Guest Post: It's all about marketing

Today's Guest Post is by Clarice Talavera-Avinante, a fellow N@W and breastfeeding mom. Clarice is also an events organizer and you can get more details about her services by visiting her website. In one of my posts, Clarice left a comment/email that she previously did a market study on the claims made by formula milk.  Because of the study that she and her then-boyfriend (now husband) conducted, they made a resolve to breastfeed their babies.  Read on to learn what they found out:

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When I was in grade school, there was a TV commercial of a formula milk showing a likeness of a baby slowly being scuplted. All the while the importance of taurine in the development of sight was narrated in the background. Towards the end of the commercial, the eyes of the sculpture were attached. It was a beautiful baby.

It was such an enticing commercial that I wondered about the importance of taurine and made me believe that that particular milk was THE milk babies should consume. Such was my curiosity that I asked one of my uncles about taurine. It turns out that he, too, was so enticed by that commercial that he researched on the importance of taurine. He told me that taurine was, in fact, essential in retina development but the good (or bad?) news was that we (and babies, too) needed very minute amounts of it and that it was actually abundant in animal protein (that's meat of fish, beef, etc.) So as long as you eat properly, you can get it. That was the first time I realized that commercials are able to make you believe what they want you to believe without outrightly lying.

Fast forward 15 years, I totally forgot about that TV commercial. I conducted a consumer research study on the marketing practices of formula milk companies. Since I didn't know anything about formula nor about breastfeeding, and of course, like any good researcher, I tackled the project without any bias.

I interviewed pediatricians and pediatrician's secretaries (They are the ones who keep samples of the goodies distributed by the milk companies' sales reps. Hahaha!), inspected in-store advertising, watched numerous TV commercials, scanned print ads, interviewed Milk Code experts, etc.  

Aside from delving into the usual marketing tactics (getting an endorser, distributing stuff with the  milk's logo, paying stores to be put in eye-level shelves, etc), I analyzed their claims. I was not a chemist nor a biologist nor a medical doctor so I didn't study the contents of the milk and if they had what they said they had. Just their marketing claims. 

The buzz word during the time we conducted the research was DHA. A very popular series of commercials during that time implied that the intake of their milk resulted to gifted kids. It was so popular that adults were jokingly referred to as "Promil Kids" when they were being smart. :) So I researched on DHA and learned that its addition to formula milk was so important such that the pricing tier depended on its presence. The cheapest milk in the market didn't have it. The middle-market had DHA-precursors (essential fatty acids LA and  ALA which will be converted to DHA and other fatty acids by the body). And the top of the line (i.e., most expensive milk brands) had DHA and EPA. My interest was piqued and I researched more (I mean more than what was needed in the study) and learned that DHA is indeed very important in the development of the brain. 

During this time, my then-boyfriend (now husband) asked me which of the milk brands I would give to our future kids. It was a an easy question; of course I would give the most expensive brands with ready-made DHA and other fatty acids. Of course I'd want the "best" for my babies! Who wouldn't want their kids to be gifted?

Since I'm guest posting here, it's obvious that I am now into breastfeeding. :) So what made me change my mind? Well, two things clinched it. First, I talked to an uncle and told him about the study. (Yup, the same one who researched on taurine. He's really into the health stuff.) He made me realize that bottomline, infant formulas were developed to substitute for breastmilk. I am ashamed to admit that I was shocked. That never occured to me. Cow's milk was something I grew up with. I had no breastfeeding models (mothers personally known to me who breastfed) so it was a fact of life for me that you get your milk from a can. I do not recall seeing anyone breastfeed except for one mother who breastfed her crying child in the jeep I was riding. So when my uncle told me that formulas are just substitutes, my perspective changed. Why give a substitute if I can give my future babies the real thing? My uncle even told me that until now (or until then, rather), in fact, research was still being done on the makeup of breastmilk because it still had "ingredients" and nutrition that had not been discovered yet which they still need to imitate. So the reason why they added DHA into formula was because breastmilk already had DHA. I honestly thought that research had made them realize the importance of DHA that was why they fortify formula milk with it. As it turned out, they were still just imitating breastmilk. So as long as the mom eats well, giving your babies DHA for optimal brain development was a no-brainer (pun intended).

Second, and this really clinched it for me because I love green mangoes, I learned that a good source of DHA is bagoong*. BAGOONG!!! Why buy expensive milk when you can give the optimal nutrition to your baby by eating bagoong and giving him your breast? LOL!

