk early; nicu stay of 10 days).

Anyway, we all know all of this but I just felt compelled to write it down. I'll be watching for the ads.

~Hope

you know I have always wondered WHY milk banks are not making money. I understand that they buy equipment, and need to pay staff (although I have heard that they are understaffed and use a lot of volunteer time). But they get the milk donated for free and charge a lot of money for the milk.

Maybe they are not managed well?

Why are people so agains wetnurses? IF they get paid well, if they are able to bring their babies to work with them? Isn't donating to a milkbank an uppaid for of wetnursing? What if all the money that went into formula was put into paying wetnurses (i.e. WIC, buy with food stamps, the money from this ad compaign). Is there no one out their that would like to get paid to donate milk? If all women that could breastfeed did, if all women that could and wanted to donate milk did, I don't think that we would need formula at all (except for those rare causes where a baby can not take ANY human milk).

I supplemented with raw, human milk for my ds and would do it again in a heartbeat. (I do realize that for mass production milk, their would need to be safeguards). It is just a different approach to the problem.

I'm all for the suing of the F companies, LOL, but herein lies the problem...you'd be hard pressed to find a f feeding parent that is going to acknowledge that their kids ailments are a result of feeding them formula. So, no plaintiffs to be found! ANyhow...where are those ads. I am really dissapointed that they were watered down. I really wish that we could see the original ones or have them aired/printed some day!