ProMoM Inc. - Promoting the awareness and acceptance of breastfeeding.

The 3 Minute Activist
WebMD (June 20, 2005).

WebMD is dedicated to the health and well being of women,men,infants and children, but has an ad promoting and offering a free sample of infant formula. You can refresh at the web page here until you see the add with the formula give away. If you'd like to let WebMD know that you don't feel this give away represents their mission statement in a positive way please join us in sending this letter.

Participating is easy, just fill in your name and email address and add anything to the letter that you'd like, and press the submit button at the bottom.

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Dr Steven Zatz, WebMD Chief Medical Officer, and Wayne Gattinella, WebMD President, CC: Advertising Information and Media Relations The WebMD web site is great for common health concerns and in depth information about health issues. However on your web site, dedicated to the health and well being of women, men, infants and children, recently I discovered something which took me by surprise: an advertisement for Enfamil baby formula with "$250 in FREE gifts and discounts!" As you know, breastfeeding is the #1 choice of infant foods, with artificial infant formula being the #4 choice! The promotion of formula through prizes, samples, and extreme marketing techniques makes families feel that formula is the only/best choice for them and their babies. This advertisement and "prize giveaway" only further encourages women to formula feed their infants, depriving babies of essential nutrients and antibodies in their first two years of life! Free gifts of formula are one of the major barriers to successful breastfeeding. Obstacles to initiation and continuation of breastfeeding include "media portrayal of bottle feeding as normative; commercial promotion of infant formula through distribution of hospital discharge packs, coupons for free or discounted formula, and some television and general magazine advertising; misinformation; and lack of guidance and encouragement from health care professionals." (AAP: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496) As a health related web site, I implore you to please reconsider running this advertisement. In its stead, place an advertisement about the benefits and cost effectiveness of breastfeeding, perhaps with a link to the benefits of breastfeeding on your web site! This will help encourage new mothers or soon-to-be-mothers to breastfeed their babies to make them stronger and healthier than ever! (Which after all, is the goal of your web site, is it not?) Thank You
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The 3 Minute Activist WebMD (June 20, 2005).

The 3 Minute Activist
WebMD (June 20, 2005).