A few weeks ago, I was invited to teach a one-time, free, community education class on breastfeeding basics. As an independent, Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator in my community, I was happy to oblige - recognizing that low-cost or no-cost community health education classes play an important role in any and all communities. Being passionate about the dissemination of accessible, evidence-based lactation information, I was more than happy to volunteer the information normally apart of my eight-week childbirth preparation series.

But there was a catch.

My invitation to teach came from a neighbor of mine who owns the local baby supply store in town. While her secondary reason for offering occasional classes on location, in her store was to further her hard-earned reputation as a one-stop-shopping depot for all things baby - even to the point of providing monthly free classes on varying topics of interest to pregnant, nursing and new mothers during which new and expectant women can mingle and make social connections - her primary purpose was to increase store traffic and, therefore, sales.

A sub-section of Lamaze International's Code of Ethics for Childbirth Educators speaks to the issue of Conflict of Interest:

1.06 Conflicts of Interest

(a) Childbirth educators should be alert to and strive to avoid conflicts of interest that interfere with the exercise of professional discretion and impartial judgment. When a real or potential conflict of interest arises, childbirth educators should first disclose the conflict to clients and then take reasonable steps to resolve the issue in a manner that prioritizes the clients' interests and protects clients' interests to the greatest extent possible.

How did this invitation to teach (on a volunteer basis) a single class challenge the code of ethics I, as an LCCE, have promised to abide by? The possibility that my instruction would include subversive or overt recommendations of in-store products the store owner hoped I would incorporate into the two-hour class.

'Feel free to stop on by the store a day or two before the class to see what all we have in stock - that way you'll know which products to mention when talking about breastfeeding,' my neighbor suggested. 'We'll probably offer some sort of discount the night of the class for anything purchased that evening.'

Should I have been concerned with the amount of sales generated by my overview on the anatomy, physiology, practice and benefits of breastfeeding? Of course not. Would I have been in breach of my promise to uphold Lamaze's Code of Ethics in regards to Conflict of Interest, had I accepted the invitation to teach this class? Well, let's see:

Disclaiming a conflict of interest entails confessing any sort of financial reimbursement given to a conference speaker, health care provider, instructor or administrator (or to his/her family member) that might influence his/her decision to use, recommend or employ a certain product, service or practice of care. So, by definition, because I was not being paid to teach this class, I would not have technically been in breach of my Lamaze Code of Ethics commitment.

The slippery slope, however, became evident in this business owner's expectation that the content of my presentation would directly entice class participants to buy certain products, based on my recommendations under the guise of authoritative knowledge. If, for example, I swore by the functionality of the most expensive breast pump in the store - raving about its ability to support the continuation of breastfeeding over long periods, including mother's-return-to-work-scenarios, and its status as a 'must have' product for all moms with infants, despite the previous ten-minute mini-lecture I'd provided on the supply and demand system of lactation - that could have been perceived by my students as advice on a product they 'should' have at home in order to succeed at breastfeeding.

If, however, I mentioned and even showed examples of breastfeeding-related products in conjunction with curriculum content - for example, providing a visual demonstration of how to determine a 'good' versus 'bad' nursing bra in terms of support, proper fit, lack of underwire structure and easy release of cup latch - would this be considered entering the dangerous waters of Conflict of Interest? I would argue the answer here is, 'No.'

Obviously, receiving a monetary kick-back for each sale made of a particular item, or a percentage of total sales on the night of my class would be a brazen breach of ethics on my part and I'm happy to say such an arrangement was never discussed by business owner nor educator.

I did, in fact, go on to teach the one-time class in question - Conflict of Interest and guilt free, and in the presence of a lovely, invested, intelligent, un-coerced audience!

Ethics can be a tricky thing and, I for one, am thankful for Lamaze International's clear delineation of the Ethical Standards by which it expects its certified educators, employees and agents to abide. Wouldn't it be fantastic to see all professional organizations follow suit?

Posted By: Kimmelin Hull, PA, LCCE

Published: December 20, 2010

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