DiamondAir

> From: "Eileen M." <ravensegg@...>
> Yes, under normal circumstances, breast milk is
> designed for babies, and the female human breast is
> designed to deliver that milk. But for many reasons
> some babies do not thrive on breast milk. They may be
> (as my son was) lactose intolerant *and* allergic to
> milk. Their mother may be eating something to which
> they are allergic.


Right, but the mother can stop eating what they are allergic to. Both my
kids are allergic to milk. Well, I haven't had any dairy products in a long
time, and I sure do miss my ice cream :-) but it's really not that big of an
issue. All that means is that *cow's* milk is not beneficial to babies, not
that mother's milk isn't. The only disease I am aware of that necessitates
total weaning is Galactosemia, an extremely rare metabolic disorder that
necessitates that the child be on a special diet for life. In this case, it
isn't so much of a case of mother's milk not being beneficial, but that the
baby has a genetic disease that prevents them from receiving proper
nutrition from many different sources.


> They may be severely hypoglycemic
> (again, as my son was) and the milk simply doesn't
> have enough sugars in it to keep them alive.


According to LLL:

"Symptomatic hypoglycemia in newborns is largely due to delayed or
inadequate feeding and is more likely to occur when mother and baby are
separated after birth. Some newborns are given sugar water on the erroneous
assumption that this will prevent hypoglycemia. Instead, giving glucose
water causes a sudden rise in the blood glucose levels, which in turn
stimulates the secretion of insulin by the pancreas. The high level of
insulin results in an equally sudden drop in glucose levels. It is
interesting to note that the treatment for hypoglycemia in adults is small,
frequent, high-protein meals. That is exactly what the baby gets when he is
allowed to breastfeed on demand from birth.

Immediate and frequent feedings of colostrum, preferably ten to twelve
feedings per day in the first few days, stabilize blood glucose levels.
Undiluted human milk is the best food, particularly for preterm infants. "

"In some hospital settings, newborns are at risk for developing hypoglycemia
even after an uneventful labor and delivery. Babies who are not fed soon
after birth, are left uncovered in a nursery warmer, or are left in a
nursery to cry, are under stress. As a result they use up their stores of
glucose and are at risk for developing hypoglycemia. It is important to put
the baby to the breast immediately after birth, make sure the baby is kept
warm and dry (preferably in the mother's arms), and not allow long
separations when the baby may be left to cry. "

and finally:

"The best way to stabilize blood sugar and prevent hypoglycemia in all
infants is prompt and frequent feedings of colostrum and human milk."

Even if supplements need to be given - glucose, etc. the baby can still
benefit from breastfeeding. The supplements are a small addition to the
millions of beneficial properties of the breastmilk.


> They may
> be too weak to suck. Their mothers may be unable, due
> to stress, nutritional problems etc, to provide
> sufficient breastmilk. They may need a different
> balance of nutrients for a variety of health reasons
> than breast milk can provide. They may be too
> underdeveloped to process breastmilk.

But as per the original statements, all these babies would *benefit* from
breastfeeding. If they're too weak to suck, they can be supplemented with an
eyedropper and breastmilk until they gain their ability to suck -
breastfeeding (left undisturbed) is a relationship of many years, not just
the first few days, weeks, or months. If the mothers are unable to provide
sufficient breastmilk, that's a whole 'nother problem. Obviously the mothers
should be supported to the degree that they can provide breastmilk, but if
not that still doesn't mean that the baby wouldn't benefit from it, just
that the mom can't provide it. In many cases, a donor mother can provide
breastmilk (which can even be pasteurized) - this is less rare than you'd
think. I've both donated my breastmilk (to an adopted baby) and wet nursed a
friend's baby when she was in the hospital. If breastfeeding was more
supported, these alternates would be more common.
As for babies needing a different balance of nutrients than breastmilk
provides, the baby would still benefit from breastfeeding, perhaps enhanced
by the addition of whatever else breastmilk would be "lacking". As
breastmilk contains over 400 ingredients that scientists have yet to
identify, and infant formulas contain about 20, I'd be pretty suspect of
someone claiming that a formula could provide what breastmilk could not
(unless of course in the case of those rare disorders where the baby isn't
able to process some things, or where the baby needs something specific,
like glucose drops). In any case, it's a simple matter to supplement the
baby's diet in addition to providing the breastmilk. As for a baby being
underdeveloped to process breastmilk, research in the last decade has found
that this is rarely the case. The mother's milk actually *changes*
dramatically when a baby is born prematurely and is ideally suited for the
premature infant. Scientists now realize that breastmilk is the best food,
even for preemies.

>
> The majority of babies in the NICU my son was in could
> not use breastmilk for one reason or another.

But this was 11 years ago, right? They have learned a lot about the benefits
of breastmilk for preemies in the time between then and now. Now mothers
with babies in the NICU are encouraged to pump and to put the baby to the
breast. The babies can be fed with eyedroppers or SNS (supplemental nursing
systems) to prevent nipple confusion. Every mom of a NICU baby that I've
known in the last few years has been encouraged strongly to breastfeed as
preemies need breastmilk even more than full-term babies. There is even a
book out now: "Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby".

>And
> most babies will refuse the breast once they are
> initiated on a bottle... the bottle provides faster
> service with less work.

All the more reason that hospitals and new mothers should be aware that
there are alternatives to bottle feeding for babies who need supplementing.
Droppers, cups, tube and finger feeding, and SNS are just some of the
possibilities that will not induce nipple confusion.


> But it is a sweeping generality to say that *all*
> children benefit from breast feeding in infancy. Some
> babies would die or fail to thrive from breast
> feeding, so it is not factually the case that all
> children benefit from breast feeding in infancy.


I'd say other than the genetic disease I mentioned above (in which case the
baby has a host of problems with food, not just breastmilk), *all* babies
would benefit from breastfeeding (even if it is just partial breastfeeding).
Breastmilk benefits babies in a thousand different ways, and the nutritional
aspect is just one of them. The white blood cells and disease protection,
the bonding, the suckling promoting healthy jaw development, the anti-cancer
properties of breastmilk are among the benefits that a baby would get from
breastfeeding, even *if* they were among the very rare cases that also
needed supplementing with some other nutritional additive. Typically,
babies that would die or fail to thrive would do so because of lack of
support and accurate information about breastfeeding. A lot of that has
been dispensed by the medical profession in the last few decades of
dominance by the formula companies (See the book "Milk, Money, and Madness"
for a thorough treatment of that topic).


> Need a lift back onto the soapbox?

No, thanks :-)

One of the reasons that the breastfeeding soapbox is so important is that so
much misinformation has been given about breastfeeding. The World Health
Organization estimates that a *MILLION* babies die every year around the
world from *lack* of breastfeeding, including a whopping 10,000 here in the
(supposedly modern) United States. It is vitally important that mothers
receive accurate information about breastfeeding, and support to do so.
Fortunately, scientists and medical professionals are just starting to
realize how important breastfeeding is and how in almost all circumstances
it is possible and indeed necessary. Maybe someday we will see it supported
properly. I think it is one of the most vital health issues on this planet.

Blue Skies!
-Robin-
Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) inventer of new and wonderful things
and Asa (10/5/99) singer of protest songs
http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family