Bottle Feeding Baby on Motherisk Webpage

Image of Mother bottle feeding baby on Motherisk webpage.

Email To Media Relations and Policies Sickkids; Webmaster Motherisk:

Dear Ms Lipkin, Ms Simeon, Ms Nicholson, and Motherisk Webmaster,

A Lactation Consultant colleague of mine, Maureen Fjeld, pointed out that the picture on your homepage of a mother and baby includes a feeding bottle. Though this is an engaging image of a mother and baby, the feeding bottle conveys a message promoting artificial feeding which does not reflect the support which Sickkids and Motherisk provides for the most normal and healthy start to any baby’s life—breastfeeding!

I encourage you to consider changing this image to one of a mother and baby, breastfeeding or not, but one which does not condone artificial feeding as portrayed by the inclusion of this feeding bottle. For example, La Leche League Canada and INFACT Canada have many images available of mothers and babies without including inadvertent promotion of artificial feeding bottle, and also images promoting breastfeeding.

Canada is a signatory to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant Resolutions, and this Code states that health professionals must not use images of artificial feeding as this inappropriately condones artificial feeding versus normal feeding–breastfeeding. Rather health professionals should be promoting normal feeding.

Thank you for making this change. I have included for you on this e-mail the address of INFACT Canada, and La Leche League Canada, plus the names of several others whom I believe would support me in your replacing this image.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Peddlesden BScPharm IBCLC
La Leche League Canada Leader

Response from Motherisk

Hello Jennifer – The use of the image of the baby with the bottle was inadvertent and has now been changed. We thank you for alerting us of your concerns.

Best wishes from Motherisk.