You Don't Have to Disparage Breastfeeding to Sell Formula
Why I participate in the #BackOffBobbie campaign
For me, it’s the predatory marketing of infant formula that drives my IBCLC career in lactation care and advocacy.
You see, most lactation consultants entered the field after having a crazy bad breastfeeding experience and getting little to no help.
Not me. 2 out of 3 of my breastfeeding journeys were pretty awesome.
The other one though? Yeah, that’s where the predatory marketing comes in.
Back in the last century (1996 to be exact), the main message of formula marketers was “Formula and breastfeeding are equal choices, so hey, don’t feel guilty if you need to use formula, it’s all cool, ladies.”
That’s what I heard (from doctors, from magazines, from books) over and over. Equal choices. Nothing about health. Lots about “don’t feel guilty.”
So when my beautiful baby girl was born, I did “both.” I believed the hype on the formula packages about how it would soothe colic and give her vitamins and minerals, loved that they sent me “free” samples in the mail and that I got more free samples in the hospital AND from my OB/GYN and my baby’s pediatrician. And since everybody (doctors included) told me “NOT TO FEEL GUILTY,” I didn’t.
Cut to 3 years later, I’m exclusively breastfeeding my second baby (because it was just easy and I didn’t want to mess with formula and bottles) and attending a breastfeeding support group, and one fine day, the IBCLC who ran that group is talking about “predatory formula marketing.” I’m like, hold up, friend, what?
That’s when I suddenly understood what happened to me. Exposure to irresponsible, predatory formula marketing messages, combined with the fact that the medical professionals charged with my care were ALSO being sold those same messages, and my naiveté about marketing itself - that’s how I ended up buying the “both are basically the same” message and having no bad feelings about it and MISSING THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BREASTFEEDING TO A BABY AND THEIR MOTHER’S HEALTH. 🤦♀️
Sadly, my first baby missed out on exclusive breastfeeding and only got my milk for a few months, and I missed out on what breastfeeding can do to transform maternal health because of all of this.
Today’s predatory formula marketing messaging is way more sophisticated and MUCH worse.
And today’s new parents also have social media influencers telling them whatever messages the formula companies want them to say.
The point here is this: Formula companies do not hold the health of human beings up as their priority, and health is being sabotaged by their insidious methods.
Just like in 1996, it isn’t the formula that’s the problem; it’s the marketing.
For decades, formula companies have engaged in the most insidious tactics to sell their products.
Often, those tactics involve disparaging breastfeeding, implying that it is not important, and shaming people who are trying to celebrate their own breastfeeding journeys.
Over the past few years, as our culture has SLOWLY come around to understanding the importance of mental health, formula companies have worked hard to take over messaging around the intersection of breastfeeding and mental health, creating the impression that stopping breastfeeding and/or using formula will (magically) improve mental health.
In the past, they’ve focused on spreading other harmful ideas:
early on, it was about making people worry that they wouldn’t make enough milk
then they moved on to implying that breastmilk might not be good enough/rich enough/have “enough” of whatever trendy component people are talking about at the moment, etc.
You see, they’ve always got to talk about breastfeeding, and that makes them seem warm and fuzzy, and it gets people feeling like “oh, this company gets me, they care about me and they want my life with a new baby to be easier and better.”
When formula companies’ messages include things about breastfeeding that feel “real” to new parents, it makes it seem like the company “gets it,” and most of all, it makes it look like the company knows important things about breastfeeding.
It looks like they’re on your side.
They’re not. They want to sell something. That’s it. They’ll say anything to sell their things. That’s just business.
Here’s what I know about feeding my own babies, who are now thriving young women in their 20’s:
Breastfeeding was an incredibly important part of my parenting journey with each of my babies, including the one who was mixed-fed from Day One.
I was misled by predatory formula marketing when I was pregnant with my first baby, and that resulted in me NOT having the opportunity to exclusively breastfeed her or to breastfeed her for as long as I could have.
The only reason I was not misled with my second and third babies is that I had an IBCLC in my life.
Here’s what I know after more than 23 years of working with breastfeeding families.
Breastfeeding is the physiological norm for humans (and all mammals).
Exclusive breastfeeding is completely possible, and people do it every day around the world.
Using formula is not inevitable.
The impacts of breastfeeding are far-reaching and not even yet fully understood.
Commerciogenic malnutrition is real, and it impacts babies in every country.
Unchecked marketing of products aimed at babies and toddlers is harmful.
Prospective and current parents deserve to be able to make informed decisions about feeding their babies without any influence from commercial sources.
Predatory formula marketing harms everyone. It is disrespectful and wrong.
If you’re feeling pulled to channel your passion for lactation into a new direction or to make progress toward your larger vision, but you aren’t sure about your next steps, I offer lactation career coaching.
