I am a one of the “Strong Moms” (Trademark, Abbott Laboratories)

Although I had a home birth and have never taken my new son to a doctor’s office, I somehow managed to be targeted for the “Strong Moms” (TM) campaign.  The initial mailings were generic take-care-of-yourself promotions, with cute images of babies and healthy-looking women.  I honestly could not figure out what they wanted from me.

Yesterday, all became clear when I received two complementary cases of Similac.

Being a healthy, breastfeeding mother, I have never had reason to look at formula ingredients.  Only one of my children ever needed formula (5 bottles total); after catching an upper respiratory infection that landed me totally dried up in the emergency room, my husband fed her something (I know not what), and she became so constipated he had to give our then-5-month old an enema.  After getting 3 bags of IV into my system, I pumped every 15 minutes for a full day until my supply was back, and treated sick people with hostility for the following year.

At any rate, I decided to look at the ingredients of this gift for me – one of the “Strong Moms” (TM)  targeted in this campaign – and my jaw literally dropped to the floor.  I’m sure the lactation people out there know all this, but here’s a reiteration of a few of the main ingredients of one the cans of Similac that was mistakenly mailed to me, with a little of my own online research thrown in:

43.2% Corn Syrup Solids. Corn syrup, which consists mostly of dextrose, is a sweet, thick liquid made by treating cornstarch with acids or enzymes. It may be dried and used as corn syrup solids in coffee whiteners and other dry products. Corn syrup contains no nutritional value other than calories, promotes tooth decay, and is used mainly in foods with little intrinsic nutritional value.  http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

14.6% Soy Protein Isolate. A very large percentage of soy – over 90% – is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of the foods we eat.  Soy protein isolate (SPI) is not something you can make in your own kitchen. Production takes place in industrial factories where soybeans are first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fiber, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralized in an alkaline solution.  Acid washing in aluminum tanks leaches high levels of aluminum into the final product. As a result, soy-based formula also has over 1000% more aluminum than conventional milk based formulas. Finally, the resulting curds are spray-dried at high temperatures to produce a high-protein powder. A final hardship to the original soybean is high-temperature, high-pressure extrusion processing of soy protein isolate to produce textured vegetable protein.  Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during spray-drying, and a toxin called “lysinoalanine” is formed during alkaline processing.  Numerous artificial flavorings, particularly MSG, are added to soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein products to mask their strong “beany” taste. http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm

10.3% Sugar (Sucrose). Added sugar in infant formula, specifically sucrose, is linked with several health risks, including damage to tooth enamel, a preference for more sweet foods and the inclination to overeat. Research shows that babies and children prefer sweeter foods and tend to eat more of it than foods that are less sweet. Babies who overeat and have rapid weight gain in the first year are more likely to become obese during childhood.  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113347.php

The materials they sent with the formula include an attractive little booklet with 7 pages on how to breastfeed, then 6  pages on how to pump and store breastmilk, then 16 pages on the basics of formula and supplementing for the busy mom, then 14 pages of advertisements on the varieties of Similac formulas.

Abbott Laboratories has gone to a whole new level with their newest campaign. Perhaps we need a short addendum to Cate Colburn-Smith’s program, which highlights the strategies and effectiveness of the marketing of these “cans of crap”.

I like to think of myself as one of the “Strong Moms” (TM).  However, it took very little strength to pick up these cans and throw them into the nearest trashcan.

Cate Colburn-Smith

Cate Colburn-Smith is the co-author of The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business With Babies – and How You Can, Too. Cate has 18 years of experience with IBM in marketing, strategy, business development, management and sales. At IBM, she was recognized for best practice in marketing strategy, and selected for the executive leadership development program. Cate is the founding principal of Moms on Board, an organization that helps employers design and deliver programs to attract and retain valuable working mother talent, and coaches mothers to craft and negotiate flexible work arrangements that deliver employer results while honoring family needs and responsibilities. She has a B.S. in Business from the University of Colorado. Cate lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two beautiful daughters.

Cate’s Presentation:
Freedom of Expression – Supporting Breastfeeding Moms in the Workplace

This informative, inspiring session is for employers and breastfeeding mothers who choose to express milk while working outside the home.New mothers who return to work face two realities that are diametrically opposed:

1.Human breastmilk is vastly superior to formula (and all other substitutes) for infant feeding.
Babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life have superior immune systems, lower rates of a myriad of infant illnesses and infections, and reduced risks of chronic health problems including asthma, allergies, obesity and more. Breastfeeding mothers benefit too, through reduced risk of breast, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers, and osteoporosis. Despite advertising from formula manufacturers that tries to convince women otherwise, nothing else compares to the advantages of human breastmilk for the human species.

If you wish to view the introduction to this program before purchase, click here.

