[ozmidwifery] M&CH and Infant formula

[barbara glare & chris bright]

Hi,   Last week I had rather an upsetting experience.  I was invited to speak at a meeting of local Maternal and Child health nurses about the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines on infant feeding.  I did this in my capacity as a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor.   I reached the venue at the agreed time, my talk well prepared, overheads done (at considerable personal expense ) to find......no-one there.  But the table was covered in Nestle sample bags,formula samples and empty kit kat wrappers.  The nurses were out to lunch......paid for by Nestle.  The first people arrived back 1/2 an hour later than I had been asked to attend.  My 20 mnth old daughter was also with me, and while she was well-behaved, she had already been "good" for 1/2 an hour.   Is this common practice in Maternal and child health in Victoria/Australia.  Does Maternal and child health have a code of ethics?  Does this still go on in hospitals (I would have thought (hoped) not.  Who would be the most appropriate person/group to complain to.  I don't believe health professionals should compromise themselves in this way, and it is in complete contravention of the WHO code.  Some of the nurses have phoned me personally since then to apologise.  I think they could tell I was unimpressed   Warm Regards, Barb IBCLC