Company which harvests soil bacteria for baby formula sponsoring Royal College of Midwives conference! Outrageous!

[theAfkaUrbanDryad]

Morgan puts it much better than me, as usual. Here

[WilfSell]

Jeez! no wonder none of us trust the BF info given out by MWs half the time.

[SenoraPostrophe]

I don't see the problem really.

1. midwives can still support breastfeeding even if a formula co sponsors their events
2. even if you assume they can't, since the company doesn't flog formula directly i don't see how it can possibly affect the behaviour of the midwives - they won't be recommending the company to women ever, so what's the problem?
3. I disagree that making formula more like breastmilk is unethical. it isn't. if it was unethical, then surely all formula manufacture would be unethical, since formula is more like breastmilk than cows milk? babies used to die for want of formula before it was invented.

[finallydoneit]

oh dear oh dear

[theAfkaUrbanDryad]

Senora:

1. You don't see a conflict of interests between mw's supposedly supporting breastfeeding being financially sponsored by a company which harvests soil bacteria for infant formula? Really? You don't see that? How about the fact that formula companies undermine breastfeeding at every opportunity? How else do you market a product to which the direct competition is free, superior and more convenient?
   
   
2. By putting the soil bacteria into infant formula, the companies are therefore saying that their products are even closer to breastmilk - which as we all know can seriously undermine people's (yes, even mw's - i've seen and heard it enough) confidence in bm. Therefore they are more likely to give out advice like, "Don't worry if your milk's not coming in quick enough - give him a bottle of formula, it's pretty much the same thing." Not to mention the fact that precisely because they are a sponsor of the RCM conference, anyone who looks into this will think "Oh, it's ok - they're endorsed by the RCM, so it must be ok." without really realising what Martek actually do.
   
   
3. They're not making formula more like breastmilk. Formula can't be like breastmilk as it's modified cow's milk, essentially. Also, if you read the whole of Morgan's blog entry you'll see that the FDA has recieved a series of complaints from parents, who reported that their babies suffered with diarrhea, bad wind and constipation when on the "improved" formula. One baby was admitted to the ER room, and was taken off the new formula. Her health improved greatly but then the parents were unable to find the old formula in shops. This doesn't concern you?

[finallydoneit]

closer to breastmilk but in reality NOTHING like breastmilk.

[fishie]

is there no movement within the midwifery profession which opposes this? or is the rcm the mw profession.

[WilfSell]

Does the Association of Radical MWs still exist?

Anyhow, I'll bet you a million billion dollars that the company (who have enough money to sponsor a major conference, so not exactly a new tech start-up) are an subsidiary or spin off of one of the major food multinationals. Who, funnily enough, sell formula...

[stickyj]

Oh dear, can't anyone just leave this alone and let those who ff do it and those who bf do it? It's not the end of the f-ing world whichever way you do it! FGS feed your babies, just feed them. They'll all grow up and tbh does it matter. I have four kids and they're all here. I don't need to tell anyone how they were fed, they just were, they lived and they are healthy. Kids in China are dead, kids in Handsworth are dead, yes it's great to have a chice but they will eat and grow with whatever they are given as long as it's enough and given with love/kindness.

[kiskideesameanoldmother]

i can't for the life of me see how putting soil bacteria in modified cow breast milk makes it more like human breast milk.

or maybe i am just thick.

[fishie]

of course stickyj, that is why the consternation about this. i am not the person to answer you properly as i sound dreadfully prissy when i try, but there is no anti-ff here, quite the opposite.

[WilfSell]

Doesn't work like that though does it sticky?

People who want to BF often don't get to because MWs give crap advice. Why? Because of sponsors like this.

And I don't want to live in a 'just get on with it' world; I believe in principles and using them and making a difference with them.

[kiskideesameanoldmother]

maybe after this conference in glasgow (isn't it) midwives and hvs will start to recommend we eat dirt to make good milk.

[mears]

I will be at that conference

Does anyone have an issue with my advice on breastfeeding issues?

[kiskideesameanoldmother]

not you mears, our lovely. we just like to bitch about the majority of midwives who don't seem to be half as good as you.

[ruddynorah]

kiskidee- they add fish oil too, that makes ALL the difference

it is disturbing senora that you think formula is more like bm than cow's milk. it also illustrates perfectly why this sponsorship is inappropriate.

[mears]

Rememebr also that some women don't want to exclusively breastfeed when it involves time consuming frequent feeds? Not all women have the psyche for it - despite having appropriate advice from midwives

[Pixiefish]

There are actually people out there who have to use formula- i am one of them and yes i want to give my baby the best formula as i had to. my choice was formula or my baby could/would have died. my blog is here if anyone wants to read my story. i know this thread started on a semi different tack but it's ending up bashing formula.

that makes me feel like shit for giving my dd formula. Read my blog before you judge me and formula companies

[ruddynorah]

the psyche isn't helped though surely by thinking that the other option is a formula which is 'just as good.'

[kiskideesameanoldmother]

is that therefore somehow partly the reason why that the UK Gov't ignores the portion of the WHO Infant Feeding Code when it allows adverts to be placed in professional journals like the midwifery ones?

Adverts instead of stuff with unbiased information about their products which midwives of all people actually need to inform the public?

[stickyj]

Mears, you say what you have to, you are a good person to advise about the issues. You have a balanced, sensible view and I for one would have liked you to advise me about my baies. Too late now, they're 18 and under!!

[BumperliciousNeedsToSleep]

Sticky, this thread isn't having a go at FFers.
And off course this is really important. If sponsorship didn't work why would the company spend thousands of pounds doing it?

[theAfkaUrbanDryad]

mears - not at all (like i'd say otherwise!! )

BUT there is dodgy advice being advice being given out - you know that, i know that, we all know that.

Do you have an issue with Martek sponsoring the conference? I'd be really interested to hear your take on it. I had a chat with one of the mw's who was involved in the Make Breastfeeding Normal exhibition, and she said that there was such a degree of apathy in the RCM that the mw's who did object to formula companies advertising in their journals, or to the suspect sponsoring of the conference were either so jaded by the whole experience or couldn't be bothered to speak out as they knew they'd be ignored!!

[SenoraPostrophe]

urbanDryad- why is it a conflict of interests? it is in midwives interests to give good advice. they are unlikely to be swayed by some posters at a conference imo. now if this company were sending in a load of biased speaers, then that would be another thing. But they aren't, they're just sponsorinng the event.

My comment on making formula more like breastmilk not being unethical was a direct reponse to a comment on the blog you limnked to (in which she says making formula more like breastmilk is unethical).

[mears]

Nope ruddynorah - some women just cannot do what is required to exclusively breastfeed. I have been supporting my sister with twins but she cannot get her head round feeding more frequently than she is. She cannot cope with the -inactivity' that can be required when feeding frequently. She knows formula isn't as good but it is good enough.

[WilfSell]

wasn't meaning specific MWs Mears - sorry, bit of a generalisation. But I hope you'll agree that the quality of advice is often poor, alongside other pressures.

The issue here is not with formula's qualities or not per se; it is whether it is ethical for an organisation whose message is supposed to be pro-BF should be supported by a company involved in the manufacture of a single formula.