Breast or Bottle?: Contemporary Controversies in Infant-Feeding Policy and Practice

4. Viral Rhetoric: Breast and Bottle in Current Promotional Discourse

79 4 Viral Rhetoric Breast and Bottle in Current Promotional Discourse A poster published by the American Academy of Pediatrics contains the following text about human milk’s immune-protective qualities: “New babies are at risk for many infections. It is important that they receive all recommended immunizations. Breast milk is not only the perfect food, but is loaded with infection-fighting substances that help protect babies right from birth. It even makes some immunizations work better. Breastfeeding truly is ‘Baby’s First Immunization.’”1 The top half of this poster (see fig. 1) displays a close-up image of a newborn baby suckling at the breast, and in tiny print at the bottom of the poster are references to two scientific articles on breastfeeding and infant immunity.2 The advertising materials developed for the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign similarly emphasize the immune-protective qualities of breastfeeding . For example, one poster in this campaign shows a large picture of two dandelion seed heads (bearing an intentional resemblance to a pair of breasts), and the text below says in all caps, “breastfeed for six months. help reduce your child’s risk for respiratory illnesses”3 (see fig. 2). Other print advertisements in the campaign offer variations on the same theme. For example, another poster shows two otoscopes side by side and says at the bottom “breastfeed for six months. help reduce your child’s risk for ear infections” (see fig. 3).4 The television advertisements in this campaign , as discussed above, take a more dramatic approach, emphasizing not only the health benefits of breastfeeding but also the risks of formula-feeding. For example, these commercials depict pregnant mothers engaging in risky 80 Breast or Bottle? physical activities such as logrolling and mechanical-bull riding. On-screen text that appears with the visuals says, “You wouldn’t take risks before your baby is born . . . Why start after.” Finally, a brief voice-over that plays at the end informs listeners that “recent studies show babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and diarrhea. Babies were born to be breastfed.”5 Similar to the AAP poster, then, these advertisements mention specific benefits that all pertain to the immune-protective qualities of human milk. Many of the messages that are currently being used to promote formula place a similar emphasis on the importance of immune protection and immunesystem development to the infant’s health. For example, the website of formula manufacturer Similac promotes one of its newer brands of formula, called Similac Advance, by claiming that this product includes an additive called EarlyShield that contains the same immune building blocks as human milk and by describing these newly added elements in scientific terms. Specifically, the website makes the following claims about its latest innovation: “Similac Advance is designed to be more like breast milk and help support your baby’s developing immune system. Only EarlyShield has our patented blend An AAP poster depicts breastfeeding as “baby’s first immunization.” Fine print at the bottom of the poster cites scientific articles to support this claim. The poster is used with permission of the American Academy of Pediatrics , http://www2.aap.org/ breastfeeding/curriculum/ documents/pdf/BFIZPoster. pdf, copyright American Academy of Pediatrics, 2007. Viral Rhetoric 81 of immune-supporting nucleotides—and prebiotics and carotenoids, nutrients naturally found in breast milk. Explore how EarlyShield can help give your baby a strong start.”6 After reading this introductory text, users are repeatedly invited to “learn more” by clicking to navigate through several screens of informational text similar to the excerpt above—text that seems to translate complex scientific information about the infant’s immune system in a friendly, easy-to-understand format. Enfamil currently offers a formula with a “Triple Health Guard” additive that sounds quite similar to Similac’s EarlyShield ingredient, although Enfamil ’s Triple Health Guard includes two other additives besides the prebiotics : one is supposed to produce “healthy growth patterns similar to breastfed babies, in both weight and length” and the other “supports higher mental test scores” and “significantly enhances visual acuity.”7 In promoting this product, the Enfamil website offers the same kind of “learn more” links that Similac offers. The Enfamil site even includes animated visuals to depict the biological events that are supposed to lead to the health benefits offered by each of these three additives. A poster from NBAC urges mothers to breastfeed...