It was funny when you really think about it. You'd realize that as long as a good slogan was thought of, sales would come in. Another milk brand's slogan was about the calcium you can get from their milk. When you stop for five seconds and actually just think about it, all milk are rich sources of calcium. You don't need a special milk to get calcium.

It really is all about marketing. And yes, commercials can make you believe what they want you to believe without outwardly lying. As weird as it is, doing a study on infant formula made me realize the power of breastmilk. I sought my boyfriend's support as early as then as I promised myself that I would breastfeed. And I am happy to say, he's still supporting me up to now and I am still keeping that promise. :)

* bagoong - salted shrimp paste 

Images of Breastfeeding

Two weeks ago, I got into a discussion with a colleague about the Philippine Daily Inquirer headline below showing breastfeeding moms at Fabella hospital with the caption "Too Many Mouths to Feed".

She was quite bothered by how the images of breastfeeding in the Philippines was always linked with poverty. It was ironic how that banner photo was matched with a headline on the controversial RH bill. I typed "breastfeeding" and "philippines" in the image search of Google and check out the photos I got. Most were actually photos of mothers at Fabella Children's Memorial Hospital, such as the photo below of a nursing mom taken on 24 September 2008.

L.A.T.C.H. is currently working on a project to change the image of breastfeeding. Meanwhile, I came across this project by the United States Breastfeeding Committee. They have been contracted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "to create a library of images of how communities across the U.S. support breastfeeding mothers and babies." Once completed, I think this will be an excellent resource for images for breastfeeding promotion.

I've never thought about the images of breastfeeding in the Philippines. I have always encouraged my husband (who takes maternity/newborn/children's photographs) to always ask his breastfeeding clients if they'd like a breastfeeding shots. I feel that getting this shot is a excellent memento of each mom's breastfeeding relationship with her child. But most of these photos are private - although L.A.T.C.H. has used some photos in our projects (with permission of course).

How do you think breastfeeding has been portrayed in the Philippines? Would you or do you have a breastfeeding photo of you and your nursling?

What I Wish I Knew Then

I missed the October breastfeeding carnival!! I think the deadline was just 1 week from the time the topic was announced. It was quite a busy week at work so I totally missed it. But given that the topic is very interesting AND there are a lot of realizations I continuously learn about breastfeeding, I still thought of making my own list (and hope to add to it as I go breastfeeding-wiser).

1. You can never over-prepare for breastfeeding
2. Just because a person is a pediatrician does not mean that they know everything about breastfeeding
3. There is such a creature as a breastfeeding-friendly pediatrician.
4. There are formula-friendly lactation consultants.
5. It DOES hurt at the start but it gets easier as time goes on.
6. Formula milk is not equal to and WILL NEVER be equal to breastmilk
7. Having a can of formula (or bottles of liquid formula) on the dresser gives you more temptation to mix or formula feed.
8. A breastpump is not an essential breastfeeding gear.
9. Other moms' breastfeeding experiences will vary from yours and it may not be helpful sometimes to compare.
10. There IS breastfeeding support in the Philippines -- you just need to look for it.

Po-Ge-Lai and Breastfeeding

As a Filipino-Chinese mom, I considered po-ge-lai as one major cultural challenge I had to work at, especially in connection with breastfeeding during the early days. For urban Fil-Chis like me, ge-lai is immediately associated with "1-month-no-bath" yucky time that comes immediately after giving birth. But the no-bathing time is actually part of a bigger scheme which tries to restore the yin-yang balance disturbed by pregnancy and birthing.

One major belief is that a mother who just gave birth loses the "warmth" of her body (e.g. must be associated with the blood as you give birth). Thus, to compensate, the mother must keep warm, eat warm foods and don't do, eat or be exposed to anything cold. My mom told me that this period of confinement is for 1 month. During this 1 month, you not only face "no baths" but you have to contend with major diet restrictions and requirements. A detailed discussion of these restrictions (and po-ge-lai in general) is found here.

Since my mom and mother-in-law were not with me when I gave birth, I didn't strictly follow po-ge-lai. The diet restrictions and requirements needed lots of preparation which I couldn't handle by myself. I also thought that the diet would inhibit my milk supply. Had I strictly followed po-ge-lai, I wouldn't have been allowed to drink water or eat fruits and vegetables (which are musts in a nursing mom's diet) as these are considered "cold foods" which will delay the return of the yin-yang balance. I would have also been required to drink Chinese wine (alcoholic), as this is considered "dyet" or hot and will hasten the return of the balance.

