I was reading this notice from INFACT Canada this morning. The claims of formula marketers make my blood boil.

From INFACT Canada:
Nestlé has introduced a new line of formulas which it claims mimics the protective properties of breastmilk. The new prebiotic brand, called Nestlé Good Start Natural Cultures, contains Bifidobacteria, a bacteria species that is also found in breastmilk. Nestlé is making the vague claim that this added ingredient will help protect babies.

The new brand is only the latest attempt by the company to equate its formula with breastmilk. While the ad contains the requisite “breast is best” statement, the advertising tagline strongly suggests that Nestlé’s formula is roughly equivalent to breastmilk. “There are only two places your baby can get natural cultures,” reads the ad, “The first is you. The other is from Nestlé Good Start Natural Cultures.” No scientific study is cited as proof that the bacterial cultures in this formula have the same effect on infants as breastmilk. The repeated use of the word “natural” obscures the fact that there is nothing natural about feeding an infant a manufactured substance from a plastic bottle and artificial nipple. To equate this with the naturally-occurring protective bacterial cultures found in breastmilk is deceptive to say the least.

This new additive to formula is simply a marketing ploy. All formulas are composed of virtually the same ingredients, and as such, formula companies have a difficult time distinguishing their brands from others on the market. In the past, companies have introduced new formulas based on claims about additives DHA and ARA, added iron, and whey protein. Now that all formula companies have brands with these additives, Nestlé has decided to add another substance for marketing purposes. It can be expected that other companies will soon follow suit and release their own so-called prebiotic formulas.

The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes specifically prohibits health claims for formula under World Health Assembly resolution 58.32. This has not stopped formula companies from making outrageous claims about the properties of their products, without providing any evidence to back them up. As with those before it, this latest additive will do little for the health of infants, but will certainly help line the pockets of one of the world’s wealthiest corporations.

Nestlé has been planning to release this formula for some time, and as such has been resisting the new international standards for the preparation of powdered infant formula. Powdered infant formula has been found to be intrinsically contaminated with Enterobacter sakazakii, a potentially deadly bacteria that has been linked to infant deaths around the world. Because of this, international food standards authorities recently released new recommendations on the preparation of powdered formula to reduce the risk of infection from E. sakazakii by stating that when preparing powdered formula, parents should boil water, cool it to 70 degrees and then add the powder. However, Nestlé strongly opposed this policy change because it knew that such high temperatures would also destroy the so-called “natural cultures” as well.

Ads for its new formula contain special instructions that temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius will compromise the Bifidobacteria, advising that mothers should cool water to this lower temperature before adding the powder. So not only does Nestlé’s Natural Culture brand falsely claim to protect infants, it can only be prepared in a way that contravenes international guidelines and exposes babies to the potentially deadly threat of Enterobacter sakazakii.

I’ve been travelling to Massachusetts for 10 years. I’ve been breastfeedinbg ALL OVER Massachusetts for 6.5 years, and I had no idea this entire time that I could have been arrested and  charged for breastfeeding in public. Why do I know now? Well, Massachusetts passed a bill last Thursday bill that excludes breastfeeding in public from any obscenity laws. The bill also penalizes businesses that prevent a mother from breastfeeding in public. Such excellent news! How have I gotten away with nursing in public for so long? With nary a dirty look?

In Canada, our right to breastfeed anytime, anywhere is protected by law. Asking us to cover up, leave or move somewhere more discreet is a violation of our rights as mother and child, and is considered a form of discrimination against women under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as indicated by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

The US is no entirely uniform in ther breastfeeding protecion. Want to know if your state has a similar law? Check here. If you live in a state with breastfeeding protection, there may be a breastfeeding rights card for you to download from Motherwear.

I can hardly believe I didn’t know this about Massachusetts for this long! What a self-entitled breastfeeder am I!

There are times when I wake up and look out my window at another grey and gloomy day and wonder “why do we live in such a cold climate?” Every winter I think this is the year we should move to Florida or the Turks and Caicos or Mexico. I am really not a fan of the cold and often pine for better climes. Most of the time I feel very fortunate to be living in Canada. So when I came across this article in my daily meanderings around the internet, I had one of those moments where I felt very lucky to be living in a country that has a maternity policy.

In Canada, we are fortunate to receive 17 weeks maternity leave and 35 weeks of parental leave, totaling one full year off after having a baby. Still, I remember how difficult it was going to back to work, even after a year. I missed my daughter dreadfully. If I couldn’t bring her to work with me in the flesh, I was going to bring her in spirit and I have to say, my office became a shrine to her. I was a breastfeeding mom as well. So along with the pictures and art work came my breast pump. I proudly displayed that pump on my shelf and scheduled my pumping time in my calendar so everyone could see I was busy for the next 20 minutes, come back later thank you! And no, I did not pump in the bathroom, I pumped right in my office. There were days when I needed my shrine to encourage let-down. When anyone asked what I was doing, I proudly announced that I was pumping milk for my daughter and pointed to the pump full of breastmilk sitting on my desk. Some people never asked again.

At the time, I would have loved to bring my daughter to work, or at the very least, I would have appreciated the option of on-site daycare. Once my daughter got a little older, I leaned more towards the on-site daycare. It can be hard focusing on work when you are caring for an infant. If you have an infant who suffers from colic, it can be terribly distressing and disracting for a parent, nevermind your co-workers! And seriously, I love to ooh and aah over new babies in the office, maybe more than the next person, but even I might find it disrupting when the baby next door hasn’t stopped crying for the past 30 minutes. You can only keep your boob in their mouth for so long.

The article highlights the findings from a US study about the practice of bringing your baby to work. It notes that more than 100 companies in the US allow women to bring their babies to work AND return to a flexible schedule. In a country with a maternity policy barely worth mentioning, this would be very beneficial for women (and employers) on so many levels and it would allow women to continue to breastfeed. Beneficial yes, but would it really work?

Carla Moquin, the author of Babies at Work: Bringing New Life to the Workplace, says that people are fairly skeptical until they try it. Once mom and baby get used to the new arrangement, it works out quite nicely for all involved, even those without children seem to enjoy the presence of babies in the workplace. If you are curious about which US companies are providing this option to their employees, check out the Babies At Work website. It lists the companies presently offering the program and notes how many babies are currently in the office. If you are interested in trying to convince your employer to implement the program, the website also offers tips for implementation and links to sample agreements.

Would you want to bring yor baby to work? Do you think you could implement a program like this in your place of work?