Deconstructing Gerber: Why Industry Should Not be Giving Health Advice

I was recently interviewed by a reporter from WebMD. She was knowledgeable and pleasant to talk with, and wrote a nice article about a new research study on how the SSRI-class of antidepressants influenced a breastfeeding woman’s milk supply. Since only 8 women in the study were actually taking the medication, the findings were not something that particularly worried me. And the resulting article was well-written and reflected that.

Imagine my surprise when I actually received the link to the article and found a slide-show imbedded right in the middle. It was entitled “Breastfeeding Hints and Hurdles.” I thought “what a good idea. I’ll take a look.” What I found was an attractive slide show, with some accurate information. The problem was that there was enough inaccurate information to cause breastfeeding failure. And on the very last page, just in case failure occurred, there was an ad for formula. Did I mention that the slide was funded by Gerber? (I posted the entire slide show on my previous post.)

In recent years, there has been a move throughout the health care industry to free health care from relationships with commercial companies. It is an idea I have always supported. But it is sometimes challenging for health care centers to implement having become accustomed to everything from free pens to continuing education to hospital equipment. But the Gerber slideshow is a great example of why these policies must be implemented. It does not make sense for a company to provide health information, in this case breastfeeding advice, when it is in their economic interest for breastfeeding to fail. It’s a bit like cigarette companies funding anti-smoking campaigns.


Let me show you what I mean. The photographs are copyrighted, so I can’t show them here. But I will do my best to describe them. Because of limited space, I can only share a couple. But you can read the analysis of all of the slides on my Web site.

Soothing Sore Nipples
(Picture of a rolled white terrycloth towel)
To soothe sore nipples, use warm moist compresses, rub a bit of fresh breast milk on your nipples and then let it dry, or dab on a bit of lanolin made for breastfeeding. A little pain and tenderness is normal at first. Pain usually goes away once you find a good breastfeeding position and baby latches on comfortably. Be sure to see your doctor if soreness increases or lasts several weeks.

Here's My Take
Warm compresses for sore nipples? Really? Lanolin is OK, as long as there's not an infection and the reason for soreness is addressed. But here’s where it gets bad. First, nipple pain as normal. At least they only said “a little.” But “be sure to see you doctor if soreness increases or lasts several weeks.[emphasis added] How many mothers would still be breastfeeding?

Ready for another one?

How Often Do Babies Nurse?
Photo of a jaundiced breastfeeding baby

Newborns should nurse every two to three hours, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That’s eight to 12 times in 24 hours.
Baby may feed from both breasts during one nursing session. And you can switch from side to side to avoid exhaustion. Baby is full when sucking has slowed or he turns away. After the first month, feedings may start decreasing to seven to nine times a day.

Here's My Take
OK, they’ve got the 8-12 times/day right. But every 2-3 hours? What about when babies cluster feed, such as in the evening?

Switch from side to side to “avoid exhaustion”? Whose exhaustion and how does that help avoid it?
“Baby is full when sucking has slowed”? Is that true for the jaundiced baby in the photo or is he simply falling asleep because he is jaundiced?
And decreasing feedings to 7-9 times a day after the first month? Says who? What if a mother has a small storage capacity and her baby needs to be fed more often? Unfortunately, mothers who follow this advice wonder why their supply has suddenly dropped. Good thing there is a coupon for formula!

At the end of this slide show purportedly about breastfeeding is an ad with coupons for Gerber infant formula, information on bottle-feeding, and link so readers can forward this “health information” to others. To me, the tactics of the formula companies are nothing new. Lactation consultants encounter them all the time.

But I’ll tell what I did find concerning: finding this slide show on WebMD. Consumers come to this site expecting to see evidence-based, impartial information--and this is anything but. True, they did clearly post that this was slide show was funded by Gerber. But new parents, the very ones most susceptible to this campaign of misinformation, may not realize the significance of that, and may take as gospel the advice that may very well derail their efforts to breastfeed their babies. And that, to me, is the real shame.