Hi all!

I just recently went online so I could subscribe to Lactnet (finally had a
reason to go
online!).  A LC friend showed me several copies of Lactnet Digests, and I was
hooked.
I'm a Clinical Psychologist, "retired" to stay at home after the birth of my
third child;
we have four children, 14, 11, 7 and 4, all breastfed for 3 or 4 years.
 After moving to a
small town (my husband's hometown) 3 years ago, I became a La Leche League
Leader
to overcome my feelings of isolation.  However, the group is still extremely
small, so I
was thrilled to discover Lactnet.

A LC friend of mine has a client who is both chewing tobacco and
breastfeeding.  She
wonders if the effects are comparable to smoking, or are there differences.
Anyone
have any data?

One of my LLL Moms has been dianosed hypoparathyroid; her doctors seem to
indicate
that breastfeeding would be difficult or impossible.  She breastfed her first
baby about 5 months, though supplementing all the while with ABM, and seems
to have the hypoparathyroidism under control.  Any information about this?
She is not pregnant yet;
just planning!

I also wanted to respond to Julie Martz about babies exclusively breastfed
after 6 months in regard to their iron level.  My first two babies nursed
exclusively for about
10 months; no solids or liquids, by their choice, and had excellent iron
levels.  I am
always anemic, I take iron everyday.  My third demanded food at 5 months; we
held him
off until 6 months to reduce the  chance of allergies.  My fourth nursed
exclusively
for 12 months; again had excellent iron levels.  I also had several friends
in LLL who
nursed exclusively for 12 months or more with no iron level problems.  Many
in LLL have
done this; I have yet to hear of iron problems in breastfed babies.  I wonder
if this once
again is a ABM problem which has been automatically assumed to apply to BF
babies without data?

Patricia (Tricia)  B. Holliday, Ph D., LLLL, isolated no longer in McComb,
MS!
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