I've been away a lot for the past couple of days so have only now caught up.
I am glad this issue has been raised, and it's good to see that mumsnet towers are listening.
It's been expressed pretty clearly on this thread - ads (ethical ones) are fine; ads dressed up as a caring, omniscient (all your babycare questions?) service smell a bit, whatever the banners saying 'promotion.' The microsite questions ('feasible' breastfeeding, my arse!) are a silly device for promoting a load of consumer stuff.
No one - including me - has a 'problem' with bottles, sterilisers, pumps, teats (or even formula milk). People can, and should, sell these products freely and mothers should have access to them freely (I don't agree with stuff being on prescription for instance). But how they are marketed and promoted is the problem. It is very simple to check the WHO code and see how to market feeding equipment in a way that is ethical. I don't think sterilisers or pumps are mentioned in the WHO code, as it happens, but because they are always used with bottles, they are covered by default.
I know my name has been mentioned as being available as free resource, but I don't think this should mean no one else apart from me and other regulars can come on and offer a similar service - I don't want to be tied to MN for life or every day, for a start. And I think people who have something to sell can take part in live chats - but they should stick to what they have to sell. It is a bit outrageous that someone employed by a company selling humidifiers and sterilisers and pumps can somehow be expected to answer all your questions on babycare and wellbeing - I mean, just how 'expert' can someone be?
Lets have a live chat about Phillips humidifiers (yawn) if people want one, knowing the answerer is employed to sell 'em.
But dogmatic advice based on how the humidifier seller 'always' weans babies in the same way, and what she advises about sleep.....come on! It's a bit crappy, innit?!