However, I probably just did not prepare enough as there were several other breastfeeding moms who practiced po-ge-lai but still successfully breastfed their babies. One of them is Giselle Sanchez (yes, the comedienne!) who talked about her experience here.

Another mom, Yoly Chua (who is still breastfeeding her 5-month old), shares that she followed po-ge-lai to the letter, by not drinking water, no bathing, eating black chicken, pigeon, no fruits and vegetables and drinking only the Chinese herbal tea (o-tso tong sim). She did feel that these practices caused a dip in her milk supply because her son, Yohann was feeding hourly every day for the first 8 weeks. Yoly was also given an expensive herbal concoction (when her po-ge-lai officially ended) which contained ginseng and lots of potent vitamins. The day after she took it, Yohann developed severe rashes which lasted 3 weeks. The herbal concoction was ya-po (good for mom's health). But apparently, it wasn't good for the baby. The biggest challenge Yoly faced was to keep hydrated during the po-ge-lai since she had to drink the o-tso tong sim (red water made of dates, dried longan + other stuff) instead of water. I myself tried this concoction but it tasted weird. You can't drink it cold - it has to be lukewarm and it was a bit sweet - so it really does not take the thirst away and is not something you would want to drink at least 8 glasses of per day.

If you really have to follow the diet restrictions and requirements of po-ge-lai, a suggestion that another Fil-Chi mom, Jane, shared would be helpful. Like Yoly, her mother-in-law made her drink a herbal concoction with ginseng. So to lessen the effects on her baby, Jane drank the herbal soup after she nursed her baby. You can read more about ginseng here. It also helps if your pediatrician is someone who understands po-ge-lai practices AND is a breastfeeding advocate or is pro-breastfeeding. Jaydee Cheng was lucky to have such a pro-breastfeeding pediatrician in Dr. Joy Ty-Sy who helped her reconcile the practices and breastfeeding, allowing her to continue breastfeeding her 8-month old baby, to date.

Not all diet requirements of po-ge-lai are harmful to nursing mothers and their nurslings. Some foods included in the diet which are helpful in stimulating milk flow include fish, fish broth (my mom told me to drink lots of lapu-lapu, or grouper soup), sesame seeds, pig's trotters, red beans and papaya (I had usually had this with tinolang manok or chicken ginger stew). I also enjoyed the hot chocolate drink (tablea or sikwate) I took each morning (and still continue to take up to now, with oatmeal for breakfast).

In hindsight, having to undergo po-ge-lai is not all bad or difficult as long as you prepare for it. You also need to understand the reason behind these practices and their benefits so you won't resent having to obey certain rules and restrictions. Would I do it again? Probably if I have my mom or mother-in-law with me to help me prepare the food and concoctions I have to take. :D

*Update: 14 August 2009

Dr. Joy Ty-Sy got to this post and found it very uplifting and encouraging to know that the effort she puts into promoting breastfeeding resulted in positive outcome (as in the case of Jaydee Cheng). Dr. Joy holds clinic at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Room 375 (3rd Floor). Her schedules are MWF (12-3pm) and TThS (1-6pm). She may also be reached at 727-0001 loc. 2264 or 0922-9500973.

*Update: 28 May 2012
Another mom, Raquel, who underwent po-ge-lai shares her detailed story here. But what's interesting is that she is pure Pinay while her husband is the pure Chinese one.  Luckily, her husband is a chef AND cooks po-ge-lai foods available for orders.  Each dish costs 1,500 pesos and is good for 2-3 days if eaten for both lunch and dinner.  Visit his Facebook page for details on the menu and how to order.  Here's a review of the ge-lai menu by Benz Co-Rana.

More ge-lai experiences from Dianne and Giselle (yes, the comedienne!)

*Update: 28 September 2014
I was recently contacted by a company who specialises in confinement foods.  Finally! We have one such service in Manila.  Hao Po Po Philippines specialises not just in meals but in tonics, herbs taken by mothers undergoing po-ge-lai. Here is a sample menu:

 You can choose to subscribe daily, weekly or monthly meals.  They also have various products used by moms and even the herbs when it's time to take that wonderful first bath after ge-lai!

For inquiries, visit Ha Po Po Philippines Facebook page.