2.Employers are often unsupportive of mothers expressing breastmilk at work.
Too often, moms returning to work have no clean, private place to express breastmilk, no ability to take pumping “breaks” during the workday, and insufficient support from supervisors or co-workers. Is it any wonder that more than 30% of new mothers give up breastfeeding less than seven weeks after returning to work? While major employers are slowly ramping up support (23% offered lactation programs in 2006, up from 16% in 1999), and 12 states have enacted legislation related to breastfeeding in the workplace, the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against working, breastfeeding mothers and their babies.

What is a working mom to do when her baby’s health, her own wellbeing, and her need for income are pitted against a structured workplace that is insensitive or perplexed about her plight? What is an employer to do when its workers challenge the establishment, demanding new levels of support and flexibility that may be perceived as inconvenient, biased and costly? Cate’s presentation will define specific, practical steps employers can take to support breastfeeding moms, and offer powerful advice for moms to get the space, time and support they need to pump breastmilk at work. This presentation is compelling, thorough and evenhanded, and will enable workplace lactation programs that benefit mothers and employers – in our generation, and the next!

Cost: $15.00

Certificate of Completion: $7.50 (completion of post-session questionnaire required).

Continuing Education Units are available for some professional groups.  To view a listing of CEU opportunities, click here.

 

Select One…

 

What Would Mammals Do?

gorillaphoto.jpgDiane Wiessinger, known to lactation consultants across the English-speaking world for her lectures and writings on breastfeeding, will present What Would Mammals Do?, the first in a series of live, highly interactive online workshops presented by Conscious Woman.

Diane was an animal behaviorist before she became a renowned lactation consultant and La Leche League Leader. Because of this background, Diane was invited to prepare a talk on the breastfeeding and mothering lessons we can learn from other mammals. Intended to be a light, amusing talk about how other mammal babies find the nipple on their own, find solid food when they are ready, and wean without an organized plan, the subject matter took an unexpected and dark turn, all of its own accord. Diane began to discover:

Want to view the introduction to this program before purchase? Click here.

  • What happens when other mammal mothers are deprived of their chosen place, time, and sensations of birth?
  • What if the resulting birth is too hard… or too easy?
  • To what extent might this information shed light on our own mothering experiences?

What Would Mammals Do? is a surprising journey with our mammalian counterparts through labor, birth, lactation, and beyond. Through the presentation of fascinating photographs and videos, you will be invited to discover for yourselves the implications our mammalian ancestry has for the way we give birth and begin the process of mothering in modern America.

This presentation is 90 minutes in length.

Cost: $7.50

Certificate of Completion: $7.50 (completion of post-session questionnaire required).

Continuing Education Units are available for some professional groups.  To view a listing of CEU opportunities, click here.

 

Select One…

 

Freedom of Expression: Supporting Breastfeeding Moms in the Workplace

mother-kissing-baby.jpgCate Colburn-Smith , co-author of the book The Milk Memos and expert on breastfeeding in corporate America, presents Freedom of Expression – Supporting Breastfeeding Moms in the Workplace, an informative, inspiring session for employers and breastfeeding mothers who choose to express milk while working outside the home.

New mothers who return to work face two realities that are diametrically opposed:

1. Human breastmilk is vastly superior to formula (and all other substitutes) for infant feeding.
Babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life have superior immune systems, lower rates of a myriad of infant illnesses and infections, and reduced risks of chronic health problems including asthma, allergies, obesity and more. Breastfeeding mothers benefit too, through reduced risk of breast, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers, and osteoporosis. Despite advertising from formula manufacturers that tries to convince women otherwise, nothing else compares to the advantages of human breastmilk for the human species.

Want to view the introduction to this program before purchase? Click here.

2. Employers are often unsupportive of mothers expressing breastmilk at work.
Too often, moms returning to work have no clean, private place to express breastmilk, no ability to take pumping “breaks” during the workday, and insufficient support from supervisors or co-workers. Is it any wonder that more than 30% of new mothers give up breastfeeding less than seven weeks after returning to work? While major employers are slowly ramping up support (23% offered lactation programs in 2006, up from 16% in 1999), and 12 states have enacted legislation related to breastfeeding in the workplace, the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against working, breastfeeding mothers and their babies.

What is a working mom to do when her baby’s health, her own well-being, and her need for income are pitted against a structured workplace that is insensitive or perplexed about her plight? What is an employer to do when its workers challenge the establishment, demanding new levels of support and flexibility that may be perceived as inconvenient, biased and costly? Cate’s presentation will define specific, practical steps employers can take to support breastfeeding moms, and offer powerful advice for moms to get the space, time and support they need to pump breastmilk at work. This presentation is compelling, thorough and evenhanded, and will enable workplace lactation programs that benefit mothers and employers – in our generation, and the next!

This presentation is 90 minutes in length.

Cost: $7.50

Certificate of Completion: $7.50 (completion of post-session questionnaire required).

Continuing Education Units are available for some professional groups.  To view a listing of CEU opportunities, click here.

 

Select One…